that the water is really boiling before the joint is put in, and
allow two tablespoonfuls of salt to every gallon of water.
There must be enough water to thoroughly cover the joint.
The water will, of course, “go off the boil” when the meat is
put iu ; watch till the temperature has risen again to boiling
point, and then keep the water boiling hard for five minutes.
This “seals” the juices of the meat; just as, in roasting, the joint
is put close to the fire at first. After five minutes, either check
the boil with sufficient cold water to reduce the heat to about
ISO0 (just bearable to the touch), or draw the pan to the side
of the stove. Let it simmer, the water just moving, or what
cooks call “ alive,” with an occasional bubble at the edges. If
the surface of the water is still and “ dead,” it is too cold, and
the meat will be dry and stringy ; if the surface is covered with
bubbles it is too hot, and the meat will be leathery, tasteless,
and hard. Skim off all scum as it rises from the meat, and
when it has been got rid of add the vegetables and herbs. It
is a good plan to tie the joint, or whatever is boiled, neatly into
shape with tapes. The time of simmering depends on the
weight of the joint or bird, but for fresh meat twenty minutes
to the pound and fifteen minutes over is not too much. Simmer-
ing cannot be properly done on a range, as it is absolutely
essential to keep up an even temperature during the whole
process. On a gas-stove this is easy, and all that the cook has
to do is to keep the water covering the joint, replenishing the
loss by evaporation with hot water. A celebrated dish at some
very recherche London dinners is a leg of pre sale mutton (that
is, from a sheep which has been pastured on salt marshes near
the sea), simmered for seven hours in champagne ! The water
in which a joint has been boiled is weak stock, and is most use-
ful in many ways. One of the best is to make a puree with the
vegetables which have been boiled with the joint. In Boiling
Salted Meat the method is quite different. Salted meat, to be
tender, must be put on in cold water, and cooked as slowly as
possible. The cold water takes out some of the salt, and this
allows the meat to swell a little in boiling. A piece of salt
beef weighing five pounds will need at least four hours’ simmer-
ing aftei' it has been brought to the boil. A smoked tongue
must first be soaked in cold water for twenty-four hours to
BOILING
J45
soften it, and then simmered till it is quite tender. A “ green ”
tongue, that is, one fresh from slight pickle, should not be
soaked at all. It should be put on in lukewarm water and
simmered for four hours. If a piece of Salmon is boiled, always
put scraped Horseradish in the water.
Page 94
Presented as published in 1898. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
that the water is really boiling before the joint is put in, and allow two tablespoonfuls of salt to every gallon of water. There must be enough water to thoroughly cover the joint. The water will, of course, “go off the boil” when the meat is put iu ; watch till the temperature has risen again to boiling point, and then keep the water boiling hard for five minutes. This “seals” the juices of the meat; just as, in roasting, the joint is put close to the fire at first. After five minutes, either check the boil with sufficient cold water to reduce the heat to about ISO0 (just bearable to the touch), or draw the pan to the side of the stove. Let it simmer, the water just moving, or what cooks call “ alive,” with an occasional bubble at the edges. If the surface of the water is still and “ dead,” it is too cold, and the meat will be dry and stringy ; if the surface is covered with bubbles it is too hot, and the meat will be leathery, tasteless, and hard. Skim off all scum as it rises from the meat, and when it has been got rid of add the vegetables and herbs. It is a good plan to tie the joint, or whatever is boiled, neatly into shape with tapes. The time of simmering depends on the weight of the joint or bird, but for fresh meat twenty minutes to the pound and fifteen minutes over is not too much. Simmering cannot be properly done on a range, as it is absolutely essential to keep up an even temperature during the whole process. On a gas-stove this is easy, and all that the cook has to do is to keep the water covering the joint, replenishing the loss by evaporation with hot water. A celebrated dish at some very recherche London dinners is a leg of pre sale mutton (that is, from a sheep which has been pastured on salt marshes near the sea), simmered for seven hours in champagne ! The water in which a joint has been boiled is weak stock, and is most useful in many ways. One of the best is to make a puree with the vegetables which have been boiled with the joint. In Boiling Salted Meat the method is quite different. Salted meat, to be tender, must be put on in cold water, and cooked as slowly as possible. The cold water takes out some of the salt, and this allows the meat to swell a little in boiling. A piece of salt beef weighing five pounds will need at least four hours’ simmering aftei' it has been brought to the boil. A smoked tongue must first be soaked in cold water for twenty-four hours to
BOILING
J45
soften it, and then simmered till it is quite tender. A “ green ” tongue, that is, one fresh from slight pickle, should not be soaked at all. It should be put on in lukewarm water and simmered for four hours. If a piece of Salmon is boiled, always put scraped Horseradish in the water.