A trivet or fish-drainer put on the bottom of the boiling-pot, raising the contents about an inch and a half from the bottom, will prevent that side of the meat which comes next the bottom from being done too much, and the lower part of the meat will be as delicately done as the other part; and this will enable you to take out the contents of the pot, without sticking a fork, &c. into it. If you have not a trivet, use four skewers, or a soup-plate laid the wrong side upwards.
Take care of the liquor you have boiled poultry or meat in; in five minutes you may make it into excellent soup. (See [obs.] to [No. 555] and [No. 229].)
The good housewife never boils a joint without converting the broth into some sort of soup (read [No. 5], and [chapter 7]). If the liquor be too salt, only use half the quantity, and the rest water. Wash salted meat well with cold water before you put it into the boiler.
An estimation of the LOSS OF WEIGHT which takes place in cooking animal food.—From Mr. Tilloch’s Philosophical Magazine.
“It is well known, that in whatever way the flesh of animals is prepared for food, a considerable diminution takes place in its weight. We do not recollect, however, to have any where seen a statement of the loss which meat sustains in the various culinary processes, although it is pretty obvious that a series of experiments on the subject would not be without their use in domestic economy.
“We shall here give the result of a series of experiments which were actually made on this subject in a public establishment; premising that, as they were not undertaken from mere curiosity, but, on the contrary, to serve a purpose of practical utility, absolute accuracy was not attended to. Considering, however, the large quantities of provisions which were actually examined, it is presumed that the results may be safely depended upon for any practical purpose. It would, no doubt, have been desirable to have known not only the whole diminution of weight, but also the parts which were separated from the meat in the form of aqueous vapour, jelly, fat, &c.; but the determination of these did not fall within the scope of the inquiry.
| lbs. | oz. | |
| 28 pieces of beef, weighing | 280 | 0 |
| Lost in boiling | 73 | 14 |
“Hence, the weight lost by beef in boiling was in this case about 26 1/2lbs. in 100lbs.
| lbs. | oz. | |
| 19 pieces of beef, weighing | 190 | 0 |
| Lost in roasting | 61 | 2 |
“The weight lost by beef in roasting appears to be 32 per cent.