COOKERY 



COOKERY 



OOKERY, kook'cri, the art of mak- 

 ing food attractive, savory and appetizing by 

 various methods, most of which involve heat. 

 The most important of these methods are boil- 

 ing, steaming, roasting, broiling, frying and 

 baking. Just when man discovered that his 

 food tasted better cooked than raw is not 

 known, but it may have come about in some 

 such way as Charles Lamb describes in his 

 Dissertation on Roast Pig. 



Bo-bo, a little Chinese boy, accidentally set 

 fire to his father's house and burned up several 

 little pigs that were kept in it. On feeling of 

 one of the sizzling bodies to see if it had any 

 life remaining, he burnt his fingers, and of 

 course thrust them in his mouth. To his 

 astonishment he found that the juicy pieces 

 which stuck to his fingers were the most de- 

 licious food he had ever tasted, and as a result 

 of his adventure, roast pig and the knowledge 

 of roasting became common throughout China. 



This fanciful little story suggests one reason 

 for cooking. Cooking not only develops flavor, 

 but makes many foods, especially meat, more 

 attractive in appearance, thereby stimulating 

 the appetite and aiding digestion by increasing 

 the flow of the digestive juices. Cooking kills 

 harmful microbes that are a source of disease, 

 and it also brings about chemical and physical 

 changes in the food, such as the softening of 

 connective tissue in meat, and the changing of 

 starch into a gummy substance known as dex- 

 trin (which see). These physical and chemical 

 changes make it easier to masticate and digest 

 the food. 



What a man eats is so intimately connected 

 with his health and happiness that the prepara- 

 tion of foods bears a direct relation to the 

 prosperity and welfare of the nation; therefore 

 cooking is becoming more and more recognized 

 as a science. As a result, courses in cooking 

 are being quite generally introduced into the 

 public schools. Pupils in cooking classes are 

 not only taught how to prepare the various 

 foods, but they also learn that foods vary in 

 their nutritive value, and that this value de- 



pends upon their chemical composition. Every 

 person whose duty it is to prepare meals 

 should understand the comparative nourishing 

 qualities of the foods in common use. Correct 

 information on this subject may be obtained 

 by writing to the government Department of 

 Agriculture. B.L.A. 



Time Tables. The following tables show the 

 time required for cooking most of the staple 

 foods: 



Time Required for Itonstinu or Baking Ment 



and Fish 

 Beef, ribs or loin, rare, per 



pound 8 to 1 minutes 



Beef, ribs or loin, well done, per 



pound 12 to 16 minutes 



Mutton, leg, rare, per pound 10 minutes 



Mutton, leg, well done, per pound 14 minutes 



Lamb, well done, per pound 15 to 18 minutes 



Veal, well done, per pound 18 to 20 minutes 



Pork, well done, per pound. .' 20 minutes 



Chicken, per pound 15 or more minutes 



Turkey, 8 to 10 pounds 3 hours 



Goose, 8 to 10 pounds 2 hours or more 



Duck (domestic) 1 hour or more 



Duck (wild) 15 to 30 minutes 



Pigeons (potted or en casserole) 2 to 4 hours 



Ham 4 to 6 hours 



Fish, whole, as blueflsh, salmon, etc.l hour or more 



Small fish and fillets 20 to 30 minutes 



Baked beans with pork 6 to 8 hours 



Do not season with salt until the meats are 

 nearly done, as salt draws out the juices and 

 toughens the fiber, making the meat dry and 

 tasteless. 



Broiling: 



Steak, 1 inch thick 4 to 10 minutes 



Steak, 1% Inches thick 8 to 15 minutes 



Lamb or mutton chops 6 to 10 minutes 



Squabs 10 to 12 minutes 



Spring chicken 20 minutes 



Shad, blueflsh, etc 15 to 20 minutes 



Small fish, trout, etc 5 to 12 minutes 



Frylngr 



Whitebait, croquettes, fish balls .... 1 minute 

 Muffins, fritters and doughnuts. . . .3 to 5 minutes 



Breaded chops 5 to 8 minutes 



Smelts, brook trout, etc 3 to 5 minutes 



Boiling Meat and Fish 



Braised meats 3 to 5 hours 



Fresh beef 4 to 6 hours 



Corned beef (rib or flank) 4 to 7 hours 



Corned tongue 3 to 4 hours 



Leg or shoulder of mutton 3 % to 5 hours 



