Hand-Book of Practical Cookery, for Ladies and Professional Cooks / Containing the Whole Science and Art of Preparing Human Food

JELLY-BAG.

Make a conical bag of good white flannel, about twenty inches long, fifteen inches broad at one end when spread on a flat surface, or about thirty inches in circumference, the other end being the point. Sew to it four pieces of white tape at the large end, and at equal distances, so that two sticks may be run into them. The sticks are placed on chairs or something else, in order to have the point of the bag about one foot from the floor. It is then ready to pass the jellies through it.

KITCHEN UTENSILS.

Gastronomists use, in preference to any thing else, crockery or earthen pans; or, for want of these, block-tin pans.

Copper is, in the end, the cheapest of all; but American cooks do not like them because they require too much care and must be examined every day; to prevent any accident, it is necessary to keep the inside properly lined.

Many indispositions are caused by food prepared in copper not properly lined; even food allowed to cool in a well-lined pan would be dangerous.

Pans lined with porcelain are excellent, but the trouble with them is, that they crack, and after that cannot be cleaned; something will always remain between the lining and the iron, and spoil every thing cooked in them.

The tin-lined are preferable, on account of being easily cleaned by means of a small birch-broom, washing-soda, and boiling water.

LAIT DE POULE.

Mix well in a tumbler a yolk of egg and a teaspoonful of sugar; then add a few drops of orange-flower water (eau de fleur d'oranger); pour boiling water on the whole, little by little, stirring the while, and drink warm.

The quantity of water is according to taste.

A gill of water to a yolk of egg makes it thick enough.

It makes an excellent drink, to be taken just before retiring, for persons with cough.

LARD.

Never buy lard ready made if you can help it, but take hog's fat, the part enveloping the kidneys, or leaf lard, and chop it fine, put it in a cast-iron or crockery kettle with a bay-leaf and a stalk of thyme to every two pounds of fat; set on a moderate fire, and as soon as it begins to melt, take the melted part out with a ladle, and put it in a stone jar or pot; be careful not to take any pieces of fat not yet melted. Continue that process till it is all melted.

The dry or hard part that remains at the bottom of the kettle when done is no good.

Lard made thus is as white as snow, and may be kept a long time.

When there is water in lard, it flies all over the fire; in that case, boil it a few minutes with a cover on the pan, and then use.

FAT FOR FRYING.

Take beef suet, the part around the kidneys, or any kind of fat, raw or cooked; remove as much as possible fibres, nerves, thin skin, or bones; chop it fine, put it in a cast-iron or crockery kettle; add to it the fat you may have skimmed from the top of broth, sauces or, gravies. Set the pan on a moderate fire; boil gently for about fifteen minutes, skim it well during the process; take from the fire, let it stand about five minutes, and then strain.

Put it in a stone jar or pot, and keep it in a dry and cool place. Cover the jar when perfectly cold.

It is as good as lard and more handy; it does not fly over the pan like lard.

A careful cook seldom buys fat; generally there is enough coming from skimming of broth, sauces, and gravies, for every purpose.

TO CLARIFY FAT.

Set the fat on a moderate fire in a pan, and as soon as it commences to boil, place a slice of bread dried in the oven in it, boil gently for about half an hour; take from the fire, let it settle for a few minutes; remove the bread, turn gently into a jar or pot, leaving the dregs in the pan.

Chicken, Turkey, and Goose Fat.—The fat of the above birds is never used to fry, but to sauté instead of butter. To make omelets it is excellent; an omelet is whiter and more sightly made with chicken-fat than when made with butter. It is clarified as directed above.

GAME-FAT.

Game-fat can be used instead of other fat and also instead of butter, to sauté, or what is generally called partly fry, game; it may also be used, instead of butter to bake game.

It must be clarified longer than other fat, but in the same way.

The boiling of fat with water, as indicated in some cook-books, is only a fancy and extra work, it has no effect whatever on the fat. It is the same by keeping it for hours in a bain-marie; it does not change it in the least.

BATTER FOR FRYING.

For frying Vegetables.—Put three tablespoonfuls of flour in a bowl with two yolks of eggs, and cold water enough to make a kind of thin paste, then add salt and half a teaspoonful of sweet oil; mix well. Beat the two whites of the eggs to a stiff froth and mix them with the rest. Put the batter away in a cold place for at least two hours, and use.

