Hand-Book of Practical Cookery, for Ladies and Professional Cooks: Containing the Whole Science and Art of Preparing Human Food

frying in this: that to fry any object requires fat enough to immerse that object; while to _sauté_ it, requires just enough to prevent it from scorching. Vegetables, omelets, etc., are _sautéd_, and not fried. Meat or fish cooked in a frying-pan with a little butter or fat, is _sautéd_, and not fried; but the term fried is most generally used, the other being only known to practitioners. To _sauté_ requires a brisk fire; the quicker an object is cooked by _sautéing_ the better. _Seasoning._--This is the most difficult part in the science of cooking. To season is not difficult, but to season properly is quite another thing. It is not only necessary to know well how to stew or roast a peace of meat or any thing else, but to know how to season it, to be able to judge what quantity and what kind of spices can be used to season such or such a dish, to what extent all the spices used agree together, and what taste and flavor they will give to the object with which they are cooked; for, if not properly used, they may just as likely destroy the taste and flavor of the object as improve it. Some dishes require high and much seasoning, others just the contrary. With a good fire and a good spit, it is not necessary to be a thorough cook to roast a piece well, but the cook is indispensable to mix the gravy or sauce with the proper seasonings. _Simmering._--Simmering differs from boiling only in the amount of heat allowed under the boiler, kettle, or pan. To simmer, is to boil as gently and slowly as possible. _Stewing._--To stew properly it is necessary to have a moderate fire and as even as possible. A brisk fire would cause much steam to evaporate, which steam is the flavor of the object stewed. _Tasting._--This is the most difficult, and at the same time the most delicate, part of seasoning; it is by tasting that we ascertain if we have seasoned properly. In this only two of the senses are