The Cook and Housewife's Manual

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: the stores.?3d, Choice of provisions.?The senses of sight and smell, with some experience, the best guides.?Fish of all sorts best when short and thick, well-made, bright in the scales, stiff and springy to the touch, the gills of a fresh red, the belly not flabby, ? the eyes and fins to be looked at.?Meat speaks for itself.?The fat of beef to be white and pure; the lean smooth-grained, and of a healthy brownish crimson.? Veal should be fat, white, and young: the mode of feeding it of great importance. The kidney to be duly examined, the state of which will show the feeding and condition of all animals. ? Ram-Mutton discoverable by the rank flavour and coarse texture of the flesh.? Mutton not eatable under three years old. Best about five, but seldom to be got in the market of that age. The black-faced or hill sheep best for the table, though as much depends on the pasture as on the breed.?Lamb.? The qualities of it may easily be known by the inspection of the head, neck, and kidney; let the neck be fat, the eyes not sunk, the kidney fresh and fat, the quarters short and thick. ? Pork to be chosen by the colour, and the smoothness of the rind.?Measly pork easily known by the little lumps and kernels mixed with the fat, which looks clammy and greasy.?All meat known, if stale, by the eyes being sunk, the kidney tainted, the flesh clammy and livid. The best joints of the best meat cost most money at first, but are the most economical.?Utility of purchasing these.? Venison.?Should be thick and firm in the fat, ? the lean pure. ? The age of deer, hares, and rabbits, known by the clefts and claws being close and smooth in the young animal. ? Game and Poultry. ? The age known by the legs and spur. ?When smooth in the legs and short in the spur, the animal is young.?Trick of poulterers t...