RECIPES FOR COOKING COMMON FOODS PART 3

METHODS WITH CHICKEN.

The simplest and easiest way to cook chicken is to fry it. A poorly fed
chicken is better stewed. For baking and broiling the chicken must be
fat. In whatever way the chicken is cooked there is danger of its being
tough, dry, stringy, and tasteless. Plain, artless, boiling results in
insipidity. Quick, superficial frying means tough stringy fibres; and a
hot oven frequently dries the meat until it is not fit to eat.

_Fried Chicken._--All housewives think they can fry chicken, but the
results are vastly different, according to the way it is done. You may
have a tender, rich, delicious morsel, or tough masses of meat, stringy,
tasteless and almost impossible to chew. Of course the condition of the
chicken has a great deal to do with the results. A tender, well-fed
chicken will fry far better and much more quickly than a thin, scrawny
one. The thinner the chicken the greater the necessity for care in
cooking it. It must be cooked slowly, over a moderate fire, in a tightly
covered pan, until it is perfectly tender. Melt a little fat in the
frying-pan; flour, salt, and pepper the pieces of chicken and fry them in
the fat until nicely browned on both sides. Now cover closely and place
on the back of the stove where the chicken will steam for half an hour.
When tender take up on a hot platter and put in the warming oven. Make a
rich, brown gravy and pour over it.

_Boiled Chicken._--Chickens may be boiled whole or cut into pieces. To
boil whole place a few pieces of unsmoked bacon in a stew-pan that is
deep enough to hold the chicken and can be tightly covered. Cook slowly
for an hour without adding water, turning it often until it is evenly
browned. Now add a small onion, some raw peeled potatoes not larger than
an egg, and a little boiling water. Cook over a brisk fire for
three-quarters of an hour. Salt and pepper the chicken and put it and the
potatoes in a baking-dish in a hot oven while making the gravy. A couple
of hard-boiled eggs chopped very fine, and a little chopped parsley,
improve the gravy.

_Baked Chicken._--A properly baked chicken is tender, juicy, and has a
rich flavor, while one improperly baked is tough, dry, stringy, and
tasteless. To bake a chicken properly the oven must not be too hot; the
chicken must be repeatedly basted, and cooked until it is tender, but not
until all dried up. Stuffing the chicken improves the flavor. To make the
dressing, melt enough of any kind of wholesome fat in a hot frying-pan to
keep the bread crumbs from sticking, and fry in it a large onion,
chopped fine, until it is tender. Place the dry bread-crumbs into the
fat, and cook for half an hour over a slow fire, stirring often to keep
from sticking, until the crumbs are slightly browned and well dried.
Season with salt, pepper and a little celery-salt, and moisten with just
enough milk to make it stick together. Always taste the dressing to see
if it is properly seasoned. A well-fed chicken can be baked more rapidly
than a thin one. If the chicken is thin add plenty of fat to the water in
the baking-pan; cover closely and cook slowly and carefully until it is
tender, turning very often; if it is fat and well-fed put plenty of
wholesome grease in the baking-dish, and without covering it, cook in a
hot oven, basting frequently. A young, fat chicken will bake in an hour.
An older fowl may require two or three hours. It is a good plan to allow
the chicken plenty of time and then, if done too soon, to cover it
closely and keep it warm on the back of the stove. Use just enough water
while baking to keep the fat from sputtering. If the water is cooked out
towards the end, and the chicken is thoroughly basted, the skin will take
on a rich, thick glazing that is highly creditable to the skill of the
cook. Delicious gravy can be made of the fat by adding milk and
thickening with flour.

_Smothered Chicken._--Use a frying-size chicken. Split it down the back
and rub with a little salt. Put it in a pan with a slice of bacon and a
pint of water. Cover the pan closely and let it simmer on top of the
stove from one to two hours, or until the chicken is thoroughly tender.
When done sprinkle with flour and baste well. Add a small tablespoon of
butter, and put in the oven and cook until brown.

_Broiled Chicken._--A young, tender, fat chicken is better broiled than
any other way. It has a finer flavor; is tenderer, more juicy and more
easily digested; in fact broiled chicken is one of the most delicious
dishes that can be served. There is no earthly use, however, in trying to
broil a chicken that is not fat and nice. If the chicken is a little too
old to broil whole the breast will still be tender. Flatten the chicken
by pounding it. Have a bed of clear, bright coals and a hot gridiron well
greased to prevent sticking. Cover with a baking-dish and turn often,
allowing the bony side to stay down longer than the other side. From
fifteen to twenty minutes should be enough, but it is always best to test
with a fork by pulling the fibres apart to see that they are not raw. As
soon as the raw look has disappeared the chicken is done. The least
over-cooking injures the flavor. Serve on a hot platter. Pour over a
little melted butter, seasoned with lemon juice and chopped parsley.

To bake or boil a turkey proceed the same as for chicken, simply allowing
more time. An eight-pound turkey will require three hours to roast.