with a little of the flour-which, for that purpose, you must reserve from your four pounds—and bake it rather long. This is an exceedingly good and cheap bread.

943. Economical and Nourishing Bread.-Suffer the miller to remove from the flour only the coarse flake bran. Of this bran, boil five or six pounds in four and a half gallons of water; when the goodness is extracted from the bran,-during which time the liquor will waste half or three quarters of a gallon,-strain it and let it cool. When it has cooled down to the temperature of new milk, mix it with fiftysix pounds of flour, and as much salt and yeast as would be used for other bread; knead it exceedingly well; iet it rise before the fire, and bake it in small loaves: small loaves are preferable to large ones, because they take the heat more equally. There are two advantages in making bread with bran water instead of plain water; the one being that there is considerable nourishment in bran, which is thus extracted and added to the bread; the other, that flour imbibes much more of bran water than it does of plain water; so much more, as to give in the bread produced almost a fifth in weight more than the quantity of flour made up with plain water would have done. These are important considerations to the poor. Fifty-six pounds of flour, made with plain water, would produce sixty-nine and a half pounds of bread; made with bran water, it will produce eighty-three and a half pounds.

944. A great increase on Homemade Bread, even equal to one-fifth, may be produced by using bran water for kneading the dough. The proportion is three pounds of bran for every twentyeight pounds of flour, to be boiled for an hour, and then strained through a hair sieve.

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of flour near the fire to warm; take five pounds of good potatoes, those of a mealy kind being preferable, peel and boil them as if for the table, mash them fine, and then mix with them as much cold water as will allow all except small lumps to pass through a coarse sieve into the flour, which will now be ready to receive them; add yeast, &c., and mix for bread in the usual way. This plan has been followed for some years, finding that bread made according to it is much superior to that made of flour only, and on this ground alone we recommend its adoption; but in addition to that, taking the high price of flour, and moderately low price of potatoes, here is a saving of over twenty per cent., which is surely an object worth attending to by those of limited means.

947. Use of Lime Water in making Bread.—It has lately been found that water saturated with lime produces in bread the same whiteness, softness, and capacity of retaining moisture, as results from the use of alum; while the former removes all acidity from the dough, and supplies an ingredient needed in the structure of the bones, but which is deficient in the cerealia. The best proportion to use is, five pounds of water saturated with lime, to every nineteen pounds of flour. No change is required in the process of baking. The lime most effectually coagulates the gluten, and the bread weighs well; bakers must therefore approve of its introduction, which is not injurious to the system, like alum, &c. A large quantity of this kind of bread is now made in Munich, and is highly esteemed.

945. Rye and Wheat Flour, in equal quantities, make an excellent and

economical bread.

F 2.

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when baked, to produce twenty-eight or thirty pounds of excellent white bread. 949. Apple Bread.-A very light, pleasant bread is made in France by a mixture of apples and flour, in the proportion of one of the former to two of the latter. The usual quantity of yeast is employed, as in making common bread, and is beaten with flour and warm pulp of the apples after they have boiled, and the dough is then considered as set; it is then put in a proper vessel, and allowed to rise for eight or twelve hours, and then baked in long loaves. Very little water is requisite: none, generally, if the apples are very fresh.

950. Pulled Bread.-Take from the oven an ordinary loaf when it is about half baked, and with the fingers, while the bread is yet hot, dexterously pull the half-set dough into pieces of irregular shape, about the size of an egg. Don't attempt to smooth or flatten them -the rougher their shapes the better. Set upon tins, place in a very slow oven, and bake to a rich brown. This forms a deliciously crisp crust for cheese. If you do not bake at home, your baker will prepare it for you, if ordered. Pulled bread may be made in the revolving ovens. It is very nice with wine instead of biscuits.

951. French Bread and Rolls. —Take a pint and a half of milk; make it quite warm; half a pint of smallbeer yeast; add sufficient flour to make it as thick as batter; put it into a pan; cover it over, and keep it warm: when it has risen as high as it will, add a quarter of a pint of warm water, and half an ounce of salt,-mix them well together,―rub into a little flour two ounces of butter; then make your dough, not quite so stiff as for your bread; let it stand for three quarters of an hour, and it will be ready to make into rolls, &c. :-let them stand till they have risen, and bake them in a quick oven.

952. Rolls.-Mix the salt with the flour. Make a deep hole in the middle. Stir the warm water into the yeast, and

pour it into the hole in the flour. Stir it with a spoon just enough to make a thin batter, and sprinkle some flour over the top. Cover the pan, and set it in a warm place for several hours. When it is light, add half a pint more of lukewarm water, and make it, with a little more flour, into a dough. Knead it very well for ten minutes. Then divide it into small pieces, and knead each separately. Make them into round cakes or rolls. Cover them, and set them to rise about an hour and a half. Bake them, and, when done, let them remain in the oven, without the lid, for about ten minutes.

