Boiling

in the general culinary acceptance of the word, is the simplest and, when properly performed, the most economical method of cooking, as the cooked flesh and the accompanying broth represent practically the entire nutritive value of the raw food. The actual boiling temperature, 212° Fahr., should be maintained throughout the cooking of all green and a majority of other vegetables, but in the cooking of meats it should be restricted to the first five or ten minutes—after that, the meat should be “simmered” at a temperature of 175° to 185° Fahr. The first few minutes’ boiling coagulates the albumen in the surface of the meat, forming a kind of hard envelope which prevents an exce ive amount of the nutritive elements escaping into the water —then the “simmering” cooks the inside but leaves it tender, as the heat which reaches it is not high enough to harden it as the outside “envelope” is bardened when the water is allowed to boil. The pot should always be covered to avoid lo by evaporation, and the food should always be kept covered with water—if more water is required to take the place of that lost by evaporation, hot water should be added so as to avoid changing the temperature. Fresh meat for boiling should always be put into boiling water; salt meats into cold water. No exact rules can be given as to the time required to boil foods properly, but moderate care and judgment will nearly always suffice to determine this point. (See also additional suggestions at the end of the article on BEEF and in the article on VEGETABLES. ) Boiling Meat for Broth. When strong broth is desired more than the meat itself, the meat should be put into cold water, as that permits a large part of the nutritive ingredients to escape into the water, then gradually brought to a boil and thereafter simmered until done. See also article on MEAT EXTRACT. [s. 194]