The art of cookery, a manual for homes and schools

Preface

A GREAT need exists in our homes and schools for more intelligent instruction in regard to the preparation of food. This book was written to supply that need. In it the principles underlying the art of cookery are clearly explained. And with its aid any person of ordinary intelligence ought to be able to select, prepare, and serve, in a scientific and skilful manner, such articles of food as are in general use.

in

Introduction

For the benefit of housekeepers and students of cookery a few general rules are here given in regard to marketing and the selection of food materials.

The methods of cutting up calves, sheep, and hogs are so similar, in a general way, to that of cutting up beef cattie— the main difference being in the fewer number of cuts on account of the smaller size of the animals —that the rules which are applicable in the selection of the best cuts of beef are applicable also in the selection of the best cuts in any of these smaller animals.

The method of cutting up a beef, as illustrated in the plate, is that which is followed by the best butchers in New York and Chicago, and is the one in most general use in this country. The divisions marked with the letter S are generally used as steak. The figures 2 and 3 along the top of the back denote the number of ribs in each cut or roast, as there designated.

The name by which each piece is called, as marked on the illustration, is given in the following list :

1, S, Thick sirloin.

2, Second cut, or middle ribs.

3, S, Small end sirloin.

Mlrodudion.

4, First cut rib.

5, Third cut, or thick rib.

6, First cut chuck rib.

7, S, Second cut chuck rib. ^j S^ Cross rib.

9, S, Third cut chuck.

10, S, Rump.

1 1 , Face of rump.

12, First cut round.

13, Second cut round.

14, Top of sirloin.

15, S, Neck piece.

16, Second neck piece.

17, Plate piece.

18, Navel piece.

19, Brisket.

20, Shoulder clod.

21, Flank piece.

22, Third cut of neck.

24, Shin.

Chapter I. How To Select Meat

To Select Beef. — Cattle from four to eight years of age furnish the best beef. The flesh of young animals is less rich in flavor and nutrition, and loses more weight in cooking than that of mature age. Good beef has a dark red color when first cut, which changes to a lighter shade after a few minutes' exposure to the air. It looks juicy, is fine grained, smooth, firm, and, at the same time, elastic to the touch. It has a fair proportion of fat about the kidneys and overlying the loin and ribs, while the lean or muscular portions are ingrained and marbled with dots and streaks of fat. A very dark color indicates an old animal, a pale, moist muscle a very young one, and a bluish or dark red color poor beef.

Those portions of a beef containing the greatest amount of tenderloin are generally considered the choicest, consequently they command the highest price. But, as a matter of fact, the sirloin, rump, ribs, and some other cuts, although less tender, contain more juice, flavor, and nutrition than the tenderloin.

The fore quarter of a beef contains a larger proportion of bone to meat, and is less tender, than the hind quarter, but is quite equal to it in juiciness and flavor. Backward from the head, in the fore quarters, and up-

How to Select Meat. "

ward from the legs in both fore and hind quarters, the quality and price of the meat increases.

The best steak is the porterhouse steak, cut from the loin of an animal where the tenderloin is largest. It contains both tenderloin and sirloin, separated by a small bone, and is frequently called a pin-bone steak. Further back the pin-bone centers in a cross-bone at the top, and a cut from there is often called a T-bone steak. Steaks cut forward from the porterhouse steaks have no separating bone in them, but are nevertheless called porterhouse steaks by many butchers, and are not infrequently given that name even when cut so far forward that there is not a semblance of tenderloin about them. When the pin-bone or T-bone is removed from a porterhouse steak, and it is divided into two parts, these parts are known respectively as tenderloin steak and sirloin steak. As has already been said, the tenderloin is the tenderest portion of a beef; but many people prefer a sirloin to a tenderloin steak on account of its being more juicy and richer flavored. After the loin, the rump steaks are the best. The round is very inferior for broiling, as the juices are so thin and exposed that it is difficult to keep them from flowing out while the meat is cooking, and leaving it dry and tasteless. Round steak is better cooked as Salisbury or Hamburger steak, or sauted and

braised.

