'When turnips
are young use five ounces of turnip, but old turnips are apt to
turn the stock sour. ash and dry a small bunch of parsley,
32
SOUPS
fold it over a sprig of thyme and a bay leaf, and tie the little
bouquet with twine. Have a net ready for the vegetables.
Now watch the stock-pot, increase the fire under it very
gradually, and as soon as you see any scum rise skim it off
with a wooden spoon. Go on increasing the heat, more at the
sides of the stock-pot than under it, but do it as slowly as
possible. Skim off the scum as often as you see any, and when
the stock is nearly boiling throw in a coffeecupful of cold
water. This will check the boil and make the scum rise more
freely. Do this again and again till the surface of the stock is
perfectly clear. Recollect that if the stock at this period is
once allowed to boil it never can become clear soup. Wipe the
edges of the stock-pot with a clean cloth. Now let the contents
boil, and add the vegetables in their net. They will, of course,
reduce the boiling, but it will soon begin again. When it does,
reduce the heat, and let the stock-pot only simmer. Try the
vegetables with a skewer, and lift out the net as soon as they
and the herbs are done. If the vegetables are left to soak in
the stock the stock will be spoilt. They must be put aside for
further use. The stock-pot must now be allowed to simmer
gently for about five hours. The meat will be cooked by that
time, and although part of its goodness will have been extracted
much nourishment remains. “ Boiling to rags ” is foolish as
well as wasteful. When the meat is done, strain the soup into
an earthenware basin, leave it to get cool. Then remove any
fat, but never put away the broth with fat cooling on the
surface. It cannot keep good if you do. As soon as the fat
has settled remove the whole of it, melt it, strain it through
muslin, and use it for frying. For straining soup a soup-
straining stand is most useful, and quite inexpensive. But a
kitchen chair turned upside down, with its seat above the seat
of a similar chair, can be used. The tamis-cloth must be
thoroughly scalded before it is used. If chairs are needed, tie
the tamis-cloth round the legs of the uppermost chair, fastening
it very tightly to them with string. Let the tamis-cloth bag a
little in the middle, but see that it is tightly stretched at the
sides. On the seat of the lower chair1 a basin must be put to
receive the soup. Use a ladle, not a cup, and let the soup run
very gently through the tamis-cloth. If the first few ladlefuls
TO MAKE STOCK
33
< look cloudy, pour the contents of the basin very slowly back
into the tamis-cloth and let them run through again. There
ought not to be any “ eyes ” of fat left on the soup, but, if there
are any, draw them off with strips of tissue paper. ✪ To Make Stock
Page 14 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1898. 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
'When turnips are young use five ounces of turnip, but old turnips are apt to turn the stock sour. Wash and dry a small bunch of parsley,
fold it over a sprig of thyme and a bay leaf, and tie the little bouquet with twine. Have a net ready for the vegetables. Now watch the stock-pot, increase the fire under it very gradually, and as soon as you see any scum rise skim it off with a wooden spoon. Go on increasing the heat, more at the sides of the stock-pot than under it, but do it as slowly as possible. Skim off the scum as often as you see any, and when the stock is nearly boiling throw in a coffeecupful of cold water. This will check the boil and make the scum rise more freely. Do this again and again till the surface of the stock is perfectly clear. Recollect that if the stock at this period is once allowed to boil it never can become clear soup. Wipe the edges of the stock-pot with a clean cloth. Now let the contents boil, and add the vegetables in their net. They will, of course, reduce the boiling, but it will soon begin again. When it does, reduce the heat, and let the stock-pot only simmer. Try the vegetables with a skewer, and lift out the net as soon as they and the herbs are done. If the vegetables are left to soak in the stock the stock will be spoilt. They must be put aside for further use. The stock-pot must now be allowed to simmer gently for about five hours. The meat will be cooked by that time, and although part of its goodness will have been extracted much nourishment remains. “ Boiling to rags ” is foolish as well as wasteful. When the meat is done, strain the soup into an earthenware basin, leave it to get cool. Then remove any fat, but never put away the broth with fat cooling on the surface. It cannot keep good if you do. As soon as the fat has settled remove the whole of it, melt it, strain it through muslin, and use it for frying. For straining soup a soupstraining stand is most useful, and quite inexpensive. But a kitchen chair turned upside down, with its seat above the seat of a similar chair, can be used. The tamis-cloth must be thoroughly scalded before it is used. If chairs are needed, tie the tamis-cloth round the legs of the uppermost chair, fastening it very tightly to them with string. Let the tamis-cloth bag a little in the middle, but see that it is tightly stretched at the sides. On the seat of the lower chair a basin must be put to receive the soup. Use a ladle, not a cup, and let the soup run very gently through the tamis-cloth. If the first few ladlefuls
TO MAKE STOCK
< look cloudy, pour the contents of the basin very slowly back into the tamis-cloth and let them run through again. There ought not to be any “ eyes ” of fat left on the soup, but, if there are any, draw them off with strips of tissue paper.
Records on this page
To Make Stock