It must not be put away longer than for half a day.

Another.—Proceed as above in every particular, except that you use milk instead of water.

For frying Fish.—Make it exactly as the above, except that you do not use any oil.

For frying Fritters.—Mix well together in a bowl three tablespoonfuls of flour with two yolks of eggs and cold water enough to make a thin paste; add a pinch of sugar, rum or brandy, or any other liquor, according to taste, from one to three or four tablespoonfuls, mix well again, and put away for at least two or three hours, but not longer than twelve hours.

Eggs and Crumbs for frying.—The eggs are beaten as for omelets, with a little salt. The objects to be fried are dipped in the eggs first, then rolled in bread-crumbs and fried.

Another.—When rolled in bread-crumbs as above; dip again in the eggs, roll again in bread-crumbs and fry.

Another.—Dip the object in melted butter, then in eggs, and roll in bread-crumbs; fry.

LARDING.

All pork-butchers sell salt pork for larding. Cut it in slices and then by cutting the slices across it makes square strips or fillets.

The strips must be of a proper size to be easily inserted into the larding-needle, and are about two inches and a half long.

When the needle is run half way through the meat, insert the salt pork into it, pull the needle off and leave the salt pork inside of the meat, both ends of it sticking out.

If it were running through, that is, if the salt pork were pulled off with the needle, most likely the strips are too small; then pull slowly, and when the salt pork is far enough into the meat, press on it with the finger and pull the needle, it will then stay in its proper place. It is better to cut a few strips first and try if they are of a proper size.

If, in pulling off the needle, the salt pork does not enter the meat, the strips are too large.

If the strips are of a proper size and break while pulling the needle off, then the pork is not good.

Fricandeau, sweetbreads, birds, etc., are larded in the same way.

For beef à la mode, it is described in the receipt.

LARDING-NEEDLE.

The best are made of brass. Those that are sold for steel are generally of iron, and break easily.

Those for beef à la mode are of steel, and must be flat near the point, in order to cut the meat.

LEAVEN.

Knead four ounces of flour with baker's yeast, enough to make a rather thick dough; give it the shape of a rather flat apple; with a sharp knife make two cuts on the top and across, and through about one-third of the paste; put the paste in a pan of lukewarm water. In a few minutes it will float; take it off and use then after it has floated about two minutes.

MEAT.

The time it takes to cook meat depends as much on the quality of the meat as on the fire. Some persons like meat more done than others; in many cases you must consult your own taste or that of your guests.

Beef, lamb, mutton, and game, may be eaten rather underdone, according to taste; domestic fowls must be properly cooked; but pork and veal must always be overdone, or else it is very unwholesome, if not dangerous.

The following table may be used as a guide:

The following table may be used as a guide to know how long meat may be kept, in a cool, dry, and dark place; and protected from flies or other insects:

The time must be reduced one-half in summer, in stormy or damp weather, and one-third in winter, in thawing or rainy weather.

Fish.—When cleaned and prepared as directed, place it in a crockery stewpan, cover it with cold water, add a little salt, two or three sprigs of thyme, and one or two bay-leaves. It will keep thus for some time.

MOULDS.

Mould for Meat Pies.—A mould for meat pies may be round or oval; it must be in two pieces, fastened together by a kind of hinge. When the pie is baked, the wire pin holding the mould is pulled, and the mould removed.

Mould for Pies, Jellies, etc.—This mould may be used for any thing that requires a mould; it may also be round, oval, or of any other shape.

OLIVES.

Fresh and ripe they are served as dessert with other fruit. Preserved, they are served as a hors-d'oeuvre, and used to flavor and decorate different dishes.

Olives as well as sardines are healthful and considered one of the best hors-d'oeuvre.

OSMAZOME.

Osmazome is found in beef, mutton, full-grown domestic fowls, venison, and game; in the latter, when the bird or animal is adult.

In meat soup, the osmazome is the soluble part of the meat that dissolves in boiling, and makes nutritious broth.

In broiled or roasted pieces, it is that part which makes a kind of brown crust on the surface of the meat, and also the brownish part of the gravy.

