The meat will probably not yield to the water more than one-third of its osmazome, or savoury extractive, equal to that of half a pound of flesh, or a quarter of an ounce of mercantile extract. Our standard broth, however, contains half an ounce in the pint, therefore four ounces to the four litres; the small pot-au-feu thus yields a broth which, as regards meat-extract, contains only one-sixteenth the * Cf. Goutfe, loc. cil., p. 41. 140 THE SPIRIT OF COOKERY proportion which is contained in our standard broth. It is not improbable that the coat of the vegetables, bought ; retail, will amount to nearly (in London it would amount to more than) the cost of the meat. The nutritive value of the vegetables would be very small as compared to that of an equal money-value of meat. On the whole, therefore, the ■ pot-aio-feu, as above directed to he made, is an expensive ^ dish, however well it may suit those who seek the satis- faction from meals more in formality than in actual re- stocking of the physical powers. Gouffe'"'' gives some technical directions for the manner in which the boiling of ( the pot-au-feu is to be conducted. Firstly, the lid of the | boiler is not to be closed ‘ hermetically,’ because this would cause the broth to be turbid ; but an opening is to be left two fingers in width ; then the boiling is to be interrupted three times by the addition of three decilitres of cold water to the large, and one decilitre to the small boiling-pot, and the scum is to be removed with the skimming-ladle each time. At this stage the vegetables are to be added, the pot is to be heated to ebullition, and then allowed to simmer on a moderate fire until all be done. You have next to remove the meat, which had been boned and tied up with a string before being placed above the bone in the water ; you are then to take out the vegetables as soon as they are cooked, as they are said to take away much of the savour of the broth if allowed to remain too long in it. While the pot is boiling after the removal of meat and vegetables, you are to remove the grease from the top with the spoon provided to that end. You are to colour the bouillon, not with baked onions, or burnt carrots, or so-called colouring balls, but with caramel made from sugar by the cook’s own hand. Of the watery solution of caramel (made from h lb. of sugar, then dissolved in 2 lb. of water, and kept in liottles) you add a few drops to * Loc. cil., p. 41. BOUILLON AND BO U ILL I 141 the soup, when it is already in the tureen ready to be served ; never add the colouring to the bouillon in the stock-pot, as it becomes disqualified for other purposes. The boiling of the meat is to be continued until it be cooked, which is to be ascertained by probing it with a long needle, or steel skew’er, or fork ; the cooking of the small pot is not to exceed four, that of the large five, hours. If the boiling were to be continued beyond this, the broth, it is alleged, would lose in quality. Dietetic Value of Bouillon and Bouilli obtained in these Processes.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

The meat will probably not yield to the water more than one-third of its osmazome, or savoury extractive, equal to that of half a pound of flesh, or a quarter of an ounce of mercantile extract. Our standard broth, however, contains half an ounce in the pint, therefore four ounces to the four litres; the small pot-au-feu thus yields a broth which, as regards meat-extract, contains only one-sixteenth the * Cf. Goutfe, loc. cil., p. 41. proportion which is contained in our standard broth. It is not improbable that the coat of the vegetables, bought retail, will amount to nearly (in London it would amount to more than) the cost of the meat. The nutritive value of the vegetables would be very small as compared to that of an equal money-value of meat. On the whole, therefore, the ■ pot-au-feu, as above directed to he made, is an expensive ^ dish, however well it may suit those who seek satisfaction from meals more in formality than in actual restocking of the physical powers. Gouffe'"'' gives some technical directions for the manner in which the boiling of ( the pot-au-feu is to be conducted. Firstly, the lid of the | boiler is not to be closed ‘ hermetically,’ because this would cause the broth to be turbid ; but an opening is to be left two fingers in width ; then the boiling is to be interrupted three times by the addition of three decilitres of cold water to the large, and one decilitre to the small boiling-pot, and the scum is to be removed with the skimming-ladle each time. At this stage the vegetables are to be added, the pot is to be heated to ebullition, and then allowed to simmer on a moderate fire until all be done. You have next to remove the meat, which had been boned and tied up with a string before being placed above the bone in the water ; you are then to take out the vegetables as soon as they are cooked, as they are said to take away much of the savour of the broth if allowed to remain too long in it. While the pot is boiling after the removal of meat and vegetables, you are to remove the grease from the top with the spoon provided to that end. You are to colour the bouillon, not with baked onions, or burnt carrots, or so-called colouring balls, but with caramel made from sugar by the cook’s own hand. Of the watery solution of caramel (made from h lb. of sugar, then dissolved in 2 lb. of water, and kept in liottles) you add a few drops to * Loc. cil., p. 41. BOUILLON AND BOUILLI the soup, when it is already in the tureen ready to be served ; never add the colouring to the bouillon in the stock-pot, as it becomes disqualified for other purposes. The boiling of the meat is to be continued until it be cooked, which is to be ascertained by probing it with a long needle, or steel skew’er, or fork ; the cooking of the small pot is not to exceed four, that of the large five, hours. If the boiling were to be continued beyond this, the broth, it is alleged, would lose in quality. Dietetic Value of Bouillon and Bouilli obtained in these Processes.

The spirit of cookery