Miss Parloa's kitchen companion

in the oven of an ordinary stove or range. The lastnamed mode is inferior to either of the others ; still, as the oven is always available, while the first two modes may not be, the greater part of the roasting of meat is done in a close oven. Some ovens are so arranged that the side next the fire can be opened, thus exposing the meat to the clear coals ; others are so constructed that there is a constant circulation of fresh air through them, giving one of the elements which we get by roasting with an open fire or with gas. General Rules. No matter how the roasting is done, a few things must always be borne in mind. The heat should be great at first, so that the surface of the meat shall be hardened, to retain the juices ; but it should afterward be de- Beef in Baking-pan. creased, so that the meat shall cook more slowly and evenly. The meat should be raised at least two inches from the bottom of the baking-pan. There are racks made expressly for keeping it at the proper height. Wipe the meat with a damp towel, and then dredge it lightly with salt, pepper, and flour. After sprinkling a quantity of salt and flour on the bottom of the pan, put the meat into the oven. Watch carefully, and when the dry flour in the pan turns a dark brown, put in just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. After the meat has become browned it should be basted every quarter of an hour with the gravy in the pan and then with salt and flour. Always use considerable gravy, and dredge only lightly with salt and flour. The water in the pan should be renewed frequently. Let the water cook away in the last half-hour, so that there shall be only fat and sediment in the bottom of the pan when the meat is done. When it is done, lay it on a warm platter. After lifting the rack from the pan, pour off the fat, and scrape the sediment from the sides and bottom of the pan. Place on the stove in the same pan, adding a cupful of hot water ; and when it has boiled up once, stir in a thickening consisting of a teaspoonful of flour and three table-spoonfuls of water. Pour in only a little of this thickening at a time, for it is impossible to state exactly how much will be required for thickening the gravy. Let the gravy boil up once ; then season with salt and pepper, and strain into a hot dish. Basting the meat faithfully makes it much juicier and better flavored than when it is basted only occasionally. Many cooks do not believe in basting at all, and others simply moisten the meat with hot water. The result of such treatment is not perfectly satisfactory. Time of Cooking. The time of cooking depends as much upon the shape of the piece of meat as upon the weight. Of beef, a rib or loin roast weighing about eight pounds will require an hour's cooking if it be wished very rare, and an hour and a half, if you wish it to be a dark red all through. A roast cut from the round or the rump of beef will take half an hour longer than that cut from the loin or ribs. A leg of mutton weighing ten or twelve pounds will require an hour and a half ; a loin or rack, an hour and a quarter ; a saddle, ten or fifteen minutes longer. Allow ten minutes for every additional pound over eight or ten.