512 APPENDIX, 
GENERAL RULES FOR COOKING. 
SOUPS. 
Let them simmer rather than boil. Put cold water in the 
pot, and let it heat gradually; only uncover the pot to skim 
the soup. A tea-spoonful of salt and a quart of water to each 
pound of beef is a fair average. Remove every particle of 
scum before you put in the vegetables. If soup is too thick, 
always thin it with dodling water. Never put in green vege- 
tables till the water boils. Hard or fast boiling makes meat 
tough and hard. Put your herbs in when nearly done. All 
soups require simmering from four to five hours. 
BOILING VEGETABLES. 
Cabbage should boil an hour; beets, an hour and a half; 
parsnips, an hour or an hour and a quarter, according to size; 
squashes, the larger end should boil half an hour, the neck 
pieces fifteen or twenty minutes longer; new potatoes, fifteen 
or twenty minutes; old ones, from half an hour to an hour, 
according to size: never let them stop boiling (if you wish 
them mealy) till they are done; then turn off the water and 
let them dry. 
BOILING MEATS. 
Hard or fast boiling makes all meat dry, tough, and hard. 
Corned beef should, after being cooked, be left in the liquid 
till it is perfectly cold, or it will be dry. Fifteen minutes to 
each pound of ham is a fair average. Hams and meat should 
be put in hot, but not boiling water; cold water draws out 
the juices. Beef tongues of a fair size require full three hours’ 
boiling. 
BOILING FISH. 
Ten minutes to every pound of fish is a fair average; if 
large and thick, a few minutes longer; cover close; simmer 
