To prepare the egg, break into soup plate, beat until yolk and white are well blended, season with salt and pepper, dilute with two tablespoons cold water and use for dipping.
Food to be fried should be dried as much as possible, then dipped in crumbs, then placed in the egg, and thoroughly covered with the egg, then drained and dipped again in crumbs.
It is an economy of time to crumb all of the pieces to be fried, then egg all, and when drained, to crumb all. This may be done in the morning and the food fried when wanted. In this case, allow the prepared food to stand in kitchen fifteen or twenty minutes before frying. When fried always drain on brown paper.
How to bone Meat, Fish, Birds
Legs and loins of lamb and mutton are the meats ordinarily boned. The butcher will do it; but if it must be done at home, wipe the meat, and with a sharp knife scrape the meat from the bone, being careful not to cut through the skin. Fish to be boned generally have the heads cut off; then remove the flesh from one side of the backbone, and then from the other.
To bone birds, chickens, or turkeys, select undrawn birds, with head and feet left on. Remove pin feathers and singe. Draw tendons from legs by making an incision just below the knee joint, and with a strong skewer draw the tendons out one at a time. Loosen the skin near the feet and cut off feet. Make an incision through the skin from the neck to the tail, the entire length of the backbone. Scrape the flesh from the bones until the shoulder blade is found, then continue scraping around the wing joint. Scrape down the backbone to the thigh, then around the second joint and leg, cutting tendinous portion when necessary. When one side of backbone is boned, bone the other, then remove flesh from breastbone, on either side of bird. When flesh is all separated from bone, discard carcass, wipe flesh and skin, and arrange in original shape. The birds may be seasoned and broiled; or stuffed, sewed into shape and steamed. Small birds are generally prepared the former way, and large birds the latter way.
How to clarify Fat
When through frying, add a pared potato, cut in slices, to the fat, and let stand on back of range until potato has browned. Remove potato and strain fat through a cheese cloth. Fat clarified in this way may be used indefinitely.