146 THE HOME > 1'ARM AND BUSINESS CYCLOPEDIA. 



CALVES' HEADS are very useful for various dishes ; so also their KNUCK- 

 LES, FEET, HEART, etc. - 



INSTRUCTIONS FOE COOKING. 



COOKING. Ten pounds of beef require from two hours to two hours and 

 a half roasting, eighteen inches from a good fire. 



Six pounds require one hour and a quarter to one hour and a half, four- 

 teen inches from a good, clear fire. 



Three ribs of beef, boned and rolled, tied round with paper, will require 

 two hours and a half, eighteen inches from the fire, baste once only. 



The first three ribs of fifteen or twenty pounds, will take three hours or 

 three and a half ; the fourth and fifth ribs will take as long, managed in 

 the same way as the sirloin. Paper the fat and the thin part, or it will be 

 done too much, before the thick part in done enough. 



When beef is very fat, it does not require basting ; if very lean, tie it up 

 in greasy paper, and baste frequently and well. 



Common cooks are generally fond of too fierce a fire, and of putting things 

 too near to it, 



Slow roasting is as advantageous to the tenderness and flavour of meat 

 as slow boiling. 



The warmer the weather, and the staler killed the meat is, the less time 

 it will require to roast it. 



Meat that is very fat requires more time than other meat. 



In the hands of an expert cook, "alimentary substances are made al- 

 most entirely to change their nature, their form, consistence, odour, sa- 

 vour, colour, chemical composition, etc. ; everything is so modified, that it 

 is often impossible for the most exquisite sense of taste to recognise the 

 substance which makes up the basis of certain dishes. The greatest util- 

 ity of the kitchen consists in making the food agreeable to the senses, and 

 rendering it easy of digestion." 



BOILING extracts a portion of the juice of meat, which mixes with the 

 water, and also dissolves some of its solids ; the more fusible parts of the 

 fat melt out, combine witk the water, and form soup or broth. The meat 

 loses its red colour, becomes more savoury in taste and smell, and more 

 firm and digestible. If the process is continued too long, the meat be- 

 comes indigestible, less succulent, and tough. 



To boil to perfection, it should be done slowly, in plenty of water, re- 

 placed by other hot water, as evaporation takes place ; for, if boiled too 

 quickly, the outside becomes tough ; and not allowing the ready trans- 

 mission of heat, the interior remains rare. 



