,
press them into the icing on the sides of the cake.

Sauteing and Frying

[Illustration]

"What is the difference between sauteing potatoes and frying them?" asks
a young housekeeper from South Dakota in the Day's Work, and as the
subject is of much importance and deserving of more space than may be
given to it in the correspondence columns it is answered here.

In a word, to saute--pronounced sotay--anything, is to cook it in a
shallow frying pan with a little fat, turning as one side is browned to
let the other color. Cooked potatoes are often warmed over this way. To
"fry" potatoes, croquettes, etc., is to cook them in deep boiling fat,
immersing the object to be fried while the fat is boiling hot.

That is the difference between sauteing and frying but there are one or
two points about frying--this much abused way of cooking--that must be
borne in mind if one would have the best results. In frying, a deep
kettle must be used and it is wise to keep one for this purpose only.
The one called a Scotch bowl is especially made for this purpose and is
most satisfactory.

Use only the best fat for frying--an absolutely pure leaf lard which
contains neither water nor salt and have your kettle two thirds full,
that is, deep enough to quite cover the article to be fried. Once
started, this quantity must be kept up, as it reduces slightly with each
frying, but the same fat may be used again and again if care be taken to
keep it clean and of a good color. After each frying let the fat cool a
little and strain to remove crumbs, etc., which would otherwise burn and
spoil the fat. If strained when very hot it is apt to unsolder the
strainer. Wipe the kettle clean, return the strained lard and set aside
until wanted again.

French Fried Potatoes are sliced thin or cut lengthwise in strips laid
in ice water for half an hour; then dried thoroughly between two towels
and plunged into boiling deep fat. As soon as they are delicately
browned they are fished out with a split spoon and laid in a hot
colander to drain off every drop of fat. Serve at once.

German Fried Potatoes are as a rule cooked and cold before they are
sauteed. Some prefer them to the French. To many minds they never get
quite rid of the stale taste that clings to the cold potato. The same
may be said of stewed cold, cooked potatoes. The least objectionable way
of serving them as left-overs is to saute them.

[Illustration: Simple Furniture of Quain