The 1918 Fanny Farmer Cookbook

Many kinds of food may be fried in the same fat; new fat should be used for batter and

mixtures, potatoes, and fishballs; after these, fish, meat, and croquettes. Fat should be

dough

frequently

clarified.

To Clarify Fat. Melt fat, add raw potato cut in quarter−inch slices, and allow fat to heat

gradually; when fat ceases to bubble and potatoes are well browned, strain through double

cheesecloth, placed over wire strainer, into a pan. The potato absorbs any odors or gases, and

collects to itself some of the sediment, remainder settling to bottom of kettle.

When small amount of fat is to be clarified, add to cold fat boiling water, stir vigorously,

and set

aside to cool; the fat will form a cake on top, which may be easily removed; on bottom of the

cake will be found sediment, which may be readily scraped off with a knife.

Remnants of fat, either cooked or uncooked, should be saved and tried out, and when

necessary clarified.

Fat from beef, poultry, chicken, and pork, may be used for shortening or frying purposes;

fat

from mutton and smoked meats may be used for making hard and soft soap; fat removed from

soup stock, the water in which corned beef has been cooked, and drippings from roast beef,

may be tried out, clarified, and used for shortening or frying purposes.

To Try out Fat. Cut in small pieces and melt in top of a double boiler; in this way it will

require less watching than if placed in kettle on the back of range. Leaf lard is tried out in the

same way; in cutting the leaf, remove membrane. After straining lard, that which remains may

salted, pressed, and eaten as a relish, and is called scraps.

Sautéing is frying in a small quantity of fat. Food so cooked is much more difficult of

digestion

than when fried in deep fat; it is impossible to cook in this way without the food absorbing

fat. A

frying−pan or griddle is used; the food is cooked on one side, then turned, and cooked on the

other.

Braising is stewing and baking (meat). Meat to be braised is frequently first sautéd to

prevent

escape of much juice in the gravy. The meat is placed in a pan with a small quantity of stock

water, vegetables (carrot, turnip, celery, and union) cut in pieces, salt, pepper, and sweet

herbs.

Chapter II − COOKERY