Manual of army catering services, 1945. Pt. 2, Recipes / War Office.

Date:
1945
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Manual of army catering services, 1945. Pt. 2, Recipes / War Office. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    14/300 (page 2)
    Hams, gammons, salt beef or pork Stocks, soups and broths. When it is required to extract flavour and nourishing qualities from foods, the fresh meat or vegetables are first placed in cold water and then gradually brought to the boil. It should then simmer until all goodness has been extracted. A similar process is followed in the case of hams, gammons and hock of bacon and salt beef or pork, in order to extract most of the salt, and to render the meat soft and digestible. Potatoes. Potatoes should be placed in cold salted water, brought quickly to boiling point and boiled until cooked in order to render them soft and to ensure their quick cooking prevents an undue extraction of nourishment. Fresh or dried fruit. Fresh or dried fruit should be brought to the boil in order that the pores may be sealed to prevent loss of flavour and nourishment and then aliowed to simmer gently until soft. It is important for all cooks to remember that after a liquid has attained boiling point—that is, when its surface is covered with bubbles—no amount of fire can make it hotter. Continued stoking is therefore extravagant waste. 4. Stewing It should be distinctly understood that stewing is not boiling. Stewing is the most wholesome and profitable method of cooking and if properly carried out tough meat is made tender, palatable and digestible. More nourishment is obtained in this process than by any other, as the liquid extracted is invariably used in making gravy, soups, etc., or consumed with the dish being prepared. All that is required is slow, gradual and gentle cooking, and never at any time boiling ; thus very little fuel is used. Meat of fibrous and coarse texture, such as legs, briskets, buttock, clods or neck of mutton, should be cooked in this manner. 5. Braising Is half roasting and half stewing. The pan or dish must be covered with a lid, and as evaporation is thus prevented, the full flavour of all the ingredients and their nutriment is retained. Certain vegetables and some of the inferior cuts of meat are cooked in this manner. 6. Steaming This is an economical method of cooking, and as no liquid is