The 1918 Fanny Farmer Cookbook

Baking is cooking in a range oven.

Frying is cooking by means of immersion in deep fat raised to a temperature of 350° to

00°

F. For frying purposes olive oil, lard, beef drippings, cottolene, coto suet, and cocoanut butter

are used. A combination of two−thirds lard and one−third beef suet (tried out and clarified) is

better than lard alone. Cottolene, coto suet, and cocoanut butter are economical, inasmuch as

they may be heated to a high temperature without discoloring, therefore may be used for a

larger

number of fryings. Cod fat obtained from beef is often used by chefs for frying.

Great care should be taken in frying that fat is of the right temperature; otherwise food so

cooked will absorb fat.

Nearly all foods which do not contain eggs are dipped in flour or crumbs, egg, and crumbs,

before frying. The intense heat of fat hardens the albumen, thus forming a coating which

prevents

food from “soaking fat.”

When meat or fish is to be fried, it should be kept in a warm room for some time previous

cooking, and wiped as dry as possible. If cold, it decreases the temperature of the fat to such

extent that a coating is not formed quickly enough to prevent fat from penetrating the food.

The

ebullition of fat is due to water found in food to be cooked.

Great care must be taken that too much is not put into the fat at one time, not only because

lowers the temperature of the fat, but because it causes it to bubble and go over the sides of

kettle. It is not fat that boils, but water which fat has received from food.

the

All fried food on removal from fat should be drained on brown paper.

Rules for Testing Fat for Frying. 1. When the fat begins to smoke, drop in an inch cube of

bread from soft part of loaf, and if in forty seconds it is golden brown, the fat is then of right

temperature for frying any cooked mixture.

. Use same test for uncooked mixtures, allowing one minute for bread to brown.

Chapter II − COOKERY