When meat is frozen, it should be put in cold water to thaw, and cooked as soon as possible, or it will lose its sweetness. In selecting beef, choose that of a fine grain, smooth, bright red color, and white fat. The sixth, seventh and eighth ribs are the choicest cuts for roasting. The bones must be removed and the meat rolled, and use the bones for soup. Veal, when fresh and good, is firm and dry, joints stiff, with kidneys ccvered with fat. Veal should be dressed as soon as practica- ble after killing. The flesh of good mutton or lamb is of a dark red, with the fat firm and white. Lamb, when fresh killed, is pale red ; if the neck veins are not of a blueish tint, the meat is not good. When roasted, the meat should be covered with the caul, as the fat that drips from that in roasting preserves the moisture of the meat. Pork is not considered wholesome, particularly in warm weather; it is much better in winter. Pork and veal should be well cooked. If the meat of pork is young, the lean will break on being pinched ; the skin will be smooth and thin. If kernels should be found in the fat, reject the meat. Venison is a delicious and healthful dish when properly cooked ; it should always be a little underdone, using few spices and herbs. Venison is not good until it hangs fully one month in order to ripen, RULES FOR BOILING. All kinds of meat should be boiled very slowly. All fresh meats should be put to cook in boiling water, over a slow fire to concentrate its juices. '^ [95] 96 TWENTIETH CENTURY HOME COOK BOOK. Salt meats should be put on in cold water, in order to extract the salt in cooking. In boiling meats, it is proper to keep the pot gently boiling, but should never cease ; if so,the ineat will absorb the waterandcause it to be flat and insipid. Remove the scum when it first begins to boil. Always have at hand a kettle of boiling water to replenish the meat pot as the water boils away. To every pound of fresh meat allow fifteen minutes to boil, and to salt meat allow twenty minutes to the pound. The more gently meat boils the more tender it will be. Fresh meat should be kept covered with water while boiling, and requires close attention in boiling ; if boiled too hard, the meat is toughened and juices extracted. Meat should not boil too long ; if so, their nourishing properties are transferred to the water in which they are boiled. Good judgment and close attention are very necessary in order to boil meat just right. ROASTING. There are no definite rules for roasting meat ; some require meat quite rare or underdone, others like it cooked dry. In order to retain the juices and flavor of meat, when cooked, cover the surface of the roast with a rich glaze, put into a hot oven, so that, as the gravy exudes, it congeals on the outside, thus confining or seaUng up the pores. If the meat is lean, a small quantity of water must be added ; if it is fat, the water should be left out entirely. Meat, when roasting, should be turned so that it may blown equally. When done, remove from the pan and place on a dish 5 carefully pour off all the fat from the pan ; the thick sediment in the bot- tom of pan will make sufficient gravy by adding a little boiling water ; no flour is needed to thicken the gravy — place the pan on the stove and boil two or three minutes, and serve with Ihe roast.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

When meat is frozen, it should be put in cold water to thaw, and cooked as soon as possible, or it will lose its sweetness. In selecting beef, choose that of a fine grain, smooth, bright red color, and white fat. The sixth, seventh and eighth ribs are the choicest cuts for roasting. The bones must be removed and the meat rolled, and use the bones for soup. Veal, when fresh and good, is firm and dry, joints stiff, with kidneys covered with fat. Veal should be dressed as soon as practicable after killing. The flesh of good mutton or lamb is of a dark red, with the fat firm and white. Lamb, when fresh killed, is pale red ; if the neck veins are not of a blueish tint, the meat is not good. When roasted, the meat should be covered with the caul, as the fat that drips from that in roasting preserves the moisture of the meat. Pork is not considered wholesome, particularly in warm weather; it is much better in winter. Pork and veal should be well cooked. If the meat of pork is young, the lean will break on being pinched ; the skin will be smooth and thin. If kernels should be found in the fat, reject the meat. Venison is a delicious and healthful dish when properly cooked ; it should always be a little underdone, using few spices and herbs. Venison is not good until it hangs fully one month in order to ripen, RULES FOR BOILING. All kinds of meat should be boiled very slowly. All fresh meats should be put to cook in boiling water, over a slow fire to concentrate its juices. '^ [95] Salt meats should be put on in cold water, in order to extract the salt in cooking. In boiling meats, it is proper to keep the pot gently boiling, but should never cease ; if so, the meat will absorb the water and cause it to be flat and insipid. Remove the scum when it first begins to boil. Always have at hand a kettle of boiling water to replenish the meat pot as the water boils away. To every pound of fresh meat allow fifteen minutes to boil, and to salt meat allow twenty minutes to the pound. The more gently meat boils the more tender it will be. Fresh meat should be kept covered with water while boiling, and requires close attention in boiling ; if boiled too hard, the meat is toughened and juices extracted. Meat should not boil too long ; if so, their nourishing properties are transferred to the water in which they are boiled. Good judgment and close attention are very necessary in order to boil meat just right. ROASTING. There are no definite rules for roasting meat ; some require meat quite rare or underdone, others like it cooked dry. In order to retain the juices and flavor of meat, when cooked, cover the surface of the roast with a rich glaze, put into a hot oven, so that, as the gravy exudes, it congeals on the outside, thus confining orsealing up the pores. If the meat is lean, a small quantity of water must be added ; if it is fat, the water should be left out entirely. Meat, when roasting, should be turned so that it may be browned equally. When done, remove from the pan and place on a dish; carefully pour off all the fat from the pan ; the thick sediment in the bottom of pan will make sufficient gravy by adding a little boiling water ; no flour is needed to thicken the gravy — place the pan on the stove and boil two or three minutes, and serve with the roast.

Twentieth century home cook book