None of these tea-kettle cooks, either in this house or around at the neighbors', I find, have ever seen frying by immersion in hot fat before. Mrs. Tingee, too, I remember, although she had kept house fifteen years and a boarding house ten, had never known that potatoes could be cooked by dropping them raw into hot fat - as French fried, and Saratoga chips - neither did the two ladies who boarded with her, the retail merchant's wife and the photographer's wife, they all thought that in every case potatoes must be boiled first. After thinking it well over I concluded not to mention frying fish that way to her, being afraid to go into her kitchen and take her whole pound of lard at once, if I could ever find so much there, and proceed to make: it hissing hot over the re, because it is dangerous to have a kettle of hot lard on the fire and a lady fainting around, both at one time. We grow reckless of lard where we cook for a number of people every day, who pay a fair price for board and have something good to eat, and generally, besides, have a jar full of roast meat fat and melted suet that helps out without depending upon it except for a few things that must be fried of a good clean color. It does not really consume much lard or fat to fry in it, as the same can be used several times over if care is taken not to let it burn black, still, in counting the cost it has to be remembered that the pound of lard put in the frying pan becomes worse and darker with every frying and at last has to be thrown away. Cut the fish in pieces across without splitting it, if the full flavor of the fish is desired rather than the fried crust.

Beat one or two eggs with half their bulk of water. Pepper and salt the pieces of fish well, dip them in the egg and then in corn meal, coat well by pressing, then drop into lard that is hissing hot and fry brown, allowing 8 or 10 minutes for the fish to get done to the bone. Dredge a little fine salt and keep hot in a pan in the open oven until served

To fry without using eggs, mix 1 cup of flour and 2 cups powdered crackers together. Dip the pieces of fish in milk, then in the mixture, coat well, dipping twice if necessary, and fry brown. (See Nos. 13, 98 and 314.)