Chicken, lamb, sucking-pig, veal, etc., do not contain any osmazome.

PARSLEY, CHERVIL, THYME, CELERY, SAGE, ETC.,—FOR WINTER USE.

Hang in the shade, under a shed, or in a garret, and in a clean and dry place, some small bunches of parsley, chervil, celery, etc., the roots upward; leave them thus till perfectly dry, then place them in your spice-box for winter use.

The best time for drying them is at the end of October or the beginning of November; dig them up in fine and dry weather, so as to have them clean without washing.

Soak in cold water half an hour before using.

WHITE PEPPER.

This is black pepper decorticated.

Put peppercorns in a bowl, cover with cold water, and leave thus till the skin is tender; then drain. Take the skin off, let it dry, grind it; place with your other spices, and use where directed. It takes many days for the skin to become tender.

QUALITY OF MEAT, FISH, VEGETABLES, FRUIT, ETC.

The quality of meat depends entirely on the quality of food with which the animal has been fed.

For fish, the taste or quality is according to the kind of water in which they have lived; fish from a muddy pond smell of mud, while fish from a clear brook are delicious.

The same difference exists in vegetables and fruit; their quality is according to the quality or nature of the ground in which they have been grown.

PASTRY-BAG.

A bag for pastry is made with thick, strong linen; of a conical shape, about one foot long, eight inches broad at one end when spread on a flat surface, and which makes about sixteen inches in circumference, and only one inch and a quarter at the other end, and in which latter end a tin tube is placed, so that the smaller end of the tin tube will come out of the smaller end of the bag. Putting then some mixture into the bag and by pressing from the upper end downward, the mixture will come out of the tin tube.

RAW MATERIALS.

If American cookery is inferior to any other generally, it is not on account of a want of the first two requisites—raw materials and money to buy them; so there is no excuse for it, both are given to the cooks.

Here, where markets rival the best markets of Europe and even surpass them in abundance, it is really a pity to live as many do live.

SCALLOPED KNIFE.

This knife is used to cut beets, carrots, turnip-rooted celery, potatoes, radishes, and turnips; in slices, round, oblong, or of any other shape; either to decorate dishes, or to be served alone or with something else, or to be fried.

The annexed cuts will give an idea of what can be done with it. It is understood that the vegetables are peeled first.

SHALLOTS.

Shallots come from Syria. Shallot is stronger than garlic and onion; a real Tartar sauce cannot be made without shallot. The small, green onion is a good substitute for it.

SKEWERS.

The cuts below are skewers. The common ones are used to fasten pieces of meat together; to roast or bake small birds, liver in brochette, etc., etc.

Those to decorate are only used with different flowers or vegetables, and stuck inside of different pieces of meat as a decoration. They are removed just before carving.

The use of them is explained in the different receipts. They may be different from those seen in the cuts.

SPICES.

The cooks of this country generally have a queer idea of what they call French cookery and French spices.

Some honestly believe that to make a French dish a great deal of pepper and other strong seasonings must be put in.

Many other persons, who have not been in Europe, really believe also, that French cookery is what is called highly-seasoned. There never was a greater mistake.

If French cooks use several kinds of spices, and may-be more than American cooks, they are not the same; or if some are the same, such as pepper, they use them in much smaller proportions.

They generally use thyme, parsley, bay-leaf, chervil, tarragon, etc., which are aromatic; but never use (in this climate) ginger, curry, cayenne pepper, pimento, catsups, variegated colored pickles made with pyroligneous acids, etc., and which are very exciting and irritating.

Some of our readers may naturally ask: How is it that French cookery is believed by many to be the contrary of what it really is?

Because every eating-house, of no matter what size, pretends to be a first-rate one or a fashionable one—and to be first-rate or fashionable must, as a matter of course, have French cooks, or at least cook French dishes.

You enter the place, ask for a French dish; or, ask if you can have such a dish, à la Française?

You are politely and emphatically answered in the affirmative; and very often the polite waiter says that a French cook presides in the kitchen.

Result!—the cook, be he from the Green Isle or of African descent, receiving the order to prepare a French dish, puts a handful of pepper in the already too much peppered, old-fashioned prepared dish, and sends it to the confident customer as a genuine French dish.

