sound of the cooking has ceased. The pieces may be loosened from the bottom with a spoon, but it is not to be stirred; if it burns the taste is ruined. Now let it stand and partly cool, then pour off into cups to become cold; it smells as sweet as butter and can in many cases be used instead of it The fat left still in the

pieces may be pressed out for less particular uses.

Any clean fat, even mutton, has its uses in cookery, and should be tried out and kept nicely

Oils for use in frying.

There are oils now sold which but for prejudice we would always use. Pure cotton seed oil is a fine oil with a delicate flavor; rape seed oil, which is used extensively abroad for this purpose, is also a pure vegetable oil, but somewhat rank in flavor. It is treated thus: a raw potato is cut up and put into the kettle, heating with the oil and cooking till it is brown, it is then taken out and the oil used like lard. The potato has absorbed the rank flavor.

Thin pieces of meat, like cutlets and chops, are coated with beaten egg and bread crumbs, and cooked in boiling fat for 5 to 10 minutes, according to the kind of meat

Make some beef fat hot in an iron pan or broad To bake meat. kettle. Put the meat into it, and with a fork stuck into the fat part, turn it rapidly till it is on all sides a fine brown, then put it into a hot oven (about 340° F.), elevating it above the pan on a meat rack, or a few iron rods. Now comes the process

Basting.

called basting; in five minutes or less you will find that the top of the meat has dried, and you must now dip, with a spoon. the hot fat from the pan over the top. Do this every few minutes adding no water to the pan; you will find your meat well cooked in from twelve to fifteen minutes to the pound. It is done when it has lost, in the middle, the blue color, and become a fine red. Only salt and pepper should be used to season such a roast, and must be added when the meat is half done; if earlier, it toughens the fibres.

But when fuel is expensive, or in summer when a hot To broil meat. fire is a nuisance, the perfectly cooked meat can also be obtained by broiling; the management of the fire is the only trouble. We are told that a beefsteak for broiling should be cut three-fourths of an inch thick, and put over a hot fire of coal or charcoal; quite right, but when it has browned quickly, as it should, and been

turned and browned on the other side, it yet remains raw in the middle and if left longer, the surface burns. This is the experience of the novice, who has yet to learn two things; first, that immediately after the first browning, the fire must decrease in heat, or the meat be brought further away, so that the steak may cook ten to twelve minutes without burning-less time will not cook it nicely in the middle; and second, that like baked meat, the surface must be kept moist with hot fat. Before your steak is put over (unless it be very well streaked with fat), cover both sides with melted suet, and afterwards, as it dries, spread on a little butter or beef fat. Have ready in a hot platter a few spoonfuls of water in which the bones cut from the steak have been boiling, also salt and pepper. When the steak is done, lay it in the platter and keep it hot for five minutes, turning it once in the time; thus you will have both good steak and good gravy.

Use of charcoal.

Professional cooks always use charcoal for broiling, and its advantages are great. As described on page 180 it needs only a simple contrivance, easily adjusted to any stove; a handful will broil a pound of steak, and the cooking of the rest of the dinner can go on without interference.

USE OF THE THERMOMETER IN COOKING MEAT.

To cook meat at a temperature of between 150° and 160° F, is no easy matter with the usual kitchen appliances. Even over an easily regulated heater, as a gas or coal oil flame, how are we tɔ know that temperature when it is reached? The writer, knowing of no thermometer arranged for use in a kitchen, constructed a simple one after the model of those used in laboratories. A thermometer tube registering 300° Celsius was simply fastened into a cork, the bulb projecting below and protected by a short cylinder of wood. This floated on the water and made it easy to cook at any given temperature. This thermometer was also hung in a light wire frame and used for testing the heat of an oven.

THE HEAT SAVER.

It is a part of common information that the inhabitants of northern countries make extensive use of non-conducting substances, like wool, for preventing the escape of heat from a vessel in which cooking is going on. It is strange that we do not make more use of such appliances, for they have often been described and illus

trated; it is probably because they are not found ready-made, and with a complete list of directions for use. The writer made and used a cooker of this sort, and after considerable modification and experiment it became a very useful thing in the kitchen. If you wish to cook meat at the proper temperature, this contrivance makes it possible to do so, and is also very saving of fuel.

Directions for making heat

saver.

Take a packing box measuring, say, two feet each way and cover the bottom with a layer of packed wool four to six inches thick; set into the middle of this another box or a cylinder of sheet iron and fill the space between the two with a layer of wool, four to six inches thick and closely packed. Into the inner compartment put your kettle of meat or vegetables already brought to the boiling point and having a tightly fitting cover, and over this press a thick pillow or woolen blanket. Then fasten down tight over all, the lid of your box. As the heat in the water must finish the cooking already begun, its amount must be rightly proportioned to the amount of food to be cooked, e. g., two quarts of water to one and one-half pounds beef rib, were used. The water was brought to the boiling point, the meat placed in it and allowed to boil for five minutes, the pot was then tightly covered, placed in the box and allowed to remain three hours. end of that time the meat was tender.

