A stewpan is the most advantageous vessel in which stews, hashes, soups, or gravies, can be made; indeed, for all purposes of boiling, a stewpan is preferable to a deep saucepan, as, in the former, the articles are exposed to more even heat than when they are placed one upon another in the saucepan, and are likely to be broken in stirring. The best stewpans are made of copper or iron; they should be kept covered as much as possible, unless you wish to reduce the gravy. Be careful not to fry in a stewpan; or, if so, with great care, and sufficient butter to save the tinning from melting. Most of the directions for making soups and gravies apply also to this branch of cookery. BAKING.—Baking is the least advantageous mode of cookery; for by it meat loses about one-third of its weight. Iron ovens are ill-adapted for baking meat or meat-pies; fruit-pies, pastry, and puddings, may, however, be baked in them. LARDING.—Have ready larding-pins of different sizes, according to the article to be done; cut slices of bacon into bits of proper length, quite smooth, and put on a larding-needle to suit it, with which pierce the skin and a very little of the meat, leaving the bacon in, and the two ends of equal length outwards. Lard in rows the size you think fit. The same effect with regard to flavour, may be produced by raising the skin and laying a slice of fat bacon beneath it. DOUBING consists in passing bacon _through_ meat, while _larding_ is on the surface only. BRAISING.—Put the meat you would braise into a stewpan, and cover it with thick slices of fat bacon: then lay round it six or eight onions, a faggot of sweet herbs, some celery, and if to be brown, some thick slices of carrots, and trimmings of any fresh meat-bones you have, with a pint and a half of water, or the same quantity of stock, according to what the meat is, and add seasoning. Cover the pan close, and set it over a slow stove; it will require two or three hours, as its size and quality may direct. Then strain the gravy; keep the meat quite hot; take the fat off by plunging the basin into cold water, which will cause the fat to coagulate; and boil it as quickly as you can till it thickens. If, however, you wish the gravy to adhere to the meat; it must be still further thickened; then with a brush kept for the purpose do over the meat, and if that has been larded, put it into the oven for a few minutes. This is called “glazing,” and is much in use for made-dishes. GLAZING is done by brushing melted glaze or jelly over the article, and letting it cool; in some cases it is requisite to cover the articles with two or three coats of glaze, allowing each to cool as it is laid on. The glaze should be of a clear yellow brown, and as thick as good treacle. If you have not the glaze ready, sift a little sugar over the article to be glazed, and finish in the oven, with a salamander, or red-hot shovel.