General Remarks on Stock Making. — Stock is the
liquid into which the juice and flavour of various
nutritive substances have been drawn by means
of long, slow cooking. In one form or another it
serves as a foundation for most of our soups, and,
besides furnishing the liquid part of stews, whether
white or brown, it will go a long way towards
making gravies and sauces a success.
Stock can be made from various materials, and
although meat and bones, cooked or uncooked and
flavoured with vegetables, are the usual materials,
poultry, game, or fish with vegetables, and even
vegetables alone, can all be utilised for the purpose.
For the better soups, such as clear soup and good
white soup, fresh meat is required, while second
stock, general stock, or meat boilings will serve for
the making of most of the ordinary soups.
Stock, and especially meat stock, should always
be made the day before it is wanted, as a good
result can only be obtained by long, slow cooking ;
it is only by this means, too, that the fat can be
successfully removed from the top of the stock.
The Flavouring of Stock. — This must be done
very judiciously. In meat stocks the flavour of
vegetables must not overpower the flavour of the
meat, and one flavouring must not predominate over
another. Spices and herbs must also be used with
caution. Although quantities such as 1 carrot,
1 turnip, 1 onion, &c., are given in the following
recipes, discretion must be exercised as to the size
of the vegetable chosen. As a general rule, from
4 to 6 oz. of vegetable flavourings is sufficient to
allow to each pound of meat.
Carrot, turnip, onion, and celery are the vege-
tables generally used for flavouring stock, but there
are others which can very well be employed in
addition to these, such as leek, tomato, parsnip,
artichoke, &c. ; mushrooms also give a good flavour,
especially in game or the darker meat stocks. In
the following recipes the vegetables are always
spoken of as “ prepared,” but full directions for
doing this will be found in the “ Vegetable ” section
of the book and under their respective headings.
Vegetables used for flavouring stock should either
be cut in blocks or left whole if they are small, they
must never be chopped in small pieces. Neither
should they be allowed to remain too long in the
stock, as after a certain time they only absorb the
meaty flavours instead of imparting any of their
own goodness to the stock. So if a large quantity
of meat is being used and the stock is likely to cook
for many hours, the vegetables should either not
be put in at the beginning or be lifted out before
the stock has finished cooking. For this reason
many cooks put the flavouring vegetables into a
string bag, so that they can easily be removed.
Stock vegetables can very well be served as a
separate vegetable dish by themselves, or else made
into a pur6e by mashing them up with a little
butter or cream. ✪ First Stock for Clear and Brown Soups
Page 54 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1914. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
General Remarks on Stock Making. — Stock is the liquid into which the juice and flavour of various nutritive substances have been drawn by means of long, slow cooking. In one form or another it serves as a foundation for most of our soups, and, besides furnishing the liquid part of stews, whether white or brown, it will go a long way towards making gravies and sauces a success.
Stock can be made from various materials, and although meat and bones, cooked or uncooked and flavoured with vegetables, are the usual materials, poultry, game, or fish with vegetables, and even vegetables alone, can all be utilised for the purpose.
For the better soups, such as clear soup and good white soup, fresh meat is required, while second stock, general stock, or meat boilings will serve for the making of most of the ordinary soups.
Stock, and especially meat stock, should always be made the day before it is wanted, as a good result can only be obtained by long, slow cooking ; it is only by this means, too, that the fat can be successfully removed from the top of the stock.
The Flavouring of Stock. — This must be done very judiciously. In meat stocks the flavour of vegetables must not overpower the flavour of the meat, and one flavouring must not predominate over another. Spices and herbs must also be used with
caution. Although quantities such as 1 carrot, 1 turnip, 1 onion, &c., are given in the following recipes, discretion must be exercised as to the size of the vegetable chosen. As a general rule, from 4 to 6 oz. of vegetable flavourings is sufficient to allow to each pound of meat.
Carrot, turnip, onion, and celery are the vegetables generally used for flavouring stock, but there are others which can very well be employed in addition to these, such as leek, tomato, parsnip, artichoke, &c. ; mushrooms also give a good flavour, especially in game or the darker meat stocks. In the following recipes the vegetables are always spoken of as “ prepared,” but full directions for doing this will be found in the “ Vegetable ” section of the book and under their respective headings. Vegetables used for flavouring stock should either be cut in blocks or left whole if they are small, they must never be chopped in small pieces. Neither should they be allowed to remain too long in the stock, as after a certain time they only absorb the meaty flavours instead of imparting any of their own goodness to the stock. So if a large quantity of meat is being used and the stock is likely to cook for many hours, the vegetables should either not be put in at the beginning or be lifted out before the stock has finished cooking. For this reason many cooks put the flavouring vegetables into a string bag, so that they can easily be removed.
Stock vegetables can very well be served as a separate vegetable dish by themselves, or else made into a puree by mashing them up with a little butter or cream.
Records on this page
First Stock for Clear and Brown Soups