At the

To make meat tender.

TO MAKE MEAT TENDER.

It is well known that meat must be kept some time after killing to make it tender. In winter, a large piece of beef or mutton will keep for six weeks if hung in a dry, cool place Indeed, this is the time allowed in England for the Christmas "shoulder of mutton," and every few days it is rubbed over with salt and vinegar. In summer, unless the butcher will keep the meat for you, you must resort to other means.

A tough piece of meat may be laid in not too strong vinegar for three or four days in summer and twice as long in winter, adding to the vinegar such spices as you may like. To soften a tough steak pour a few spoonfuls of vinegar on and let stand for twelve or twenty-four hours. This method has been long recommended and is to some extent used among us; the foreign cook employs sour milk for the same purpose and with even greater success, but this must be changed every day and at the end of the time well washed from the meat.

We cannot too strongly urge that the housekeeper, especially if she be straightened in means, should become used to these methods and practice them occasionally. She does not want to confine herself to soups and stews and she cannot buy "porter-house" steak at 20 or 25 cents a pound, but she can buy "round" at half that price, and after a little experiment can make it tender for boiling, roasting or broiling by one of these methods. In winter, she should buy a supply of meat ahead and keep it until it grows tender.

RECIPES FOR COOKING MEATS.

The methods of cooking meat having been treated and mention made of the parts adapted to each, it remains only to give practical hints as to making and varying dishes.

BEEF.

Boiled, roast and broiled beef have been sufficiently dwelt upon. See pages 192-93.

Stews and ragouts.

No mode of cooking meat has so many variations; the flavor of the meat being used to season vegetables of every sort, also doughs, as in dumplings, or in the crust of meat pie. For making meat stews see page 192.

With potatoes.

One-half hour before the meat is done lay on top of it peeled potatoes, all of the same size, and serve when done with the meat and gravy.

Meat pie.

When the meat is cooked tender, thicken the gravy and pour all into a pie or pudding dish. Cover with a common pie crust or one of mashed potatoes, and bake hour. You may also mix sliced raw potatoes with the stew, in layers. Potato Crust. 1 cup mashed potatoes, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons butter

1 cup of milk, salt. Beat together till smooth, and then work in enough flour so that you can roll it out. It should be inch thick, and as soft as you can handle.

With tomatoes.

Add to meat when tender, 1 quart tomatoes to 2 pounds meat. Thicken with flour and stew 5 minutes.

Flavors for stews.

Stews are variously flavored; onion, salt and pepper, are always in place A little lemon juice added as it is served gives a delicious flavor, or even a tablespoonful of vinegar may be used. Any herbs, a piece of carrot, a clove or bit of garlic, may be used for variety. Catsup is also good as a flavor.

Wash it well, put into plenty of cold water and bring Corned beef. slowly to the simmering point. Cook 3 to 4 hours. Turnips or cabbage are often eaten with corn beef. They should not be boiled with the meat but in a separate pot.

Beef liver.

Broiled.

If from a good animal, beef liver is often as tender as calf's liver.

This is the best method. Soak an hour in cold water, wipe dry, slice and dip in melted beef fat. Broil

slowly (see page 193) till thoroughly done; then salt and butter.

Fried.

When prepared as above, the slices of liver may be fried in a pan with a little beef fat. This gives an opportunity for more flavors, as onions may be fried with it, a little vinegar added to the juices that fry out, then thickened and used as gravy.

Baked.

If liver is not quite tender it can be made into a stew, or it may be chopped fine, mixed with bread crumbs and egg and baked 1⁄2 hour.

Beef's heart.

If fire is no object, you may boil a beef's heart, it will take all day. Put into cold water and bring slowly to the simmering point and keep it there. Next day it may be

stuffed with well seasoned bread crumbs and baked hour.

Tripe.

Cut in strips, soak in salt and vinegar day, wipe dry and fry in hot lard. It may also be stewed.

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flavor.

RECOOKING BEEF.

Boiled, baked or broiled beef which is tender and full of

To serve roast beef a second time.

Roast beef reserved.

After trimming

Heat the gravy, put the roast in it. it into shape again, cover closely and put into a hot

oven for ten minutes or less according to size of piece. Or, cut in slices and lay in hot gravy only long enough to heat them through.

Hash.

Being full of flavor such meat may be chopped and mixed with from to as much chopped or mashed