(JAMP LIFE. 



299 



As it is possible none of my reader's female acquaint- 

 ance have ever soiled their rosy fingers— Heaven save 

 the mark!— with domestic cookery, an outline of the 

 theory of that science may be advantageous. There are 

 certain well known rules that have no exceptions, unless 

 in the hands of a genius, and which apply to classes and 

 divisions of edibles. For instance, a little salt must always 

 be thrown into the water before anything is boiled in it. 

 Thus, again, with the great class of fried cakes : milk 

 thickened with flour, and an egg or two, and a pinch of 

 salt, makes griddle : add squash, boiled and mashed, and 

 you have squash cakes ; employ boiled and mashed rice 

 in place of squash, and there is produced the delicate 

 rice cake ; introduce Indian-meal, which has been first 

 scalded, and you have Indian cakes. This class of cakes 

 is made by pouring the preparation, in large tablespoon- 

 fuls at a time, on a greased griddle or frying-pan. In 

 broiling, frying, roasting, baking, or stewing, salt and- 

 pepper are first rubbed on the article to be cooked ; in 

 broiling, baking, or roasting, it is basted with butter or 

 gi'ease, and in frying the butter is first put in the pan 

 and heated. Potatoes boiled, and cut thin when cold, 

 are delicious fried. In stewing, a little water is poured 

 over the meat, and the cooking is done with a cover on. 



Frying is with butter or grease alone ; stewing with 

 grease and a little water ; and boiling with water alone. 

 You determine when things are done by the color and 

 trying how they resist a fork. An excellent chowder is 

 made by putting pork, fish, cracker, meat, clams, and 

 anything else that is handy, with vegetables, sufficient 

 seasoning, and a little water, and stewing it well. Stew 



