THE CHEMISTRY OF COOKERY 



595 



action of radiant heat, projected toward it from all sides, while it is 

 immersed in an atmosphere saturated toith its own vapors. 



Herein I diverge from ray teacher, as the preceding description of 

 both his roaster and roasting-oven shows. His explanation of the 

 prejudice of Englishmen against baked meats may have been to some 

 extent justified by his own experience, seeing that he heated his ovens 

 by a fire placed below, and, if he first used these without his water-pan, 

 they doubtless effected the decomposition of the dripping and gravy 

 of which he speaks (see No. XI of this series, page 591) ; but even 

 in this case the flavor of merely burned fat is not very serious far 

 less objectionable than that of the vile mixture of vapors described in 

 No. X. 



The few domestic fireplace ovens that existed in Rumford's time 

 were clumsily heated by raking some of the fire from the grate into a 

 space left below the oven. Those of the best modern kitcheners are 

 heated by flues going round them, generally starting from the top, 

 which thus attains the highest temperature. The radiation from this 

 does the " browning " for which Rumford's blow-pipes were designed. 



According to my view of the philosophy of roasting, this brown- 

 ing, or the application of the highest temperature, should take place 

 at the beginning rather than the end of the process, in order that a 

 crust of firmly coagulated albumen may surround the joint and retain 

 the juices of the meat. All that is necessary to obtain this effect in a 

 sufficient degree is to raise the roasting-oven to its full temperature 

 before the meat is put in. Supposing an equal fire is maintained all 

 the while, this initial temperature will exceed that of the continuing 

 temperature, because, when the meat is in the oven, the radiant heat 

 from its sides are intercepted by the joint and doing work upon it ; 

 heat can not do work without a corresponding fall of temperature. 

 While the oven is empty, the radiations from each side cross the open 

 space to re-enforce the temperature of the other sides. 



Is there, then, any difference at all between roasting and baking ? 

 There is. In roasting, the temperature, after the first start, is main- 

 tained about uniformly throughout ; while, in baking by the old- 

 fashioned method, the temperature continually declines from the be- 

 ginning to the end of the process ; but, in order that a dweller in 

 cities, or the cook of an ordinary town household, may understand 

 this difference, some explanation is necessary. The old-fashioned 

 oven, such as was generally used in Rumford's time, and is still used 

 in country houses and by old-fashioned bakers, was an arched cavity 

 of brick, with a flat brick floor. This cavity is closed by a suitable 

 door, which, in its primitive and perhaps its best form, was a flat tile 

 that was pressed against the opening, and luted round with clay. 

 Such ovens were, and still are, heated by simply spreading on the 

 brick floor a sufficient quantity of wood preferably well-dried twigs ; 

 these, being lighted, raise the temperature of the arched roof to a 



