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Most of the recipes given here are timed according to the use of earthenware pots, and copper and enamel pans, as dis­tinct from aluminum utensils. But it is not every home that is in possession of such ware.

So, if it has to be aluminum, then use the heavier kind, so as to be able to cook these dishes d la minute (i.e. for the exact time given).
If thin aluminum pans are employed, then care must be taken to adjust accord­ingly the prescribed cooking time; for the food in the thin aluminum pan will heat centrifugally and cook too rapidly, instead of heating gradually and retaining a steady, even, overall temperature.
This is of major importance in cooking.


Two conclusions can be drawn from Alexandra Dumaine's remark that "exactness in cooking is difficult to achieve."
One is that the difficulty resides in achieving the exact required result, according to the precise indications in the recipe; the other, that you have to reckon with your own particular taste and that of the family, or of your guests.
We are not all born with uniform palates: you may like garlic, others may not; some prefer lemon juice, instead of vinegar, in the salad dressing, etc.
There must, therefore, remain a margin in the prescribed amount of herbs and seasoning to be used in the preparation of these dishes.

From "The Art of Simple French Cookery" by Alexander Watt
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