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Frying

Frying means cooking by immersion in hot fat, butter or oil. There is no English word for what is called frying in a spoonful of fat, first on one side and then on the other. Saute is the French word. Ordinary cooks, instead of frying, invariably saute everything. Almost every article that is usually sauted is much better and more economical fried; as, for instance, oysters, fish, birds, cutlets, crabs. The fat should always be tested before the article is immersed. A little piece of bread may be thrown in, and if it colors quickly the fat is ready, and not before. The temperature of hot grease, it will be remembered, is much greater than that of boiling water, which cannot exceed a certain degree of heat, whether it boils slow or fast. Hot grease reaches a very high degree of heat, and consequently the surface of anything is almost instantaneously hardened or crisped when thrown into it. The inside is thus kept free from grease and is quickly cooked. An article first dipped in egg and bread crumbs, should be entirely free from grease when thus cooked, as the egg is hardened the instant it touches the hot grease and the oyster, croquette, cutlet or sweetbread is perfectly protected. The same fat can be used repeatedly for frying the same thing. The fat in which fish is fried should not be again used for anything but fish.

Beef suet chopped fine and salted is quite as good as butter or lard. Take beef suet and free it of fibers, nerves, thin skin or bones, chop it fine; keep it for use on ice. HOW TO GET A BROWN CRISP CRUST ON