ease turn the bottom upwards; the gravy will
then flow to the part which has been uppermost, and the whole joint be
deliciously gravyful.

A BOTTLE JACK, as it is termed by the furnishing ironmongers, is a
valuable instrument for roasting.

A DUTCH OVEN is another very convenient utensil for roasting light
joints, or warming them up.

[75-*] If there is more FAT than you think will be eaten with the lean,
trim it off; it will make an excellent PUDDING (No. 551, or 554): or
clarify it (No. 83).

[76-*] This the good housewife will take up occasionally, and pass
through a sieve into a stone pan; by leaving it all in the dripping-pan
until the meat is taken up, it not only becomes very strong, but when
the meat is rich, and yields much of it, it is apt to be spilt in
basting. To CLARIFY DRIPPINGS, see No. 83.

[77-*] _Insist upon the butcher fixing a_ TICKET _of the weight to each
joint._

[77-+] IF THE MEAT IS FROZEN, the usual practice is to put it into cold
water till it is thawed, then dry and roast it as usual; but we
recommend you to bring it into the kitchen the night before, or early in
the morning of the day you want to roast it, and the warm air will thaw
it much better.

[78-*] When the steam begins to arise, it is a proof that the whole
joint is thoroughly saturated with heat; any unnecessary evaporation is
a waste of the best nourishment of the meat.

[78-+] A celebrated French writer has given us the following
observations on roasting:--

"The art of roasting victuals to the precise degree, is one of the most
difficult in this world; and _you may find half a thousand good cooks
sooner than one perfect roaster_. (See '_Almanach des Gourmands_,' vol.
i. p. 37.) In the mansions of the opulent, they have, besides the master
kitchener, a roaster, (perfectly independent of the former,) who is
exclusively devoted to the spit.

"All erudite _gourmands_ know that these two important functions cannot
be performed by one artist; it is quite impossible at the same time to
superintend the operations of the spit and stewpan."--Further on, the
same author observes: "No certain rules can be given for roasting, the
perfection of it depending on many circumstances which are continually
changing; the age and size (especially the thickness) of the pieces, the
quality of the coals, the temperature of the atmosphere, the currents of
air in the kitchen, the more or less attention of the roaster; and,
lastly, the time