In boiling meat, the great point was not to let it boil. In boiling vegetables, the great point is not to let the boiling stop. All vegetables, with three exceptions, must be thrown into boiling water which contains salt in the proportion of a brimming tablespoonful to every half-gallon of water.

In order to obtain a good colour, you must not shut in the steam. Therefore do not put a lid on the saucepan, except to help to make the water boil up, for the cold vegetables thrown in will take the water off the boil. Have plenty of water, especially for greens of all kinds. Choose a big saucepan, and get it full of boiling water in plenty of time. Then the water will come to a boil more quickly after the vegetables are thrown in. It is also advisable when boiling greens to soften the water by adding a small piece of soda, the size of a big pea, or, say, two peas.

Be very careful to wash vegetables thoroughly, and examine them for slugs, etc. Cauliflowers and greens should be soaked in salt and water for some time for this purpose. Spinach should be allowed to float on water in a deep vessel, and then be lifted out with the hand and placed in deep water in another vessel, in order to let any grit sink. Any vegetable peeled should be thrown into cold water till it is wanted to boil. In boiling cauliflower, cut the stalk so that it will stand upright. Don't let the water boil so violently that it makes the cauliflower jump about, as this will break it. Experience will best tell you when vegetables are sufficiently cooked. As soon as they are tender is the point, and you can try them with a fork. The moment they are done, take them out and serve them, as they get spoilt by overcooking.

A very common fault with cooks is to get their vegetables - greens or cauliflowers, etc. - done long before they are wanted, thereby spoiling them. The only remedy for this is common sense.

The three exceptions to placing vegetables in boiling water are old potatoes, old Jerusalem artichokes, and dried haricot beans. Both these former, when new, and the latter when fresh, should be placed in boiling water.

In boiling puddings, such as little suet dumplings (time half an hour), put a plate at the bottom of the saucepan, as, when first thrown in, they will sink, and sometimes stick at the bottom of the saucepan and burn. When they swell with boiling, they get light and float. Puddings are generally boiled in a cloth. (See No. 24).