The first, second, and third cut ribs, as shown on the chart, make prime roasts. The rump also makes an excellent roast. The chuck ribs do not make nearly so good a roast as either of the other cuts mentioned. But the portions that are best for steaks furnish the finest roasts. And while sirloin is considered best for a large roast, nothing can be choicer for a small one than porterhouse.

To Select Veal. — Milk-fed calves that are from six to eight weeks of age make the best veal. The fat about the kidneys of such calves is white and the flesh is white and firm. The hind quarter is the choicest and generally sells for a few cents a pound more than the fore quarter. The loin makes the fattest and finest chops. Cudets are usually taken from the leg. The fillet is also taken from the leg. Roasts are selected from the loin, the breast, the shoulder, and the leg.

The pancreatic glands, or sweetbreads, are two small . lumps of flesh that are found in the lower throat and near the heart of the calf They seldom weigh more than half a pound, and their function is to assimilate the oily portions of the food of the young animal. In milk-fed calves the sweetbreads are composed largely of assimilated cream and are very tender and delicate in flavor, but as the calves increase in age they become tough and worthless. The sweetbread nearest the heart is plump and oval in form, while that from the throat is longer and less compact. There is little difference, however, in their flavor or delicacy.

To Select Mutton. — The best mutton is that in which the fat is abundant, white, clear, and solid, the leg bones white, the scored skin on the fore quarters red, and the lean meat juicy and firm and of a dark red color.

To Select Lamb. — In selecting lamb choose that which has hard, white fat on the back and about the kidneys, and has pinkish-hued bones.

How to Select Meat. 13

To Select Pork. — The lean of the best pork is of a delicate red color, juicy, firm, and fine grained. The fat is white and the skin thin and pearly. When the skin is thick the pig is old.

To Select Ham. — Medium-sized hams weighing from eight to twelve pounds are usually the best. Hams should be plump and round, with short tapering shanks and small bones. The fat should be white and firm, and the skin thin and not wrinkled.

To Select Poultry. — A moderate sized turkey is more apt to be young than a larger one, and a hen is preferable to a gobbler, being generally plumper, fatter, and more delicate in flavor. The legs of a turkey should be black and smooth and the breast-bone soft and pliable. If the legs are rough, the breast-bone hard, and the skin tough, the turkey is old. When turkeys or other fowls are fresh the eyes are bright and full, and the feet and legs limber. The breast of a goose should be plump and white, and the feet yellow and flexible. If the windpipe is soft the goose is young. Capons are the greatest delicacies known in the poultry line, as they retain the tenderness of young chickens while having the size and flavor of mature fowls. To judge the age of a chicken press with the finger on the breast-bone at the point nearest the tail, and if the bone is soft and pliable the chicken is young. Poultry that is dark and slimy is stale and unfit for food.

To Select Eggs. — Fresh eggs look clear and semitransparent in a strong light, and if lifted in the hand feel heavier than eggs that are stale. If eggs are dropped into a bucket or pan of water those that are perfectly fresh will sink to the bottom and rest on their sides, those that are stale will stand obliquely in the water, while those that are positively bad will take an upright position and float. Cold-storage eggs should be avoided, as they usually have a sour, musty flavor that renders them very undesirable for most culinary purposes.

To Select Fish. — In selecting fish choose only those with firm flesh, stifl" fins, lively red gills, and full, clear eyes.

Chapter II. How To Select Vegetables

Considerable care should be observed in the selection of vegetables, as most green vegetables are very perishable, and lose their flavor and become unhealthful when they wilt or grow stale. A few general rules are given for the selection of such as are in most common use.

To Select Potatoes. — Those that have the most perfect skin and are heaviest for their size are always the best.

To Select Cabbage. — The firmest and heaviest heads of cabbage are best.

To Select Cauliflower. — Select large, solid heads that are creamy white. Wilted leaves and dark flowers are indications of staleness.

