The entire result of this seven hours’ boiling, so far as the gelatine is concerned, could be obtained in a few minutes by the solution in the intended stock of a pro- portionate quantity of prepared gelatine. But for us to adopt such a proceeding in actual practice would require some proof that the presence of gelatine in stock or broth was advantageous to it in some manner or other. Anyhow, the presence of gelatine in broth is not by any means essential to the latter attaining very high perfection as well by itself as in most of its preparations. On the contrary, gelatine in broth or gravy may become indirectly the passive means of deterioration of the broth, for while pure extract of meat admits of being browned by beat without acquiring any disagreeable flavour, but, on the contrary, rather gain- ing in sapidity thereby, gelatine on being browned acquires a disagreeable flavour sui generis.* When present in meat- * The belief or opinion of Gouffd, that the colour and flavour of gravy were due to broivned gelatine, is completely erroneous. BOUILLON, OR MEAT-BROTH 119 extract in any notable quantity, it depresses its value inde- finitely by two adverse effects ; firstly, it acts as a depressing factor upon the money value of the meat-extract, its value weight for weight being much smaller than that of extract ; and further, its presence disposes the moist extract, whether in solution or concentrated, to be decomposed much quicker than it would be in its absence. Pure extract of meat as made by Proust’s process, and now sold in trade, will remain good in the kitchen, larder, and pantry, even when broken into and frequently disturbed by the abstraction of small portions, for any practical length of time. We have never seen it mouldy ; but extract containing gelatine, which is not absolutely dry and solid, is very liable to become mouldy, and, in fact, mould on moist extract indicates the presence of gelatine, and is a criterion for its rejection. The quality of the, stock to be obtained by the culinary process followed in ordinary establishments is, therefore, entirely dependent upon the beef and veal as far as it is constituted by muscular tissue. It is the flesh that yields the broth, and neither bone nor gristle nor fat imparts any taste or quality. Should we, then, in the preparation of stock exclude all bones systematically? To this we answer that if the bones be fresh, and easily cut out, they should certainly be removed and never enter the stock-pot. They are absolutely valueless. But bones from roast meat, on which gravy has been evaporated and dried during the roasting, may he sufficiently impregnated with extract to make it worthwhile to subject them to a process of ablution with hot water. Such a solution would have a little colour, i and maybe some taste, but even the entire bones of a whole i sirloin would not yield a breakfastcupful of drinkable ; broth, and in most cases the intended economy would not be rewarded by an adequate result. Carcases of game, on the other hand, i.e., the residues after the fillets only have been removed, may be very useful to the stock-pot, because 120 THE SPIRIT OF COOKERY the flesh of the legs, being mostly uneatable, yields extract, and the internal organs, together with any dried gravy on the outside, yield a fine gravy flavour, a so-called fumet. Definition and Production of Glace.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

The entire result of this seven hours’ boiling, so far as the gelatine is concerned, could be obtained in a few minutes by the solution in the intended stock of a proportionate quantity of prepared gelatine. But for us to adopt such a proceeding in actual practice would require some proof that the presence of gelatine in stock or broth was advantageous to it in some manner or other. Anyhow, the presence of gelatine in broth is not by any means essential to the latter attaining very high perfection as well by itself as in most of its preparations. On the contrary, gelatine in broth or gravy may become indirectly the passive means of deterioration of the broth, for while pure extract of meat admits of being browned by beat without acquiring any disagreeable flavour, but, on the contrary, rather gaining in sapidity thereby, gelatine on being browned acquires a disagreeable flavour sui generis.* When present in meat- * The belief or opinion of Gouffd, that the colour and flavour of gravy were due to browned gelatine, is completely erroneous. extract in any notable quantity, it depresses its value indefinitely by two adverse effects ; firstly, it acts as a depressing factor upon the money value of the meat-extract, its value weight for weight being much smaller than that of extract ; and further, its presence disposes the moist extract, whether in solution or concentrated, to be decomposed much quicker than it would be in its absence. Pure extract of meat as made by Proust’s process, and now sold in trade, will remain good in the kitchen, larder, and pantry, even when broken into and frequently disturbed by the abstraction of small portions, for any practical length of time. We have never seen it mouldy ; but extract containing gelatine, which is not absolutely dry and solid, is very liable to become mouldy, and, in fact, mould on moist extract indicates the presence of gelatine, and is a criterion for its rejection. The quality of the, stock to be obtained by the culinary process followed in ordinary establishments is, therefore, entirely dependent upon the beef and veal as far as it is constituted by muscular tissue. It is the flesh that yields the broth, and neither bone nor gristle nor fat imparts any taste or quality. Should we, then, in the preparation of stock exclude all bones systematically? To this we answer that if the bones be fresh, and easily cut out, they should certainly be removed and never enter the stock-pot. They are absolutely valueless. But bones from roast meat, on which gravy has been evaporated and dried during the roasting, may he sufficiently impregnated with extract to make it worthwhile to subject them to a process of ablution with hot water. Such a solution would have a little colour, i and maybe some taste, but even the entire bones of a whole i sirloin would not yield a breakfast cupful of drinkable broth, and in most cases the intended economy would not be rewarded by an adequate result. Carcases of game, on the other hand, i.e., the residues after the fillets only have been removed, may be very useful to the stock-pot, because the flesh of the legs, being mostly uneatable, yields extract, and the internal organs, together with any dried gravy on the outside, yield a fine gravy flavour, a so-called fumet. Definition and Production of Glace.

The spirit of cookery