Cassell's dictionary of cookery

Stewing. — This is a mode of cookery much favoured by French cooks. It is wholesome and excellent, as well as most economical, not only on account of the small quantity of fuel | which is required to keep up the gentle simmer- ! ing, which alone is needed, but also because j food cooked in this way, even if coarse and hard in itself, may often be rendered tender, delicious, and palatable. Inexperienced cooks too often confound stewing with beiling, and thus they convert meat or poultry that would be excellent and delicate if properly dressed into something dry. hard, and indigestible. It should be understood that when we speak of stewing anything we simply mean simmering it gently in a saucepan which has a closely-iitting lid over a gentle fire. Stewing is best done over a stove. At times when the old-fashioned kitchen range is in use, however, the cook should place her stewpan on a trivet high above the fire, and watch it constantly, in order that she may move it nearer to the flame, or further from it, as occasion requires. The ebullition, though very' gentle, should be continuous. Sometimes meat to be stewed is put into a jar with a closely-fitting lid, and this is placed in a saucepan of fast-beiling water. Then the gravy extracted is really the juice of the meat. The greatest cleanliness should be observed in all vessels which are to be used for stewing. Enamelled saucepans are excellent, because they can bo so easily and thoroughly cleansed. Well-tinned copper ones are, however, the best for the purpose, though well-tinned iron ones will answer for ordinary cookery. The cook, however, should be particularly careful that the tinning of copper vessels is in good condition, for if it is at all worn away, the preparation stewed in it m.ay become poisonous, and most Lamentable consequences may ensue. Stewing, Mr. Buckmaster on. — Stewing is a gradual simmering. It may be done in a saucepan over the tire, or in a stone jar which will stand the fire, with a lid fitting steam-tight. The common red jar is not to be recommended ; it does not stand the heat, and the glaze, which is a composition of lead, often gives way in the presence of salt. Stone jars are preferable to metal saucepans ; they can bo easily cleaned, and they retain the heat better. For stewing, select lean meat, free from blood. The quantity of water should be about a quart to a pound of meat ; but this liquor will be very rich, and it can easily be reduced if necessary with warm water. Add about a teaspoonful of salt to a quart of water — I think salt is best added towards the end of the cooking, as the tendency is to harden the meat. Peas when boiled with salt pork will remain hard throughout the cooking. Bring the water gradually to the boil, remove aU the scum, and let the contents simmer till the flavour of the meat is absorbed in the liquor. Remove all the fat, which can be eaten, with bread, or used for puddings or frying. All and every kind of meat will do for a stew. They may be used together or separately, according to taste or convenience. The better the meat, the better the stew ; but by careful stewing the coarsest and roughest parts will become soft, tender, and easily digested, which would not be possible by any other method of cooking. All the gristly parts — the feet, shanks, knuckles — should be stewed.