294. Frying, as is properly observed by Dr. Kitchiner, is often a convenient mode of cookery; it may be performed by a fire which will not do for roasting or boiling, and by the introduction of the pan between the meat and the fire, things get more equally dressed.

295. Be very particular that your frying pan is perfectly clean before using it. Never use any oil, butter, lard, or drippings, which are not perfectly free from salt, and perfectly sweet and fresh. As frying is, in fact, boiling in oil fat, it is of the first importance that your fat should be clean, or it will spoil the look as well as the flavour, and salt will prevent the meat from browning.

296. Good oil is, perhaps, the best to fry in, but sweet fresh lard, or clarified mutton or beef suet, will answer every purpose, nearly, if not quite as well as the best oil or butter, and, what is of greater importance, at a much less expense. Nice clean dripping is almost as good as any thing. After you have done frying preserve your fat, which, if not burnt, will do for three or four fryings; but fat in which fish has been fried will do for nothing else.

297. If your fat is not of a proper heat, your frying cannot be well done; this is, in short, the great secret in frying, which the young cook ought and must acquire. The frying pan must be always set over a sharp and clear fire, or otherwise the fat is too long before it becomes ready. When the fat has done hissing, or bubbling, that is, when it is still, you may be pretty sure that it is hot enough. It is a good way to try the heat of your fat, by throwing a little bit of bread into the pan; if it fries crisp, the fat is of the right heat - if it burns the bread, it is too hot.

298. When your things are well done, take care and drain all the fat from them most thoroughly, particularly those that have been fried in bread crumbs, etc.; if you do not, your cookery will be marred. Fried fish ought to be quite dry. This depends in a great measure upon the fat in which they are dressed being of a proper heat. If the fish are well done, and are well drained of the fat, they will become quite dry and crisp in a few minutes after they have been taken out of the pan. If this, however, should not be the ease, and the fish on the contrary should be damp and wet, lay them on a soft cloth before the fire, turning them occasionally till they are dry. They will sometimes take ten or fifteen minutes drying.

299. In preparing bread crumbs in a considerable quantity, in order to save unbroken the crust, and preserving it fit for the table, cut your loaf into three equal parts, that is, cut off the bottom and top crusts, and use the middle part or the crumb for your frying. The bread should be at least two days old. A good and cheap substitute for bread is oatmeal, which will cost, comparatively speaking, nothing.

It is scarcely necessary to refer the cook to our general remarks upon the above operation. Frying is preferred by many persons to broiling; ami our own opinion is, that steaks, chops, etc, may be dressed with much more certainty and regularity by the former, than by the latter, method. But plenty of oil, butter, or sweet grease, must always be used, or the frying will be imperfect.