The Use of Cottolene for Shortening
Of course, the recipes in this book indicate the exact amount of Cottolene to be used. In your other recipes, however, a general, and important, rule for the use of Cottolene is:
Use one-third less Cottolene than the amount of butter or lard given in your recipe.
For cake-baking, cream the Cottolene as you would butter, adding a little salt; Cottolene contains no salt. For other pastry handle exactly the same as directed for either butter or lard, using one-third less.
The Use of Cottolene in Frying
In sautéing, browning or "shallow frying" (as it is sometimes called) use only enough Cottolene to grease the pan. The Cottolene should be put into the pan while cold and, after the bottom of the pan is once covered with the melted Cottolene, more can be added as desired. Add more fat when you turn the food.
Cottolene can be heated to a much higher temperature without burning than either butter or lard, but—unless allowed to heat gradually—the Cottolene may burn and throw out an odor, just as would any other cooking-fat.
For deep frying, have Cottolene at least deep enough to cover, or float, the article being fried, heating slowly. For uncooked mixtures, such as doughnuts, fritters, etc., test with one-inch cubes of stale bread. The cubes of bread should brown a golden brown in one minute; or test with a bit of dough, which should rise at once to the top with some sputtering. Make this test always,—never trust your eye. The fat should be kept at an even temperature. For cooked mixtures, such as croquettes, fish balls, etc., the cube of bread should brown a golden brown in 40 seconds.
Uncooked fish and meat are better when covered with bread crumbs, to keep the crisp crust desired in frying food (see note on Egging and Crumbing under Culinary Hints, [Page 12]). The fat should be hot at first, that it may not penetrate; then reduce the heat, that the food may cook till done, without burning.
Crumbed food is usually arranged in a croquette basket before placing it in the hot fat. This prevents the food from moving about, which sometimes causes the crust to loosen from the food, allowing it to absorb the fat.