Said customer never asks a second time for a French dish, and pronounces French cookery to be—abominable!

STIRRING.

Never use any spoon but a wooden one to stir any thing on the fire or in a warm state.

STRAINING.

To strain, is to pass a sauce or any thing else through a sieve, a strainer, or a piece of cloth, in order to have it freed from particles of every kind.

Broth is strained to make soup, so as to remove the small pieces of bones that may be in it, etc.

SUGAR.

Sugar plays a very important part in cooking. It is added to cereals, vegetables, and fruit, many of which would almost be unpalatable without it, and which are rendered not only palatable but wholesome by its action.

It is the sugar of the carrot and that of the onion, or of the garlic, that gives such a peculiar and delicious flavor to gravies and sauces, to beef à la mode, fricandeau, etc.

Pulverized.—When pulverized or powdered sugar can be had pure, it saves the trouble to do it; but often there are foreign matters in it and therefore it is better to make it; you know then what you have.

Break loaf sugar into small lumps, pound it and sift it. With a fine sieve, you can make it as fine as you please.

It was not used in Europe until about the middle of the seventeenth century.

For the cooking of sugar, see Preserves.

TARRAGON.

The French name of tarragon is estragon. It is excellent in vinegar and in many fish sauces. It is aromatic, sudorific, and stomachic, and grows very well in this country. It grows at least twice as large here as in Europe.

TIN TUBES.

These tubes are put in the pastry-bag, at the smaller end of it, to make meringues, ladies' fingers, etc.; they are of tin, and can be made by any tinsmith.

They have the shape of a trapezoid or frustum. Two are enough for any purpose.

No. 1. One inch and a half long; one inch and three-eighths in diameter at one end, and nine-sixteenths of an inch at the other end.

No. 2. One inch and a half long; one inch and a half in diameter at one end, and six-eighths of an inch at the other.

TRUFFLES.

Truffles are found in Europe and Africa, where they were first discovered.

The truffle is neither an animal nor a vegetable, although it has been classed among the fungi, which has root, and the truffle has neither root nor stem.

The truffle is used for stuffing and flavoring only otherwise it is not of much value. On account of their scarcity, and the difficulty in finding them, they are rather costly.

We think truffles may be compared to lace—both are dear, and neither has an intrinsic value.

VANILLA.

Is a native of America, extensively used for seasoning creams, pastry, etc., to which it gives a delicious flavor.

Although a native of America, all the extracts of vanilla, as well as others, were formerly imported; but within a few years Americans have found out that they are able to distil also, and "Burnett's Extract of Vanilla" is better known to-day all over the country than any other.

VEGETABLE SPOONS.

Vegetable spoons are used to cut potatoes, carrots, and turnips; there are different shapes, round, oval, carrot-shape, plain, and scalloped. We give here only two, being sufficient to explain their use.

The first (a) is of an oval shape, and makes the cut c; the second (b) is round, and makes the cut d.

When the vegetable is peeled, place the spoon on it, the convex side up; holding the vegetable in your left hand, press on the spoon with your left thumb, and in order to cause it to cut the vegetable while turning it with the right hand, first half way or rather when the half of it is inside of the vegetable, stop, turn it the other way, causing it to cut the vegetable also, then raise it up without turning at all and you have in the spoon a piece of vegetable of the shape of the spoon, and as seen in the cuts.

WATER.

Rain-water is for cooking purposes, as for other purposes, the best, but is seldom used, especially in large cities, where it is difficult to procure it. Another difficulty is, when procured it soon gets foul.

The next best is river-water, or water from lakes.

By boiling, water evaporates its gases and alkali, and is inferior afterward for cooking purposes, especially for boiling vegetables; therefore, we earnestly recommend to use the water at the first boiling.

When foul water has to be used for want of other, if no filter, charcoal, sand, or paper can be had to filter it, it will improve by boiling it and then exposing it to the air for some time.

WINES.

Native wines, when pure, are just as good as any other for cooking purposes.

It is wrong and a great mistake to underrate native wines; they have a little more acerbity than foreign wines, but are not inferior. It cannot be otherwise, being grown in a virgin soil, or nearly so. The richer the soil or the younger the vineyard, the more acid the wine.

