When we come to speak of the Saucepan, we have to consider the claims
of a very large, ancient, and useful family. There are large
saucepans, dignified with the name of Boilers, and small saucepans,
which come under the denomination of Stewpans. There are few kinds of
meat or fish which the Saucepan will not receive, and dispose of in a
satisfactory manner; and few vegetables for which it is not adapted.
When rightly used, it is a very economical servant, allowing nothing
to be lost; that which escapes from the meat while in its charge forms
broth, or may be made the basis of soups. Fat rises upon the surface
of the water, and may be skimmed off; while in various stews it
combines, in an eminent degree, what we may term the _fragrance_ of
cookery, and the _piquancy_ of taste. The French are perfect masters
of the use of the Stewpan. And we shall find that, as all cookery is
but an aid to digestion, the operations of the Stewpan resemble the
action of the stomach very closely. The stomach is a close sac, in
which solids and fluids are mixed together, macerated in the gastric
juice, and dissolved by the aid of heat and motion, occasioned by the
continual contractions and relaxations of the coats of the stomach
during the action of digestion. This is more closely resembled by the
process of stewing than by any other of our culinary methods.