Science in the Kitchen. eBook

ROAST TURKEY.—­Pluck, singe, and dress the
turkey; wash thoroughly and wipe with a dry cloth.
If dressing is to be used, stuff the body full, sew
up, and truss. Place in a dripping-pan, add a
pint of boiling water, and put in an oven so moderate
that the turkey will not brown for the first hour;
afterward the heat may be somewhat increased, but at
no time should the oven be very hot. After the
bird becomes brown, baste it occasionally with the
water in the pan, dredging lightly with flour.
Cook until the legs will separate from the body; three
or four hours will be necessary for a small turkey.
One half hour to the pound is the usual rule.
When tender, remove the stuffing and serve it hot,
placing the turkey on a large hot platter to be carved.
It may be garnished with parsley or celery leaves
and served with cranberry sauce.

Ducks and geese may be prepared and roasted in the
same manner, but less time will suffice for cooking,
about one and one third hours for ducks of ordinary
size, and about three hours for a young goose.

A stuffing of mashed potato seasoned with onion, sage,
and salt is considered preferable for a goose.
Equal parts of bread crumbs and chopped apples moistened
in a little cream are also used for this purpose.

SMOTHERED CHICKEN.—­Cut two chickens into
joints and put in a closely covered kettle with a
pint of boiling water. Heat very slowly to boiling,
skim, keep covered, and simmer until tender and the
water evaporated; add salt, turn the pieces, and brown
them in their own juices.

STEAMED CHICKEN.—­Prepare the chicken as
for roasting, steam until nearly tender, dredge with
flour and a little salt; put into a dripping-pan and
brown in the oven. Other birds and fowls may be
prepared in the same way.

STEWED CHICKEN.—­Divide a chicken into pieces
suitable for serving, and stew as directed for beef
on page 400. Old fowls left whole and stewed
in this manner for a long time and afterward roasted,
are much better than when prepared in any other way.
If a gravy is desired, prepare as for stewed beef.
Other poultry may be stewed likewise.

FISH.

Fish is a less stimulating article of food than other
meats. Edible fish are generally divided into
two classes, those of white flesh and those more or
less red. The red-fleshed fish, of which the salmon
is a representative, have their fat distributed throughout
the muscular tissues, while in white fish the fat
is stored up in the liver; hence the latter class
is much easier of digestion, and being less stimulating,
is to be recommended as more wholesome. Different
kinds of fish have different nutritive values.
Their flavor and wholesomeness are greatly influenced
by the nature of their food and the condition of the
water in which they are caught; those obtained in deep
water with strong currents are considered superior
to those found in shallow water. Fish are sometimes
poisonous, owing no doubt to the food they eat.