953. Sally Lunn Tea Cakes. -Take one pint of milk quite warm, a quarter of a pint of thick small-beer yeast; put them into a pan with flour sufficient to make it as thick as batter,

cover it over, and let it stand till it has risen as high as it will, i. e., about two hours: add two ounces of lump sugar, dissolved in a quarter of a pint of warm milk, a quarter of a pound of butter rubbed into the flour very fine,-then make the dough the same as for French rolls, &c.; let it stand half an hour: then make up the cakes, and put them on tins:-when they have stood to rise, bake them in a quick oven. Care should be taken never to mix the yeast with water or milk too hot or too cold, as either extreme will destroy the fermentation. In summer it should be lukewarm,-in winter a little warmer,

and in very cold weather, warmer still. When it has first risen, if you are not prepared, it will not harm if it stand an hour.

954. Baking, Boiling, Broiling, Frying, Roasting, Stewing, and Spoiling. — A DIALOGUE between the DUTCH OVEN, the SAUCEPAN, the SPIT, the GRIDIRON, and the FRYING-PAN, with reflections thereupon, in which all housekeepers and cooks are invited to take an interest.

955. We were once standing by our scullery, when all of a sudden we heard a tremendous clash and jinglethe Saucepan had tumbled into the

Frying-pan; the Frying-pan had shot its handle through the ribs of the Gridiron; the Gridiron had bestowed a terrible thump upon the hollow head of the Dutch Oven; and the Spit had dealt a very skilful stroke, which shook the sides of all the combatants, and made them ring out the noises by which we were startled. Musing upon this incident, we fancied that we overheard the following dialogue :—

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make an unsightly gash in a joint which otherwise might be an ornament to the table.

960. SPIT.-What, Dutch Oven, is that you? venerable old sobersides, with a hood like a monk! Why, you are a mere dummy-as you are placed so you remain; there you stand in one place, gaping wide and catching the coals as they fall; if you were not well watched, you would burn the one half, and sodden the other, of whatever you were required to prepare. Bad luck to your

961. GRIDIRON. Peace! peace!

957. SAUCEPAN.-Well! I like your conceit! You-who harden the fibre of flesh so much, that there is no telling whether a steak came from a bullock, a horse, or a bear!-who can't fry a slice of potato, or a miserable smelt, but you must be flooded with oil or fat, to keep your spiteful nature from burning or biting the morsel our master should enjoy. Not only that-you open your mouth so wide, that the soot of the chimney drops in, and frequently spoils our master's dinner; or you throw the fat over your sides, and set the chimney in a blaze!

958. SPIT.-Go on! go on! six one, and half-a-dozen the other!

959. DUTCH OVEN.-Well, Mr. Spit, you needn't try to foment the quarrel. You require more attention than any of us; for if you are not continually watched, and helped by that useful little attendant of yours they call a Jack, your lazy, lanky figure would stand still, and you would expose the most delicious joint to the ravages of the fire. In fact, you need not only a Jack to keep you going, but a cook to constantly baste the joint confided to your care, without which our master would have but a dry bone to pick. Not only so, but you thrust your spearlike length through the best meat, and

962. SAUCEPAN.-Well, I declare! I never thought that I should have my merits classed with those of the miserable skeleton called a Gridiron. That is a joke! A thing with six ribs and a tail to compare with so useful a member of the cuisine community as myself! Why you, Gridiron, waste one half of the goodness of the meat in the fire, and the other half you send to the table tainted with smoke, and burnt to cinders !-A loud rattle of approbation went round, as the poor Gridiron fell under this torrent of derision from the Saucepan.

963. Coming away from the scene of confusion, I ordered the scullerymaid to go instantly and place each of the utensils that lay in disorder upon the ground, into its proper place, charging her to cleanse each carefully, until it should be required for use.

964. Returning to my library, I thought it would form no mean occupation were I to spend few hours in reflection upon the relative claims of the disputants. I did so, and the following is the result:

965. THE GRIDIRON.-The Gridiron, though the simplest of cooking instruments, is by no means to be despised. The Gridiron, and indeed all cooking utensils, should be kept scrupulously clean; and when it is used, the bars

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should be allowed to get warm before the meat is placed upon it, otherwise the parts crossed by the bars will be insufficiently dressed. The fire should be sharp, clear, and free from smoke. The heat soon forms a film upon the surface of the meat, by which the juices are retained. Chops and steaks should not be too thick nor too thin. From a half to three quarters of an inch is the proper thickness. Avoid thrusting the fork into the meat, by which you release the juice. There is a description of gridiron in which the bars are grooved to catch the juice of the meat; but a much better invention is the upright gridiron, which is attached to the front of the grate, and has a pan at the bottom to catch the gravy. Kidneys, rashers, &c., dressed in this manLer will be found delicious. There are some, however, who think that the dressing of meat over the fire secures a flavour which cannot otherwise be obtained. Remember that the Gridiron is devoted to the cooking of small dishes, or snacks, for breakfast, supper, and luncheon, and is therefore a most useful servant, ready at a moment's notice. Remember, also, that every moment which is lost, after the Gridiron has delivered up his charge, is a delay to the prejudice of the Gridiron. From the Gridiron to the table without loss of time should be the rule.

