Myra's cookery book

The time required for boiling meat varies with the size and nature of the joint, and also with the kind of meat: the method of cooking also varies slightly. Fresh meat is generally put into cold water, in the proportion of a quart of water to each pound of meat, and allowed to come gradually to the boil; the pot is then drawn aside, and the meat simmers gently until it is done. It is a good plan to place a reversed plate or dish at the bottom of the pot, to prevent the meat from resting on this and possibly adhering to it. Another way of boiling joints of fresh meat is to put them at once into boiling water, and when they have remained in it a minute to add cold water until the tempe- rature is reduced to tepid. After this the heat is again increased, and the joint is allowed to simmer until tender. This plan is said to keep the gravy in the meat without METHODS OF COOKING. xi hardening it. Large joints require from fifteen to twenty minutes boiling to each pound of meat; smaller joints take from twelve to fifteen minutes to each pound ; lamb and veal take longer than mutton or beef; a chicken takes twenty minutes ; a fowl thirty or forty minutes ; a turkey from an hour and a half to two hours, depending on the size; rabbits require a great deal of boiling in plenty of water, nearly or quite an hour and three-quarters. All salt meat should be soaked in cold water for at least two hours before it is required for cooking, and well washed and dried. It is put into cold water, which is allowed to come gradually to the boil, and the pot is then drawn away from the fire so that the meat can simmer gently until done. Some people consider it a good plan to let the meat boil fast for ten minutes before drawing it aside to simmer; this boiling preserves the juices, and it does not last long enough to harden the meat. The time usually allowed is a quarter of an hour to each pound of meat, but this, although suffi- cient for small joints, is not always enough for large ones. Bacon, for instance, takes much longer to boil than salt beef, ham, or tongue. All boiled meat or poultry that is to be eaten hot should be taken out of the pot as soon as it is done — it will become sodden and flavourless if left too long in the water. Meat that is to be eaten cold, such as tongue or ham, should be allowed to cool in the liquor it has been boiled in ; rolled tongue and pressed spice beef are, of course, e.xceptions, as they must be moulded while hot. The meat should always be covered with water, although it is not desirable that there should be a great depth of water above the joint. Fast boiling will entirely spoil the meat, and render it hard, tough, and a bad colour. The scum must be taken off as it rises, but, except when skim- ming is necessary, the lid should be left on the pot, and the XU MYRA'S COOKERY BOOK. heat, which need not be great for simmering, should be even and uninterrupted. In boiling poultry or white meats, a piece of bread with- out crust, and a little butter or beef suet, may be added to the water to soften it, and to keep the colour and improve the flavour of the joint. STEAMING.