TO PREPARE AND TO SELECT BEEF, MUTTON, LAMB, VEAL, AND BACON.
White meats, such as veal, mutton, and lamb, should be washed as quickly as possible, or the juices of the meat will be extracted by the water. Fresh beef should never be washed, but well scraped with a clean knife twice over; any soiled parts which cannot be scraped must be cut off. If the bones are soiled, saw off the part with the meat saw. Salted meat should be well washed in three or four waters, and soaked at least fifteen minutes in cold water, before putting it down to boil. The pot should be filled with cold water, and boil slowly till done, according to the size of the meat, or allow a quarter of an hour for every pound of the meat; quick boiling will make the meat hard and insipid. Be careful that it does not stop boiling, or the meat will be injured; remove the scum frequently. People are not generally aware of the injurious effects from eating the flesh of diseased animals. It has been my practice to choose beef from the whiteness of the fat, and always object to it if a dark shade of yellow; let the fat be clear and thick, and the beef smooth and close; if otherwise, it is old. The flesh of a young ox should be a good red, and have a smooth and open grain, and feel tender. Pork may be judged by the thinness of the skin, and by pinching the lean; if young, it will break. When clammy, it is not fit for use. Fresh pork will be always cool and smooth. The fat of mutton should be white and firm, and the lean a good colour. If the vein in the neck of lamb has a greenish cast, it is stale: it should be of a bluish hue.
Bacon.—The lean should be of a good colour, and tender, and firm on the bone, the fat should be firm and of a red tinge, and the rind thin. Try a ham by putting a sharp knife in under the bone. If the smell is agreeable, the ham is good; if otherwise, and the knife soiled, reject it. Veal,—The whitest is the most juicy, having been made so by frequent bleeding: the flesh of a bull calf is firmest, but of a darker colour. Old and diseased meat will shrink very much in cooking. Hams and tongues, if they are old and hard, should be put to soak in warm water the night before they are boiled. A large ham will take from four to six hours to boil, and a tongue will take nearly as long. They should be kept constantly boiling, and well skimmed: put them down in plenty of cold water. Fish should always be boiled in hot water with a little salt in it: let them boil slowly.
Wild fowls do not require as much cooking as tame. They should be done before a brisk fire, and be constantly basted. Wild ducks will cook sufficiently in a quarter of an hour; pheasants in twenty minutes. A large turkey will take from two hours and a half to three hours. Hen turkeys are the best for boiling. The time will depend on the size: if a large one, it will take two hours and a half, and should be boiled in a cloth. All meats when roasting should be put some distance from the fire, and brought gradually nearer; the more they are turned and basted, the more juicy they will be. Vegetables should be freshly gathered; they are much sweeter and more healthy, if cooked as soon as taken out of the ground. When potatoes are to be fried, throw them in water with plenty of ice in it after slicing. This will make them crisp.