Carving
The chair placed for a carver must be high enough to allow the work to be done comfortably without the carver being obliged to stand. The platter must be large enough to hold the entire joint or bird when carved, without any piece falling over the edge of the platter. A waitress should make sure before placing a dish in front of the carver that the platter is really hot; if it is not the dish gravy will become chilled, and consequently unfit for use, before it can be served.
See that no string or skewer is left to annoy the carver. The silver skewers sent to table intentionally are, of course, excepted. The platter must be placed near enough to the carver to prevent awkwardness or the necessity of moving the dish. In serving large birds,
as goose or turkey, place the head always to the left. If smaller birds, as partridge or grouse, which are placed across the platter, let the heads be on the farther side. A saddle of mutton should be placed with the tail end to the left of the carver. A haunch of venison or mutton, with the loin or backbone nearest the carver. A leg of mutton or lamb, or a knuckle of veal, with the thickest part towards the back of the platter. A shoulder of mutton or veal, with the thickest part up. A rib roast or a sirloin roast should be placed with the backbone at the right end of the platter. A rump roast, with the backbone at the farther side of the platter. A round of beef, with the flesh side up. A sirloin beefsteak, with the tenderloin next to the carver. A fillet of beef, with the thickest end at the right end of the platter. A calf’s head, with face to the right. A roast pig, with head to the left. A roast ham, with the thickest part on the farther side of the platter.
A waitress should know how to carve. The
first steps may be learned by cutting bread and slicing pressed meats. To do these two things perfectly, one must acquire a steady hand and a straight eye. Slices must be of uniform thickness, thin enough to be delicate, not thin enough to break. There must be no ragged edges. From the slicing of cold meats to the slicing of a rolled roast or other meats from which the bones have been taken is not a great step if the knife be in perfect condition. Enough confidence will have been gained to grasp the slicer firmly and slice quickly and firmly across the roast.
Further than this it will not be well to go without some object lessons, for the meats are not the only things to be considered; the knives must be kept from injury.
When you have placed a rib roast properly, watch the carver. Study the different positions of the knife and fork, as he puts the fork in the middle and cuts down to the ribs close to the backbone. The thick gristle near the backbone will be next cut off. Then from the
side nearest the carver will be cut thin, even slices parallel with the ribs, and the knife run under them, separating them from the bone. The sirloin roast will be sliced in the same way, a cut being made at the flank end as well as near the backbone to separate the slices.
You will notice that a good carver is careful to serve neatly the crisp fat with the rare slices. This adds richness to their flavor.
To carve a beefsteak, the eye must be trained to know at once the best parts, and all of the best should not be served to one or two persons. First cut out the tenderloin close to the bone and cut it into long, narrow pieces, then cut the other part from the bone and cut into strips. Serve a part of each, and serve the fat to those who prefer it.
To carve a leg of mutton or lamb, or knuckle of veal, put the fork in the top, turn it towards you and cut slices through to the bone, slip the knife under and cut them away from the bone. The under side may be sliced in the same manner.
A saddle of mutton must be carved with the grain of the meat, in long, thin slices from each side of the back. It must be partly turned over to reach the tenderloin and kidney fat.
The leg and saddle of venison are carved in the same way as the leg and saddle of mutton. When the leg and loin are served together, the loin should be carved before the leg. First cut off the flank and cut it in pieces, then separate the ribs and afterwards carve the leg.
It will be better not to attempt to carve a forequarter of mutton, lamb, or veal until this part has been studied uncooked and the joints learned. The same advice applies to birds, large and small.
To carve a forequarter, put the carving-fork in firmly near the knuckle. Cut all around the leg and up on the shoulder. Lift the leg from the shoulder and cut till you reach the joint. Cut through this joint, then from left to right, separating the lower from the upper part of the breast. Take out the blade, if it
has not already been removed, divide the ribs, and then slice the leg if it be required.
Roast ham should be cut from the thickest part down to the bone, in thin slices, the fat and crust being served with each slice.
In carving tongue, the tip or thinnest part should be cut lengthwise. The centre is the finest part.
Before trying to carve poultry, study the joints of the uncooked birds. When you find a joint and cut the cord and gristle, a leg or a wing is free. To find a side bone or a collar bone is not easy at first, but can be learned by a little practice.
Watch the rapid manipulations of a good carver. Remember that to carve a roast chicken or turkey, you remove first the leg, then the wing, from one side, then the leg and wing from the other side, separating the joints. Then carve the breast on each side; next take off the wishbone, separate the collar bones and shoulder blades, separate the breastbone from the back, then the back from the body, and
then the side bones. In large birds the second joints and legs should be carved in at least two pieces.
The breast of a roast goose and of a roast duck should be cut parallel to the breastbone.
Small birds, when not served whole, may be cut from the neck to the end of the breast and down through the backbone.
To carve a large partridge, cut off the leg and wing from one side, then from the other; leg and wing should be served together. Remove the breast from the back and cut it through the middle. When the birds are smaller, serve one half of a bird to each person.
In carving fish, learn to serve neatly and leave the backbone on the platter. Carve to the bone, and serve. Remove the bone to one side and carve the lower half.
A carver should try not only to serve each person acceptably, but to leave the meat on the platter in appetizing form for a second helping.