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.