To Select Squash. — Hubbard and other varieties of fall and winter squash, and also pumpkins, should be selected by weight. The heavier a squash or pumpkin is in proportion to size the tenderer and richer flavored it is apt to be.

To Select Turnips. — Medium-sized turnips are generally sweetest, provided they are firm, heavy, and free from green spots.

To Select Carrots, Parsnips, and Salsify. — These all belong in the same family of vegetables, and are best when unwilted, solid, heavy, and free from side roots.

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To Select Cucumbers. — Select those of medium size that are dark green in color and very plump and firm.

To Select Spinach. — Spinach should be bright green in color, unwilted, and crisp.

To Select Celery. — Dwarf is much finer flavored than mammoth. But whatever variety is selected it should be white, firm, and crisp.

To Select Lettuce. — Head lettuce is much superior to that known as ' ' cut lettuce, ' ' and the more firm and solid the heads are the more tender and delicate flavored the lettuce will be.

To Select Egg Plant. — The large, oval-shaped purple is the best. If fresh the ^%^ will be firm and the skin brilliant.

To Select Tomatoes. — Smooth, firm, heavy tomatoes are the least watery and the finest flavored.

To Select Onions. — Thin-skinned, solid onions are always the best. The mildest of any of the different varieties is the large Spanish onion.

To Select Peas and Beans. — Green peas and string beans should be young and freshly picked.

To Select Green Corn. — ^The cobs should be well filled and the grains plump and milky.

To Select Berries and Fruits. — A dry surface is a pretty sure indication of freshness in strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries ; and plumpness, brightness of skin, and freedom from spots of decay are the most reliable indications of freshness in such fruits as apples, peaches, plums, cherries, grapes, etc.

Part Ii.-food Materials. Introduction

It is quite as important to know how to take care of food materials as it is to select them, and in a majority of homes the loss incurred through ignorance or carelessness in this respect is very great. Consequently every housekeeper should be acquainted with the best methods of taking care of all kinds of food materials before and after they have been cooked, so as to avoid waste in this direction. Ignorance in selecting, caring for, and preparing their food materials has impoverished, and is impoverishing, many families.

Chapter III. Care Of Food Materials

All kinds of meat and poultry should be kept in a cool, dry atmosphere and should be suspended from hooks in such a manner as not to rest against anything. The choicest portion of the fowl or joint of meat should, when suspended, hang lowest, therefore turkeys, chickens, etc., should be hung by the feet, and a leg of lamb, mutton, or other animal by the shank-bone.

It is unsafe to keep veal or fresh pork any length of time, and both meats are better to be cooked while Iresh.

A turkey can safely hang three or four days in a cool, dry atmosphere, but chickens and other fowls do not improve after hanging twenty-four hours. Of course, in a well-ventilated ice-chamber the time they can be allowed to hang, without detriment, may be lengthened considerably. The best and most modern authorities approve of drawing all poultry and game before it is hung. It should not, however, be washed until shortly before it is to be cooked.

Fresh fish should not be allowed to soak any length of time in cold water. They should be kept cold and dry, and are better to be cooked as soon as possible after being caught.

Milk and cream should be kept apart from all foods

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Care of Food Materials. 19

that emit odors, and should be closely covered. Butter also should be kept where it cannot absorb odors, and, if kept in large quantities, should be covered with brine, or with several inches of dry salt. A great deal of milk, cream, and butter is ruined by being put in a refrigerator or closet, with a variety of other articles whose odors they quickly absorb.

All cooked foods should be stored in glass, china, or earthen-ware vessels, and should be carefully covered.

Eggs should be kept in a cool, dry atmosphere. If eggs are packed in dry salt, pointed end down, they may be kept in good condition for several weeks.

Fruits and vegetables, as a general rule, keep best in a cool, dry atmosphere. Lettuce, cress, celery, and parsley are best preserved by being wrapped in a towel or napkin wrung out of cold water, then in paper, and kept in a cool place.

