Boiling, in Cookery. One important preliminary rule in boiling rests on the fact explained in the preceding article, that water cannot be heated in an open vessel, or in one with the ordinary fitting lid of a cooking utensil, to a higher point than 212°. When a vessel, then, has once begun to boil, a stronger fire than is just sufficient to keep it boiling will only evaporate, or waste, the water in steam, but will not cook the food any faster. To boil a joint of meat successfully, it is necessary to place it in water already heated to the boiling-point, in order that the albuminous matters of the skin, &c. may be coagulated as speedily as possible. The coagulated albumen forms an impenetrable coating or varnish, as it were, thus preventing the soaking out of the nutritious juices of the meat. After this has been accomplished, the pot should be withdrawn from the fire, so as to allow the water only to simmer. The cooking goes on through the agency of the natural moisture of the flesh. Converted into vapour by the heat, a kind of steaming takes place within the piece of meat; it is, when skilfully done, cooked by its own steam.
The meat should be trimmed, washed, and dried before it is placed in the water. As it simmers, the water should be kept well skimmed, but with due remembrance of the fact that raising the lid of the vessel lowers the temperature of the water; and the preservation of an equal degree of heat throughout the operation is of the greatest importance. For fresh meat, 20 minutes is the allowance for each pound. The weather must also be considered: in frosty weather, or with very thick joints, extra 20 minutes should be given. Mutton loses in boiling, in 1 lb., 3½ oz.; beef, in 1 lb., 4 oz. Meat that has been salted and dried has its outer coat already sealed up; it requires, therefore, to be thoroughly washed, soaked for 2 hours in cold water, dried, and put to boil in cold water, gradually brought to the boiling-point, and kept simmering for a time proportioned to the size of the piece. Hams and tongues to be eaten cold, should be allowed to cool in the water in which they have been boiled. The following is a time-table for the cooking of these meats, reckoning from the time the water boils: A ham of 16 lb. takes 5 hours; a tongue of 16 lb., 2 to 4 hours; a pig's face of 16 lb., 2 hours; a piece of bacon of 4 lb., 2 hours.
Before boiling poultry or fish, it is advisable to rub the outside skin with a cut lemon. This insures a snowy-white appearance in the cooked food. Fish should be placed in cold water, in which a tablespoonful of salt and one of vinegar is mixed; should be gradually brought to the boiling-point, and simmered carefully, lest the outer part should crack before the thick part is done. If on drawing up the fish-plate, a thin knife will easily divide the flesh from the bone in the thick parts, and if the eyes contract, and become like balls, the fish is sufficiently cooked. Drain by laying the plate across the kettle covered with the lid, and dish perfectly dry on the strainer, which should be covered with a napkin.
Vegetables require generally to be well washed, and placed in boiling water, in which is mixed a large spoonful of salt. To preserve the green colour they are best boiled in a pan without a cover. When they sink they are done. Green vegetables should be well picked, soaked in salt and water, drained and boiled in plenty of water, in a vessel without a lid. Cabbage requires two waters; spinach, very little, as it is full of moisture. Pease and beans should not soak, but be merely rinsed in a colander. Winter potatoes should soak for an hour or more; whether they should be placed in cold or boiling water depends on the description. A piece of soda the size of a small marble assists the boiling of pease and cabbage, if the water is very hard.
Frying is practically boiling in fat or oil, and when properly carried out, with a pan full of oil, is the preferable way of cooking fish and some vegetables.