280 On the Construction of Kitchen 



means the distinguishing and most delicate operation, 

 the browning of the surface of the meat, can be effected 

 in a few minutes, which prevents the drying up of the 

 meat and the loss of its best juices. 



In an oven, the exhalations being confined, the meat 

 seldom fails to acquire a peculiar and very disagreeable 

 smell and taste, which, no doubt, is occasioned solely by 

 those confined vapours. The steam-tube of a roaster 

 being always set open, when in browning the meat the 

 heat is sufficiently raised to evaporate the oily particles 

 at its surface, the noxious vapours unavoidably generated 

 in that process are immediately driven away out of the 

 roaster by the current of hot and pure air from the blow- 

 pipes. This leaves the meat perfectly free both from 

 the taste and the smell peculiar to baked meat. 



Some have objected to roasters, on an idea that, as 

 the water which is placed under the meat is (in part at 

 least) evaporated during the process, this must make 

 the meat sodden, or give it the appearance and taste of 

 meat boiled in steam ; but this objection has no better 

 foundation than that we have just examined. As steam 

 is much lighter than air, that generated from the water 

 in the dripping-pan will immediately rise up to the top 

 of the roaster, and pass off by the steam-tube, and the 

 meat will remain surrounded by air, and not by steam. 

 But were the roaster to be constantly full of steam, 

 to the perfect exclusion of all air, which however is 

 impossible, this would have no tendency whatever to 

 make the meat sodden. It is a curious fact that steam, 

 so far from being a moist fluid, is perfectly dry, as long 

 as it retains its elastic form ; and that it is of so drying 

 a nature that it cannot be contained in wooden vessels 

 (however well seasoned they may be) without drying 



