Cookery for every household

When a gas stove is used the grilling is done underneath the light instead of on the top (see p. 21). A little water put in the dripping tin will prevent the fat catching fire. Frying Frying is one of the quickest methods of cooking meat, but it is only suited to small and tender cuts. Cheap and tough meat should never be cooked by this process. There are two different methods of frying : 1. Dry Frying or, properly speaking, sauteing, is cooking in a shallow pan or frying pan with a small quantity of fat. The fat. must be made quite hot, and then the meat placed in it and cooked on both sides. Chops and steaks may be cooked in this way, although they are not so digestible as when grilled. Slices of liver, sheep’s kidneys, and sausages may also be cooked by this method. 2. Deep Frying, or Frying Proper. — This method is best suited to made-up dishes of meat, such as fritters, rissoles, croquettes, &c. The articles to be fried are generally protected with a coating of batter or egg and bread-crumbs before they are submerged in boiling fat. (For full directions for this kind of frying see p. 248.) Stewing Stewing means long slow cooking in a small quantity of liquid, in a covered vessel and at a low temperature. It is one of the most economical ways of cooking : firstly, because there is nothing lost, any juice that is drawn from the meat is served in the gravy ; secondly, because the coarser and cheaper pieces of meat may be used, as the long slow cooking makes them tender ; and, thirdly, very little fuel is required, and very little attention when once the stew has been set agoing. A stew is generally a mixture of meat and vegetables, and success depends very much upon the careful seasoning and blending of flavours. In some cases the meat is lightly fried or seared before it is stewed ; this prevents the escape of some of the juices and gives colour to the stew. In others, the meat is simply put on in the liquid in which it is to be cooked. This liquid may either be thin, such as water or stock, or a thickened sauce or gravy. A thin liquid is always to be preferred for tough meat, as it penetrates and softens the fibre better. If the meat is very tough, a little vinegar is sometimes used to make it more tender. A stew may be cooked either in a stewpan or in a jar, and either on the top of the stove or in the oven. A double saucepan is also very useful for this mode of cooking, or the saucepan containing it may be placed in a larger one containing hot water. The lid should be removed as seldom as possible, and it should fit the saucepan or jar tightly, so as to avoid waste through evaporation. The time for stewdng wall depend on the kind of meat used and the size of the pieces. When sufficiently cooked the fibre of the meat should be soft and loose, and the chief point to remember i# that the process must not be hurried. Examples of different kinds of stews will be found in the following recipes. Stewing in Earthenware This method of cooking is becoming very popular, and the simple clay casseroles, which can now bo bought in so many different shapes and sizes, are