It is not generally known that when burnt fat is eaten in any form it causes great trouble in the stomach, &c. ; for soon after it enters the stomach it produces butyric acid, which is the most unwholesome of all acids. When present in the stomach a gas is formed which causes heartburn. It is difficult to cook food in fat, i.e. to fry it, because it ought to be made at least twice as hot as boiling water before it is fit for use. Indeed, some fats make the quicksilver in the thermometer rise to 600° or 700° Fahr. When the dry frying method is employed the frying-pan should be constantly moved about to prevent the articles fried from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Shallow7 and deep frying-pans or kettles should he made of strong- iron with thick bottoms. There are two modes of frying : — 1. Dry frying, which is frying in as little fat as possible, adapted for small pieces of meat, vegetables, &c. 2. Deep or wet frying, which is done in a deep pan containing at least as much fat as will cover whatever is being fried. This method is used for various kinds of fish, meat mixtures, paste mixtures, &c., but whatever is fried in this way must be coated either with flour, batter, eggs, or crumbs : this is done to prevent the heat of the fat from entering into the substance fried. (Fish, eggs, souffles, &c., differ in this respect.) Brillat-Savarin declares that ‘ The beauty of a good fry is in carbonising or browning the surface by sudden immersion — the pro- cess known as the surprise. It forms a sort of vault to enclose all that is valuable, prevents the fat from reaching it, and concentrates the juices so as best to develop the alimentary qualities.’ Beef and mutton suet cut up very small, clarified, and strained, is used in most kitchens for frying purposes, though lard and oil will answer equally well, but in some cases these are not found quite so suitable. The light-coloured dripping obtained from roasting meat, and the clean fat taken off stocks, are in a wray preferable to. any- thing else for ordinary frying. Frying in lard is best adapted for the more bulky articles. Oil is largely used for frying on the Continent, but more especially in France and Italy, and of late years it has come into favour in this country. Oil requires more careful handling than either of the above fats, and needs to be warmed up over a gentle fire to prevent it from rising or boiling over (300°-400°). THE NEW CENTURY COOKERY ROOK Butter is sometimes used for deep frying, but it is hardly suitable, because it gets hot too quickly (150°), and is apt to burn before the article to be fried is done. AVERAGE DEGREES OF HEAT REQUIRED FOR FRYING. Butter boils at 150 degrees of Fahrenheit. Lard „ 210 Suet ,, 220 ,, „ Goose fat, &c. 860 ,, ,, Oil 890 to 400 The heat employed in the case of frying has to perform the same work as it does in roasting and boiling. Its effect must be in the first instance to harden the albumen, or in other words to form a thin crust on the outside of whatever is fried.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

It is not generally known that when burnt fat is eaten in any form it causes great trouble in the stomach, &c. ; for soon after it enters the stomach it produces butyric acid, which is the most unwholesome of all acids. When present in the stomach a gas is formed which causes heartburn. It is difficult to cook food in fat, i.e. to fry it, because it ought to be made at least twice as hot as boiling water before it is fit for use. Indeed, some fats make the quicksilver in the thermometer rise to 600° or 700° Fahr. When the dry frying method is employed the frying-pan should be constantly moved about to prevent the articles fried from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Shallow and deep frying-pans or kettles should he made of strongiron with thick bottoms. There are two modes of frying : — 1. Dry frying, which is frying in as little fat as possible, adapted for small pieces of meat, vegetables, &c. 2. Deep or wet frying, which is done in a deep pan containing at least as much fat as will cover whatever is being fried. This method is used for various kinds of fish, meat mixtures, paste mixtures, &c., but whatever is fried in this way must be coated either with flour, batter, eggs, or crumbs : this is done to prevent the heat of the fat from entering into the substance fried. (Fish, eggs, souffles, &c., differ in this respect.) Brillat-Savarin declares that ‘ The beauty of a good fry is in carbonising or browning the surface by sudden immersion — the process known as the surprise. It forms a sort of vault to enclose all that is valuable, prevents the fat from reaching it, and concentrates the juices so as best to develop the alimentary qualities.’ Beef and mutton suet cut up very small, clarified, and strained, is used in most kitchens for frying purposes, though lard and oil will answer equally well, but in some cases these are not found quite so suitable. The light-coloured dripping obtained from roasting meat, and the clean fat taken off stocks, are in a way preferable to anything else for ordinary frying. Frying in lard is best adapted for the more bulky articles. Oil is largely used for frying on the Continent, but more especially in France and Italy, and of late years it has come into favour in this country. Oil requires more careful handling than either of the above fats, and needs to be warmed up over a gentle fire to prevent it from rising or boiling over (300°-400°). Butter is sometimes used for deep frying, but it is hardly suitable, because it gets hot too quickly (150°), and is apt to burn before the article to be fried is done. AVERAGE DEGREES OF HEAT REQUIRED FOR FRYING. Butter boils at 150 degrees of Fahrenheit. Lard „ 210 Suet ,, 220 ,, „ Goose fat, &c. 860 ,, ,, Oil 890 to 400 The heat employed in the case of frying has to perform the same work as it does in roasting and boiling. Its effect must be in the first instance to harden the albumen, or in other words to form a thin crust on the outside of whatever is fried.

The new century cookery book