Young ducks feel tender under the wings, and the web
of the foot is transparent. Those are best that have
thick, hard breasts. The wild duck has reddish legs, and
the tame duck yellow ones.
FISH.
The eyes of fresh fish are bright, the gills of a fine,
clear red, the body stiff, and the smell not unpleasant.
Fish, in order to be palataljle, must be eaten very soon
after being taken from the water. Chloride of soda will
56 THE PATTERIV COOK-BOOK.
restore fish that is not extremely fresh, but it is never so
good as when freshly caught.
OYSTERS.
If fresh, oysters will close forcibly on the knife when
opened. If the shell gapes in the least degree, the oyster
is losing its freshness ; and when the shell remains open
the oyster is dead.
HARES AND RABBITS.
When these animals are young and fresh the cleft in the
lip is narrow, the body stiff, and the claws smooth and
sharp. Old and stale hares and rabbits will present
indications the reverse of these. To ascertain whether a
hare is young or old, turn the claws side w^ ays ; if they
crack the animal is young. The ears also should be
tender and should bend easily.
EGGS.
Shake the eggs, and if not altogether good, they will
rattle. Another test is to place them in a basin of water
if they lie on their sides, they are fresh, but if they turn
on end, they are not good.
VEGETABLES.
Vegetables should be crisp and fresh-looking.
Apples. — In choosing these, be guided by the -weight,
the heaviest being the best ; and those should be selected
which, on being pressed by the thumb, yield to it with a
slight cracking noise. Prefer large apples to small, for
the waste is not so great in peeling and coring them.
Apples should be kept in a dry place, and if convenient
should be laid on a straw bad, which is a great safeguard
against decay.
PLAIN DIRECTIONS.
Not to know at large of things remote
From use, obscure and subtle, but to know
That which before us lies in daily life
Is the prime wisdom."
Milton.
The knowledge of how to properly cook meat is not
possessed by half the housewives in this country. The
finest cuts of meat are often provided and then utterly
ruined by the one preparing them for the table. This
is not due to a lack of mterest on the part of the mother
of the family, but to the fact that she does not under-
stand the first principles of cooking ; and the result is
ruin to the meat and often to the health of the family as
well. A few principles cover the entire ground and can
be briefly explained without going into the chemistry of
meat at all ; and when these are once understood, the
housewife can readily apply them, much to her enlighten-
ment and to the advantage of those looking to her for
nutritious and well prepared food.
Meat, when properly cooked, should be juicy, well
flavored and as tender as possible. It is largely made up
of albumen and fibrine, and when these are exposed to a
degree of heat higher than the boiling point, the meat
becomes hard and indigestible. With the following facts
57
58 THE PATTERN COOK-BOOK.
Page 19
Presented as published in 1890. 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
Young ducks feel tender under the wings, and the web of the foot is transparent. Those are best that have thick, hard breasts. The wild duck has reddish legs, and the tame duck yellow ones.
The eyes of fresh fish are bright, the gills of a fine, clear red, the body stiff, and the smell not unpleasant. Fish, in order to be palatable, must be eaten very soon after being taken from the water. Chloride of soda will
restore fish that is not extremely fresh, but it is never so good as when freshly caught.
OYSTERS.
If fresh, oysters will close forcibly on the knife when opened. If the shell gapes in the least degree, the oyster is losing its freshness ; and when the shell remains open the oyster is dead.
HARES AND RABBITS.
When these animals are young and fresh the cleft in the lip is narrow, the body stiff, and the claws smooth and sharp. Old and stale hares and rabbits will present indications the reverse of these. To ascertain whether a hare is young or old, turn the claws side ways; if they crack the animal is young. The ears also should be tender and should bend easily.
Shake the eggs, and if not altogether good, they will rattle. Another test is to place them in a basin of water if they lie on their sides, they are fresh, but if they turn on end, they are not good.
Vegetables should be crisp and fresh-looking.
Apples. — In choosing these, be guided by the -weight, the heaviest being the best ; and those should be selected which, on being pressed by the thumb, yield to it with a slight cracking noise. Prefer large apples to small, for the waste is not so great in peeling and coring them. Apples should be kept in a dry place, and if convenient should be laid on a straw bad, which is a great safeguard against decay.
Not to know at large of things remote From use, obscure and subtle, but to know That which before us lies in daily life Is the prime wisdom."
Milton.
The knowledge of how to properly cook meat is not possessed by half the housewives in this country. The finest cuts of meat are often provided and then utterly ruined by the one preparing them for the table. This is not due to a lack of interest on the part of the mother of the family, but to the fact that she does not understand the first principles of cooking ; and the result is ruin to the meat and often to the health of the family as well. A few principles cover the entire ground and can be briefly explained without going into the chemistry of meat at all ; and when these are once understood, the housewife can readily apply them, much to her enlightenment and to the advantage of those looking to her for nutritious and well prepared food.
Meat, when properly cooked, should be juicy, well flavored and as tender as possible. It is largely made up of albumen and fibrine, and when these are exposed to a degree of heat higher than the boiling point, the meat becomes hard and indigestible. With the following facts