Now a few hints: The exterior of the substance to be fried should be as dry as possible; by this means we get a good color, and less bubbling is caused. Fish can be rubbed in flour; vegetables with a cloth; meat should not be washed. Before dropping anything that contains much water into hot fat, lift the kettle ofp of the stove, as the fat is liable to bubble over and catch fire. Most things that are fried are covered with egg and bread crumbs, flour and milk, or batter, in order that a crust may be formed round them to keep the juice in and the fat out; the essential thing is to cover them com- pletely and leave no crack. It is best to warm the articles a little before putting them in to fry, as, if they are to cold, or if too many are put in together, they will chill the fat, so that it will soak into THE PEOCESSES AND PRINCIPLES OP COOKING 117 them. On taking any fried article out of the fat, lay it to drain on a sieve, bottom up, or on a very hot cloth, or best of all, on a sheet of blotting paper. The hot fat being extremely fluid, will drain off and leave the article free from grease. Never pile up on top of each oth- er articles which are- fried. Bread crumbs should be very fine; if coarse, grease will adhere to or be absorbed by them. They should take a fine, yellow color, being slightly charred or toasted by the high temperature to which they are exposed. Things well fried are not greasy, but quite dry. Frying food thus is not adapted to materials which require slow cooking at a low temperature, because it heats the surface much be- yond the temperature of boiling, and, if prolonged, meat is heated clear through and toughened. Croquettes and similar preparations of cold meat are much nicer cooked in this way, and many kinds of fish are greatly improved by this process, while chops and cutlets which are first egged and bread- crumbed, are delicious thus cooked. If many articles are to be fried, reheat the fat occasionally to keep it hot enough. Using fat which is not hot enough is a com- mon mistake; keep the fat smoking hot. There is much more danger of not having it hot enough than too hot. It is advisable, when possible, to use a wire frying-basket. This does away with much handling, and lifts all the things out at the same time. A basket should not be used for fritters, which stick to the basket, and the articles in the bas- ket should not touch each other. As a basket expands with heat, it should not fit the x)an very tightly; it should not touch the bottom of the pan. If you have no basket use an iron spoon, as tin or Brit- basket foe frying. annia metal will melt if the fat is very hot. Grease the basket by dipping it into the hot fat before putting the articles into it, and lay them in so as to keep them from touching each other. Fats and oils may be heated much hotter than water, but some burn much more easily than others. About 350° to 400° is a suit- able temperature for use; it can be higher; for some things which re- quire slow cooking, it should be lower. It is better to have the tem- perature high at first, lowering it afterwards. Remember that put- ting anything cold into fat to cook, lowers its temperature someM^hat.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Now a few hints: The exterior of the substance to be fried should be as dry as possible; by this means we get a good color, and less bubbling is caused. Fish can be rubbed in flour; vegetables with a cloth; meat should not be washed. Before dropping anything that contains much water into hot fat, lift the kettle off of the stove, as the fat is liable to bubble over and catch fire. Most things that are fried are covered with egg and bread crumbs, flour and milk, or batter, in order that a crust may be formed round them to keep the juice in and the fat out; the essential thing is to cover them completely and leave no crack. It is best to warm the articles a little before putting them in to fry, as, if they are to cold, or if too many are put in together, they will chill the fat, so that it will soak into THE PEOCESSES AND PRINCIPLES OP COOKING 117 them. On taking any fried article out of the fat, lay it to drain on a sieve, bottom up, or on a very hot cloth, or best of all, on a sheet of blotting paper. The hot fat being extremely fluid, will drain off and leave the article free from grease. Never pile up on top of each other articles which are- fried. Bread crumbs should be very fine; if coarse, grease will adhere to or be absorbed by them. They should take a fine, yellow color, being slightly charred or toasted by the high temperature to which they are exposed. Things well fried are not greasy, but quite dry. Frying food thus is not adapted to materials which require slow cooking at a low temperature, because it heats the surface much beyond the temperature of boiling, and, if prolonged, meat is heated clear through and toughened. Croquettes and similar preparations of cold meat are much nicer cooked in this way, and many kinds of fish are greatly improved by this process, while chops and cutlets which are first egged and bread- crumbed, are delicious thus cooked. If many articles are to be fried, reheat the fat occasionally to keep it hot enough. Using fat which is not hot enough is a common mistake; keep the fat smoking hot. There is much more danger of not having it hot enough than too hot. It is advisable, when possible, to use a wire frying-basket. This does away with much handling, and lifts all the things out at the same time. A basket should not be used for fritters, which stick to the basket, and the articles in the basket should not touch each other. As a basket expands with heat, it should not fit the x)an very tightly; it should not touch the bottom of the pan. If you have no basket use an iron spoon, as tin or Britannia metal will melt if the fat is very hot. basket for frying. annia metal will melt if the fat is very hot. Grease the basket by dipping it into the hot fat before putting the articles into it, and lay them in so as to keep them from touching each other. Fats and oils may be heated much hotter than water, but some burn much more easily than others. About 350° to 400° is a suitable temperature for use; it can be higher; for some things which require slow cooking, it should be lower. It is better to have the temperature high at first, lowering it afterwards. Remember that putting anything cold into fat to cook, lowers its temperature somewhat.

The household cook book