Apples should remain out of doors in barrels until too cool for them.
When brought in, set in a dry room, until the weather requires their being
put into the cellar. A linen cloth laid over the barrel will keep them
from frost till very cold weather. Many prefer not to head up the barrels
of apples. There is an advantage in being able to pick them over several
times in the course of winter, as one defective apple injures all its neigh-
bors. If moist, wipe them.
Herbs should be gathered when just beginning to blossom; they are
then in their perfection. Medicinal herbs should be dried, put up into paper
bags and labeled. Those used in cooking should be pounded, sifted and
put into labeled boxes or bottles. They retain their virtues best dried by
artificial heat. The warmth of an oven a few hours after the bread is
drawn is sufficient.
If in making pies a few scraps of dough are left, gather them in a
mass, roll them out thin, cut them into fancy shapes, prick them with a
fork, and bake in a quick oven. Make into tarts or sift fine sugar upon
them and arrange round a dish of stewed fruitc
CARVING
TO CARVE gracefully is an accomplishment that depends wholly
upon skill and not upon strength. The present fashion of dinners
(see page 23) is perhaps removing the necessity, from some circles, for
knowing how to carve, but still, not so generally as to do away with it
altogether. We believe that ladies, as well as gentlemen, should make
LEG OF MUTTON.
carving a study so that at the family dinner if the host be absent the
hostess can perform the task without assistance from a guest, whose skill
is perhaps not perfect, but whose good nature would not allow him to
refuse.
HOW TO CARVE.
To carve with ease, one of the first requisites is a good knife well
sharpened before coming to the table. It is a most uncomfortable and
41
42
CARVING.
disagreeable sound to hear the carver whetting the knife while the guests
are waiting to be served. The knife should be used for no other purpose
than carving. It should never be found in the kitchen, cutting vegetables,
meat and breads, its sole ofhce being to carve the meats brought to table-
Heat destroys its temper. A sharp, strong, blade, a good handle, and a
keen edge are qualities belonging to a good carving knife.
Another point to be observed in carving, is to always cut at right
angles with the fibers of the joint. When a joint is properly carved, it is
more agreeable to the eye, pleasanter to the taste and much more easily
masticated. ,
HOW TO SIT WHEN CARVING.
The person who is carving should be provided with a chair a little
higher than the ordinary pattern, and should always sit, not stand, if a
creditable appearance is desired. The platter which holds the meat
should be large enough to admit of placing the slices as they are cut, on
one side of the dish, from whence they can be distributed. A linen doily
placed underneath the platter containing the meat, will catch any crum.bs
that would otherwise fall upon and soil the table-cloth.
In serving fish, avoid breaking the flakes. This can be done by the
use of a fish trowel. The middle portion of the fish is considered the
choicest, but the tail end is the sweetest.
Page 41
Presented as published in 1917. 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
Apples should remain out of doors in barrels until too cool for them. When brought in, set in a dry room, until the weather requires their being put into the cellar. A linen cloth laid over the barrel will keep them from frost till very cold weather. Many prefer not to head up the barrels of apples. There is an advantage in being able to pick them over several times in the course of winter, as one defective apple injures all its neighbors. If moist, wipe them.
Herbs should be gathered when just beginning to blossom; they are then in their perfection. Medicinal herbs should be dried, put up into paper bags and labeled. Those used in cooking should be pounded, sifted and put into labeled boxes or bottles. They retain their virtues best dried by artificial heat. The warmth of an oven a few hours after the bread is drawn is sufficient.
If in making pies a few scraps of dough are left, gather them in a mass, roll them out thin, cut them into fancy shapes, prick them with a fork, and bake in a quick oven. Make into tarts or sift fine sugar upon them and arrange round a dish of stewed fruit.
TO CARVE gracefully is an accomplishment that depends wholly upon skill and not upon strength. The present fashion of dinners (see page 23) is perhaps removing the necessity, from some circles, for knowing how to carve, but still, not so generally as to do away with it altogether. We believe that ladies, as well as gentlemen, should make
LEG OF MUTTON.
carving a study so that at the family dinner if the host be absent the hostess can perform the task without assistance from a guest, whose skill is perhaps not perfect, but whose good nature would not allow him to refuse.
HOW TO CARVE.
To carve with ease, one of the first requisites is a good knife well sharpened before coming to the table. It is a most uncomfortable and
disagreeable sound to hear the carver whetting the knife while the guests are waiting to be served. The knife should be used for no other purpose than carving. It should never be found in the kitchen, cutting vegetables, meat and breads, its sole ofhce being to carve the meats brought to table- Heat destroys its temper. A sharp, strong, blade, a good handle, and a keen edge are qualities belonging to a good carving knife.
Another point to be observed in carving, is to always cut at right angles with the fibers of the joint. When a joint is properly carved, it is more agreeable to the eye, pleasanter to the taste and much more easily masticated. ,
HOW TO SIT WHEN CARVING.
The person who is carving should be provided with a chair a little higher than the ordinary pattern, and should always sit, not stand, if a creditable appearance is desired. The platter which holds the meat should be large enough to admit of placing the slices as they are cut, on one side of the dish, from whence they can be distributed. A linen doily placed underneath the platter containing the meat, will catch any crum.bs that would otherwise fall upon and soil the table-cloth.
In serving fish, avoid breaking the flakes. This can be done by the use of a fish trowel. The middle portion of the fish is considered the choicest, but the tail end is the sweetest.