Cold nights during the ripening of the fruit make the wine more acid, not ripening so perfectly.

Wine is a healthy drink, and many invalids would recover much quicker by a judicious use of it.

Different wines are used in cooking, and we give the names of the best ones in the different receipts.

A little vinegar may be used as a substitute for wine, but it is very inferior, and in many dishes it cannot be used at all.

A few dollars spent during the year in wine for cooking purposes, makes much better and more wholesome dishes.

White wine contains little tannin; it retains nitrogenous matters, and is free from essential oils; hence the superior flavor and quality of brandy made with white wines.

It is more aperient and less nutritive than red wine.

Essential oils pass in red wine while it is fermenting.

Wine and sugar with certain fruits are excellent, and are known to neutralize the crudity of the fruit, such as straw-berries, pears, peaches, currants, etc.

MOTTO.

The motto of the New York Cooking Academy is—

Since we must eat to live, let us prepare our food in such a manner, that our physical, intellectual, and moral capacities may be extended as far as is designed by our CREATOR.

DIVERS RECEIPTS.

Barley-water is made by soaking in lukewarm water a pint of barley, drain it two or three minutes after; put the barley in a crockery pan, cover it with cold water (about three quarts), set it on the fire, and boil till the barley is perfectly cooked; skim off the scum during the cooking, drain, let cool, and use the water.

BARLEY SUGAR FOR CHILDREN.

Soak a quart of barley in lukewarm water for two or three minutes, and drain. Put the barley in a crockery stewpan, with four or five quarts of water, and set it on a good fire, boil till the barley is overdone, and then take from the fire, mash it as well as possible and strain, throwing away what there is in the strainer, and if the remainder does not make a kind of jelly when cool, the barley has not been boiled enough.

Mix that jelly with sugar and fry it; it is better than any other candy, barley being refreshing, and the principal substance of it.

BAVAROISE WITH CHOCOLATE.

Put in a tin pan a pint of milk, with one ounce of chocolate, and two of sugar; set it over the fire, but do not allow it to boil; stir well with a wooden spoon during the process, and when the whole is well mixed, serve warm in cups.

It is an excellent and wholesome drink in the evening.

The same with Coffee or Tea.—Proceed as above in every particular, except that you put in the pan a small cup of coffee or tea instead of chocolate, and a little more sugar.

BICHOF.

Put in a crockery tureen two bottles of white wine, with an orange and a lemon, both cut in slices; cover, and place it in a warm place for about ten hours; then strain into a vessel, and mix well with the liquor about a pound of loaf sugar, and a little grated cinnamon.

It may be served warm or cold.

Another way.—Melt a pound of loaf sugar in half a pint of cold water, and then mix with it two bottles of white wine, a pinch of grated cinnamon, the juice of an orange, and that of a lemon, and use. It takes only a few minutes to make it.

If found too strong, add water and sugar.

TO PRESERVE BIRDS.

Broil or roast, according to our directions, chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, partridges, pheasants, prairie hens, quails, etc.; then carve them; take the bones out of the pieces, place them in a crockery pot, which you fill with melted butter or lard, and cover well when cold. Place the pot in a cool and dry place, and they will keep for months.

When you wish to eat them, take out the quantity you want, and place it in a frying-pan, with the butter or lard that is around; fry till warm, and serve.

BREAD-CRUMBS.

Put slices of stale bread in a slow oven till they are perfectly dried up. Break them in pieces and reduce them to coarse powder with a rolling pin; sift them, and they are ready for use.

Bread-crumbs are better than cracker-crumbs; the latter, when reduced to powder, are too floury, and besides, there is always stale bread enough in a kitchen to make crumbs.

The above crumbs are rather brown.

White crumbs.—Cut in rather large dice the soft part of stale bread, put the pieces in a new and coarse towel, rub between the hands so as to reduce the pieces of bread to crumbs; pass through a colander or through a sieve, according to need, coarse or fine, and use.

BURNT SUGAR.

Take an old tin ladle and place it over a sharp fire, with two ounces of loaf sugar in it; stir with a stick or skewer till it is thoroughly black and burnt. Then add, little by little, about one gill of water; stir a little, boil about four minutes, but not fast, lest it should boil over the ladle; strain, and it is made.