Berries and all soft, small fruits should be picked over carefully and scattered on plates, or sheets of white paper. They should not be piled high in deep dishes until shortly before they are to be served.

Imperfectly ripened, or partly green, tomatoes may be ripened very perfectly by being wiped dry, wrapped in paper or cloth, placed in a basket lined with paper or cloth to exclude the light, and set in a warm place for twenty-four hours.

Chapter IV. Preparation Of Food Materials

The proper preparation of food materials — ^both those which are to be cooked and those which are to be served uncooked — is so important a matter that every housekeeper, cook, and student of cookery should have a practical knowledge of how to prepare, as well as how to select, all the various food materials and articles of food that are likely to be included in the ordinary bill of fare.

To Pick a Fowl. — Fowls that are picked dry are considered superior to those whose feathers are removed by scalding, but as the latter method of taking the feathers from fowls of nearly all kinds Is the one in general use and is much easier and quicker than dry picking, it is the method here given: Hold the fowl by the feet or legs, plunge it in very hot water, and draw it out again almost instantly. Repeat the process several times, until the feathers are thoroughly soaked and can be pulled out easily. Then take the fowl in the left hand, and with the right hand pluck out the feathers, stripping them from the legs down toward the head. After all the feathers have been removed, rub out the pin feathers with a coarse cloth, and singe off the hairs over a blaze of alcohol or gas.

To Draw a Fowl. — Cut off the head of the fowl, if

ao it has not already been removed. Slit the skin the full length of the neck at the back, and carefully loosen it from the neck and craw. Cut off the neck about an inch from the body, and remove the craw and windpipe, being careful not to tear the skin of the fowl. Insert a sharp-pointed knife in front of, and close to, the tail and cut through the skin around the vent and outside the entrail. Lift up the skin below the breast-bone of the fowl, leaving a strip an inch in width above the vent. Cut crosswise two inches and make an opening large enough to insert two fingers, with which carefully draw out the entire contents of the body of the fowl. Separate the heart, liver, and gizzard from the entrails. Remove the gall-sack from the liver very carefully, and open and empty the gizzard.

To Draw a Bird. — This is the best and easiest way of drawing a bird or young chicken that is to be broiled : Insert a small sharp-pointed knife between the shoulder and the backbone and cut down the back the entire length of the fowl or bird — being careful not to cut into the entrails. Lay the fowl or bird open and remove the contents of the body.

To Wash a Fowl. — Dissolve a teaspoonful of soda in two quarts of water, and with a brush or cloth wash the skin of the fowl very thoroughly. Rinse the inside with the soda water. Wash the giblets also. Rinse all in cold water and wipe dry with a soft towel.

To Prepare a Fish. — To remove the scales from a fish use a stiff-bladed knife, and scrape from the tail toward the head. If the fish is to be stuffed and baked trim off the fins and open the belly about one third the length of the fish, beginning near the tail. Remove the entrails, wash and rinse the fish well, and dry with a soft towel. If the fish is to be broiled, open it down the belly the entire length of the fish, and unless it is to be boned, cut through the bones close to the backbone, and deep enough into the fish to allow it to lie flat and wide open.

To Bone a Fish. — Cut off its head and insert the point of the boning-knife close to the backbone, under the small bones that lie near the inside surface of the fish. Slip the knife under these bones and carefully lift them from the fish, leaving the meat as little disturbed or broken as possible. With a round-pointed, dull-bladed knife scrape the flesh away from the backbone and the bones that project into the fish therefrom, until they can be lifted away clear of flesh; then with the blade of the knife smooth and pack together the flesh that has been disturbed by removing them. It is not advisable to bone small fish, and all fish, as well as meats of every kind, are of finer flavor when cooked with the bones left in them.

To Prepare Soup-Bones. — Remove the skin from soup-bones, instead of washing them, and make deep incisions, quite near together, in the lean meat, with a knife.

