5,

Meats 35

Pan Broiling

Heat an iron pan very hot. Remove extra fat from steak or chops. Sear
meat on both sides, then turn frequently until cooked as desired. Season
with butter, salt and pepper.

Braising is cooking meat in a small amount of water in the oven in a
tightly covered pan. Cuts not tender enough for roasting but of better
quality than those used for stews are cooked in this way. -Sear the surface
as for roasting. If meat is placed on a bed of vegetables (diced) the flavor
is improved. |

Pot Roast—-(Tough cuts may be used). Wipe meat; sear surface; place
in kettle; add 1 cup boiling water and cover tightly. Cook slowly until meat
is tender, adding only enough water to prevent burning. Season when done.
Serve with brown gravy made from liquid in pan.

Fricasseeing is sautéing and serving with a sauce. Tender meat is
fricasseed without previous cooking; less tender meat requires cooking in
hot water before fricasseeing. Chicken or rabbit is often cooked this way.

Boiling—Plunge the meat into boiling water, which hardens the albumen
outside of the meat and keeps the juices in. Cook at this temperature 10
minutes, then simmer until the meat is tender. By this means much of the
juice and flavor is kept in the meat. If the water bubbles it is too hot. All
tough meats may become tender if cooked this way. The water should be
saved for soup.

Time—For meat weighing less than 10 pounds to be cooked in water,
allow 20 minutes to the pound and 20 minutes extra. :

Stewing—The object in stewing meat is to keep part of the juice in the
meat and to extract part to flavor the gravy, so some of the meat is put on in
cold water, and some browned in the frying pan before adding. Meat for
stews should contain some bone and fat. The bone makes the stew gela-
tinous, and the fat gives the desired richness. Vegetables are used in stews
to give flavor and thickening, and herbs and spices season them. By far
the best way to cook stews is in the double boiler or the Fireless Cooker;
then one can be sure that the temperature never reaches the boiling point.

To Egg and Bread Crumb—The best way to make bread crumbs is
to rub stale bread through a wire sieve or put through food-chopper, because
the crumbs should be very fine. If they are to be used for meat or fish, a
little Blue Ribbon pepper and salt can be added; if for sweet dishes, add a
little sugar. The eggs should be beaten up lightly; a teaspoon of water to
each egg helps in beating it thin. Drip the article that is to be egged and
bread-crumbed first in the crumbs to dry it; let it dry a little, then dip it in
the beaten-up egg, drain it, and then roll it again in the bread crumbs and

leave it in the crumbs until it is put in the hot fat. Cracker crumbs may

be used.