As soon as cold, bottle it and use when wanted.

It keeps any length of time.

It is used to color broth, sauces, gravies, etc.

It is called caramel in French.

COFFEE.

It is simple to make coffee. Of course, when properly made, with good berries, the liquor is good.

When good roasted coffee can be bought, it saves the trouble of roasting it, and is, or rather ought to be, cheaper than it can be done in a family.

If coffee is roasted a long time before being used it loses much of its aroma, therefore a family ought not to roast more than it can use in about a week, while twenty or twenty-five pounds can be roasted at one time and by one person.

Three or four different kinds, roasted separately, and properly mixed, make better coffee than one kind alone.

A good proportion is: to one pound of Java add about four ounces of Mocha, and four ounces of one or two other kinds.

Good coffee, as well as tea, is said to possess exhilarating properties.

Its use was not known in Europe before 1650. Neither was the use of sugar, tobacco, and brandy.

Good coffee cannot be made but by leaching.

The easiest utensil is what is called a filter, or coffee-pot, or biggin, according to locality, with a top to diffuse the water.

The coffee-pot called "the French balance" makes the best-flavored coffee, but it is an expensive one.

There are several good filters, but the great majority or the people find them too complicated for daily use.

The bottom of the filter should be of silvered brass-gauze instead of perforated tin, as it is generally.

Gauze-holes being much smaller than those of perforated tin, the coffee can be ground much finer, and therefore, all the strength and aroma can be had; while if ground coarse, it is utterly impossible.

Good coffee cannot be made in a utensil often but wrongly called a coffee-pot, which is nothing but a pot, and something like a tea-pot.

With such a utensil, the grounds must be boiled; and as no liquor can be boiled without allowing the steam to escape (the steam made by boiling coffee being its aroma), therefore the best part of the coffee is evaporated before it is served.

Never grind your coffee until ready to make it.

No matter how air-tight you keep it, the aroma evaporates or is absorbed.

Coffee can be ground and made as soon as cool; but it is better to let it stand for about twenty-four hours after being roasted.

If kept as air-tight as possible in a tin-box, it will keep very well for about a week.

Never buy ground coffee except when you cannot help it.

By taking a pinch of ground coffee and rolling it between wetted fingers, it will remain in grains, if pure; and will form in a ball if foreign matters are mixed with it.

TO ROAST.

In roasting, good coffee swells about thirty-three per cent., and loses about sixteen per cent. in weight.

Roast once a week or oftener.

Put coffee in the apparatus (cylinder, or drum, or roaster), the quantity to be according to the size of the roaster, or according to how much is needed. Have a rather slow fire at first; when the coffee has swollen, augment the fire, turning, shaking, tossing the roaster, sometimes fast, sometimes slowly, and take from the fire a little before it is roasted enough; the roasting will be finished before the coffee gets cold and before taking it from the roaster, which you continue turning and shaking as if it were yet on the fire.

A charcoal fire is the handiest, and more easily regulated.

It is well roasted when it evaporates a pleasing odor and when of a brownish color.

Then take it from the roaster, spread it on a matting or on a piece of cloth, and put it in a tin-box as soon as cold.

It is exceedingly difficult, if not utterly impossible, to roast coffee properly by machinery, and for two reasons: in the first place, there is too much of it in the cylinder to roast evenly, some berries are burned, others not roasted enough; the other is, that being turned by machinery, the cylinder is turned regularly and is neither shaken nor tossed; and even if there were not too much coffee in it, some berries would be much more roasted than others.

TO MAKE.

Set a kettle of cold water on the fire. Place the ground coffee in the filter, and as soon as the water begins to boil, pour just enough of it over the coffee to wet it. Put the kettle back on the fire, and again, at the first boiling, pour it over the coffee rather slowly, and till you have poured enough water to furnish the quantity of coffee required.

If the water does not pass through fast enough, just stop pouring for a few seconds, that is, long enough to put the kettle back on the fire and start the boiling again. As soon as the water has passed through, the coffee is made. The quantity of coffee must be according to the strength you wish it, and the quantity wanted, or according to age and constitution.