To Prepare a Roast of Beef. — Remove the outer skin, and with a moist cloth wipe the surface on the inside of the cut wherever it has been exposed to dust. All joints of meat should be prepared in the same manner as beef, and should not be wet or washed when it is possible to make them clean by removing the outer skin and wiping them.

To Prepare a Leg of Mutton or Lamb The outer

skin should always be carefully removed from both mutton and lamb before either of them are cooked. This is more important in the preparation of mutton and lamb than in the preparation of other meats, as mutton and lamb are both liable to have an unpleasant, woolly flavor when boiled or roasted, unless the outer skin has first been removed.

To Prepare Steak or Chops. — Remove the outer skin and all superfluous fat and bones. As the fat of veal and lamb is much more delicate than that of beef and mutton a larger quantity of it can be left on the former than on the latter meats.

To Prepare Breakfast Bacon — Cut ofl" the dried and hardened surface from as much of a piece of breakfast bacon as is needed. Lay the bacon, skin side down, on a meat board and cut in thin slices down to the rind, until the desired number is obtained, then turn the knife under the slices and separate them from the rind.

To Prepare Sliced Ham. — Remove the outer rind, also a very thin strip along the inner edge of each slice, as those portions have a rank flavor, and are dirty from exposure.

To Prepare a Ham for Boiling or Baking. — Lay the ham, skin side down, in a large pan, pour over it a quart of hot, and several quarts of cold, water. Add a large spoonful of soda to the water, and with a brush scrub the ham thoroughly all over, then rinse in clean water and soak ten or twelve hours, in sufficient water to cover it, with the skin side up.

To Prepare a Dried Tongue.— A dried, smoked tongue should be prepared in the same manner as a ham.

To Prepare Salted Fish. — Soak the fish, skin side up, in cold water ten or twelve hours, or long enough to freshen it sufficiently, then hang in a cool place to drain and become dry enough to broil readily.

To Prepare Liver — Skin the liver, cut it in slices half an inch thick, soak half an hour in cold salt water, and dry with a soft towel.

To Prepare Sweetbreads. — Put in cold salt water, and let them soak an hour.

To Prepare Potatoes. — If the potatoes are to be baked or boiled in their skins, wash clean, using a small brush to scrub them with, and remove, with a knife, all specks or blemishes. In paring potatoes use a small, thin-bladed, sharp-pointed knife, drop the potatoes as soon as pared into cold water, and let them remain there until needed for cooking. This keeps them from exposure to the air, and prevents their becoming discolored.

To Prepare Turnips, Carrots, Etc. — Cut or slice the turnips in pieces before paring, unless they are to be cooked whole. Instead of scraping the skin from carrots, parsnips, and salsify it is easier and better to remove a thin paring by cutting from the top, lengthwise of the vegetable. Carrots, parsnips, and salsify should, like potatoes, be dropped in water as soon as pared.

To Prepare Squashes. — Squashes of the hard-shelled variety should be washed or scrubbed until perfectly clean, and then be cut with a saw into pieces the size desired for baking or steaming. Pumpkins and squashes of the soft-shelled varieties should be divided into pieces easily handled, before they are pared.

To Shell Peas. — Pick up the pods with the left hand and press the thumb of the right hand upon the front of the lower end of the pod — the forefinger of the right hand supporting the pod beneath — until it splits open. Then slip the thumb into the opening, run it up the entire length of the pod, and scrape out the peas into a dish or pan beneath the hand. Shelled peas should not be allowed to drop into the dish containing the pods.

To String Beans. — To remove the strings from green snap beans bend the sharp point at the lower end of the pod backward until it breaks, and, with it still attached, remove the string along the back of the pod, breaking off with it the stem at the opposite end. Instead of breaking the pods separately between the fingers, a handful of them may be taken at a time and cut with a knife upon a board much more expeditiously.

To Wash Asparagus. — Take each stalk by the cut end and swash it back and forward in a large pan of water. Tie the washed stalks in bunches of six or eight in each bunch, with a white cotton string; place the green tips evenly together and cut off the opposite ends of the stalks, thus making the bunches of a uniform length.

