random remarks about the preparation of albuminous foods. If the
albumen in food is hardened by prolonged cooking, it is rendered _less_
instead of more digestible. Therefore, the so-called _well-cooked_ meats
are really _badly-cooked_ meats. Meats should be only half done, or rare.
To do this properly, it is necessary to cook with a quick fire. Steaks
should be broiled, not fried. I am in accord with a well-known orator, who
said, recently, that "the person who fries a steak should be arrested for
cruelty to humanity." Some few meats should always be well cooked before
eating.[6]

[Footnote 6: These are the exceptions. Pork, on account of the prevalence
of disease in hogs, should be well done.]

The same law holds good with eggs as with meats. A hard-boiled egg is only
fit for the stomach of an ostrich; it was never intended by nature to
adorn the human stomach. There are very many ways of preparing eggs--by
frying, baking, poaching, shirring, etc. I will only describe briefly a
few simple methods of making omelets.

In making this elegant dish, never use more than three eggs to an
_omelet_. Plain omelet: Separate the whites and yolks; add a teaspoonful
of water to the whites, and beat to a stiff froth; add to the yolks a
teaspoonful of water, and beat until light; then season with salt, and
about two tablespoonfuls of cream or rich milk. Have your spider very hot;
turn your whites and yolks together, and stir lightly to mix them; place a
bit of butter in the spider, and immediately pour in your eggs. When set
(which takes from ten to twenty seconds, and be careful that it does not
brown too much), fold together in a half moon, remove it, sprinkle with
powdered sugar, and serve on a hot plate. It should be eaten immediately.

Fruit omelets are made by placing preserved fruits or jellies between the
folds. Baked omelets are prepared as above, with the addition of placing
in the oven and allowing to brown slightly.

French omelet is prepared in this way: Take a half cup of boiling milk
with a half teaspoonful of butter melted in it; pour this over one-half
cup of bread crumbs (light bread); add salt, pepper, and the yolks of
three eggs beaten very light; mix thoroughly; and lastly, add the whites
whipped to a stiff froth. Stir lightly, and fry in butter. When nearly
done, fold together in a half moon, and serve immediately.

And thus we might continue _ad infinitum_, but, as was stated before, it
is not my object t