966. THE FRYING-PAN is less a favourite, in our estimation, than the Gridiron; but not to be despised, nevertheless. He is a noisy and a greasy servant, requiring much watchfulness. Like the Gridiron, the Frying-pan requires a clear but not a large fire, and the pan should be allowed to get thoroughly hot, and be well covered with fat, before meat is put into it. The excellence of frying very much depends upon the sweetness of the oil, butter, lard, or fat that may be employed. The Frying-pan is very useful in the warming of cold vegetables and other kinds of food, and in this respect may be considered a real friend of economy. All know the relish afforded by a pan

cake-a treat which the Gridiron would be unable to afford us,-to say nothing of eggs and bacon, and various kinds of fish, to which both the Saucepan and the Gridiron are quite unsuited, because they require that which is the essence of frying, boiling and browning in fat.

967. THE SPIT is a very noble and very useful implement of cookery; as ancient, we presume, as he is straightforward at his work. Perhaps the process of roasting stands only second in the rank of excellence in cookery. The process is perfectly sound in its chemical effects upon the food, while the joint is kept so immediately under the eye of the cook, that it must be the fault of that functionary if it does not go to the table in the highest state of perfection. The process of roasting may be commenced very slowly, by the meat being kept a good distance from the fire, and gradually brought forward, until it is thoroughly soaked within and browned without. The Spit has this advantage over the Oven, and especially over the common oven, that the meat retains its own flavour, not having to encounter the evaporation from fifty different dishes, and that the steam from its own substance passes entirely away, leaving the essence of the meat in its primest condition.

968. THE DUTCH OVEN, though not so royal an instrument as the Spit, is, nevertheless, of great utility for small dishes of various kinds, which the Spit would spoil by the magnitude of its operations, or the Oven destroy by the severity of its heat. It combines, in fact, the advantages of roasting and baking, and may be adopted for compound dishes, and for warming cold scraps: it is easily heated, and causes no material expenditure of fuel.

969. THE SAUCEPAN. When we come to speak of the Saucepan, we have to consider the claims of a very large, ancient, and useful family; and perhaps, looking at the generic orders of the Saucepan, all other cooking implements must yield to its claims. There are

large saucepans, which we dignify with the name of Boilers, and small saucepans, which come under the denomination of Stewpans. There are few kinds of meat or fish which it will not receive, and dispose of in a satisfactory manner; and few vegetables for which it is not adapted. The Saucepan, rightly used, is a very economical servant, allowing nothing to be lost; that which escapes from the meat while in its charge forms broth, or may be made the basis of soups. Fat rises upon the surface of the water, and may be skimmed off; while in various stews it combines, in an eminent degree, what we may term the fragrance of cookery, and the piquancy of taste. The French are perfect masters of the use of the Stewpan. And we shall find that, as all cookery is but an aid to digestion, the operations of the Stewpan resemble the action of the stomach very closely. The stomach is a close sac, in which solids and fluids are mixed together, macerated in the gastric juice, and dissolved by the aid of heat and motion, occasioned by the continual contractions and relaxations of the coats of the stomach during the action of digestion. This is more closely resembled by the process of stewing than by any other of our culinary methods.

970. In this rapid review of the claims of various cooking utensils, we think that we have done justice to each. They all have their respective advantages; besides which, they contribute to the VARIETY presented by our tables, without which the routine of eating would be very monotonous and unsatisfactory.

971. There is one process to which we must yet allude-the process of SPOILING. Many cooks know how to produce a good dish, but too many of them know how to spoil it. They leave fifty things to be done just at the critical moment when the chief dish should be watched with an eye of keenness, and attended by a hand thoroughly expert. Having spent three hours in making a joint hot and rich, they forget that a

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quarter of an hour, after it is taken from the fire, may impair or spoil all their labours. The serving up of a dinner may be likened to the assault upon Sebastopol. Looking upon the joint as the Malakoff, and the surrounding dishes as the redans, the bastions, and the forts, they should all be seized simultaneously, and made the prize of the commander-in-chief and his staff around the dinner-table. Such a victory will always do the cook the highest honour, and entitle him to the gratitude of the household.

972. Various Processes of

Cooking.

i. "In the hands of an expert cook," says Majendie, "alimentary substances are made almost entirely to change their nature, their form, consistence, odour, savour, colour, chemical composition, &c. ; everything is so modified, that it is often impossible for the most exquisite sense of taste to recognize the substance which makes up the basis of certain dishes. The greatest utility of the kitchen consists in making the food agreeable to the senses, and rendering it easy of digestion."

ii. To some extent the claims of either process of cooking depend upon the taste of the individual. Some persons may esteem the peculiar flavour of fried meats, while others will prefer broils or stews. It is important, however, to understand the theory of each method of cooking, so that whichever may be adopted, may be done well. Bad cooking, though by a good method, is far inferior to good cooking by a bad method.

BEEF. The

973. Roasting. noble sirloin of about fifteen pounds (if much thicker the outside will be done too much before the inner side is sufficiently roasted), will require to be before the fire about three and a half or four hours. Take care to spit it evenly, that it may not be heavier on one side than the other; put a little clean dripping into the dripping pan (tie a sheet of paper over it to preserve the fat),