To Prepare Cabbage or Cauliflower. — Cut off the roots and remove the outside leaves, then divide the heads into quarters and lay face downward in cold salted water for half an hour before cooking. Salt water is said to induce worms and bugs to come from their hiding places in vegetables and float upon the water.

To Prepare Spinach, Etc. — Cut off the roots and pick off the dead leaves from spinach, dandeUon, and other greens, carefully examine for insects and worms, throw into salted water, let remain for half an hour, then wash each bunch or head singly in a large pan of clean water. Spinach, dandelions, and other greens washed by the handful and crowded together in quantities in the water when washed are usually gritty and unpalatable when cooked.

To Prepare Celery. — Remove the coarse outside stems and pare the root. Divide the stalk into halves — - if large into quarters — and trim off all leaves that are not ornamental or edible.

To Prepare Lettuce. — Cut off the root and remove the outside leaves from each head. Then remove the other leaves one by one and place them in cold water. Rinse carefully, lay in a fine wire basket, and swing in a draft of air to dry off, or lay on a coarse towel and shake gently until dry. Keep in a cool place until served. Cress, chicory, sorrel, and all salad leaves should be washed and dried in a similar manner.

To Prepare Cucumbers. — Lay the cucumbers upon ice, or in cold water, until half an hour before serving, then pare and slice upon broken ice. Just before serving drain off the water. Cucumbers should never be soaked in salted water, as salt renders them tough and indigestible.

To Prepare Tomatoes. — Lay the tomatoes, stem end down, in a basin or bowl, and pour boiling water over them until they are completely covered with it. Let stand half a minute, then drain it off, and fill the bowl with cold water. Renew the water several times, if necessary, but do not handle the tomatoes until quite cold. As soon as the tomatoes are cold the skins can be removed quite easily. If the tomatoes are to be used raw lay them upon ice until just before serving, when the skins can be removed and the tomatoes sliced.

To Prepare Bread and Cracker Crumbs. — As different kinds of crumbs are required for different purposes the various methods of preparing them are here given :

Crumbs No. i. — To prepare crumbs for stuffing meats, poultry, etc., remove the crust from a loaf of stale bread, break the loaf in the middle, and rub the jagged or rough edges against each other until the bread is rubbed into tolerably fine crumbs.

Crumbs No. 2. — Crumbs for scolloping meats, oysters, fish, etc., should be prepared in the same manner as those for stuffing meats and poultry, and should then be rubbed through a coarse sieve.

Crumbs No. j. — To prepare crumbs that are to be used in frying, take pieces of dry bread, crusts, or crackers, lay upon a molding board, and, with a rolling-pin, crush and roll them into very fine crumbs. Sift before using.

Stuffing for Poultry. — Season to taste with salt and pepper the desired quantity of Crumbs No. i, and moisten lightly with melted butter. If additional seasoning be desired, minced parsley, celery, or onion may be used.

Stuffing for Veal. — Season to taste with salt and pepper the desired quantity of Crumbs No. i, or with salt, pepper, and lemon-thyme, or with salt, pepper, and a combination of grated lemon-peel and nutmeg, or ground mace — using half as much nutmeg or mace as lemon-peel, and moisten well with melted butter. Crumbs No. i seasoned with salt and pepper and a little sage or sweet marjoram, and moistened with melted butter, may be used for stuffing pork.

Stuffing for Fish. — Use the same seasoning and prepare in the same manner as for veal.

To Remove the Skins from Peaches and Plums. — The skins may be removed from peaches, plums, grapes, and some other fruits, in the same way they are removed from tomatoes, but success depends greatly upon the exact condition of the fruit. And as the skins of all these fruits can frequently be peeled off readily without the aid of boiling water it is always advisable to experiment with a small quantity of the fruit before deciding upon which is the easiest method of removing them.

To Pare Peaches. — Cut the peaches in halves, remove the halves from the pits by twisting or "wringing" them in opposite directions, and pare the halves.