st certainly spoil by that process, and be
rendered unfit to eat. The only way to thaw these things is by
immersing them in _cold_ water. This should be done as soon as they
are brought in from market, that they may have time to be well thawed
before they are cooked. If meat that has been frozen is to be boiled,
put it on in cold water. If to be roasted, begin by setting it at a
distance from the fire, for if it should not chance to be thoroughly
thawed all through to the centre, placing it at first too near the
fire will cause it to spoil. If it is expedient to thaw the meat or
poultry the night before cooking, lay it in cold water early in the
evening, and change the water at bed-time. If found crusted with ice
in the morning, remove the ice, and put the meat in fresh cold water,
letting it lie in it till wanted for cooking.
Potatoes are injured by being frozen. Other vegetables are not the
worse for it, provided they are always thawed in cold water.
TO KEEP MEAT FROM FLIES.
Put in sacks, with enough straw around it so the flies cannot reach
through. Three-fourths of a yard of yard-wide muslin is the right size
for the sack. Put a little straw in the bottom, then put in the ham
and lay straw in all around it; tie it tightly and hang it in a cool,
dry place. Be sure the straw is all around the meat, so the flies
cannot reach through to deposit the eggs. (The sacking must be done
early in the season before the fly appears.) Muslin lets the air in
and is much better than paper. Thin muslin is as good as thick, and
will last for years if washed when laid away when emptied.
_National Stockman._
ROAST BEEF.
One very essential point in roasting beef is to have the oven well
heated when the beef is first put in; this causes the pores to close
up quickly, and prevents the escape of the juices.
Take a rib piece or loin roast of seven or eight pounds. Wipe it
thoroughly all over with a clean wet towel. Lay it in a dripping-pan,
and baste it well with butter or suet fat. Set it in the oven. Baste
it frequently with its own drippings, which will make it brown and
tender. When partly done season with salt and pepper, as it hardens
any meat to salt it when raw, and draws out its juices, then dredge
with sifted flour to give it a frothy appearance. It will take a roast
of this size about two hours' time to be properly done, leaving the
inside a little rare or red--half an hour less would make the inside
quite rare
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