B. Put one piece of the bone in diluted hydrochloric acid (six
parts of water to one part of acid) ; after a few days compare it
with the other piece. Has the acid changed the shape of the bone?
Its size? How has it affected it? See if you can tie it in a knot.
What makes bone hard? What, then, has the acid taken out of
the bone?
C. Tie a wire around the other piece of bone, and lay it for
half an hour in a hot coal-fire. Remove it by means of the wire.
How has it been changed? Does it break easily? What part of
the bone has been burned?
283. Structure and composition of bone. — Bone is the
hardest of animal tissues, yet it is one-half Avater; the
other half consists of about two-thirds mineral, and
one- third animal matter, the mineral being largely
calcium phosphate, commonly called phosphate of lime;
the animal matter chiefly fat and collagen^. In the
centre of hollow bone is a mass of fatty stuff, the mar-
row. Surrounding, and, in some cases, forming the end
of the bone is the flexible, slippery substance called
cartilage, or gristle; and, connecting bones at the joints,
1 Often called ossein in bones.
158 THEORY AND PRACTICE OF COOKERY
are bands or ligaments of cartilage. Cartilage may be
considered soft bone, since it differs from bone mainly
in having less mineral matter. The bones of children
and young animals are soft because cartilaginous; the
older the individual grows, the harder the bones become.
The two kinds of material in bone may be separated by
soaking in acid, which dissolves the inorganic substance;
or by burning, which destroys the organic.
284. How cooking affects bones. — By long cooking in
water the insoluble collagen and other gelatinoids of
connective tissue, tendon, cartilage, and bone are
changed to gelatin, soluble in hot water. ^
But will hot water best draw out the meat juice?
How may we contrive to extract all possible food value
from both meat and bone ? And how may we also give
to soup that rich flavor produced only by heating meat
to above 212° F.? All these points must be considered
if we mean to make the best possible soup out of our
materials.
285. The soup-kettle or stock-pot. — Have for stock-
making a deep kettle with a tight-fitting cover; the
tighter the cover the smaller is the amount of water
lost by evaporation. In an ordinary kettle, stock may,
during cooking, lessen by one-half; in a soup-digester
with a steam-tight, valved cover, evaporation is so slight
that one pint of water instead of one quart may be
allowed to one pound of meat and bone.
1 The change from collagen to gelatin, like that from raw starch to
starch-paste, is a process of hydration, i.e. of combination with water.
THE FLESH OF ANIMALS 159
Fresh material may be added to that already in the
stock-pot, provided that once a week the contents are
removed and the pot cleaned. Fresh material must be
combined with "left-overs" for a satisfactory stock,
cooked meat alone yielding too little soluble material.
Fresh herbs and, unless a varied stock of cooked vege-
tables is on hand, a few fresh vegetables are required
for flavoring.
Page 74
Presented as published in 1901. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
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B. Put one piece of the bone in diluted hydrochloric acid (six
parts of water to one part of acid) ; after a few days compare it
with the other piece. Has the acid changed the shape of the bone?
Its size? How has it affected it? See if you can tie it in a knot.
What makes bone hard? What, then, has the acid taken out of
the bone?
C. Tie a wire around the other piece of bone, and lay it for
half an hour in a hot coal-fire. Remove it by means of the wire.
How has it been changed? Does it break easily? What part of
the bone has been burned?
283. Structure and composition of bone. — Bone is the
hardest of animal tissues, yet it is one-half Avater; the
other half consists of about two-thirds mineral, and
one- third animal matter, the mineral being largely
calcium phosphate, commonly called phosphate of lime;
the animal matter chiefly fat and collagen^. In the
centre of hollow bone is a mass of fatty stuff, the mar-
row. Surrounding, and, in some cases, forming the end
of the bone is the flexible, slippery substance called
cartilage, or gristle; and, connecting bones at the joints,
1 Often called ossein in bones.
158 THEORY AND PRACTICE OF COOKERY
are bands or ligaments of cartilage. Cartilage may be
considered soft bone, since it differs from bone mainly
in having less mineral matter. The bones of children
and young animals are soft because cartilaginous; the
older the individual grows, the harder the bones become.
The two kinds of material in bone may be separated by
soaking in acid, which dissolves the inorganic substance;
or by burning, which destroys the organic.
284. How cooking affects bones. — By long cooking in
water the insoluble collagen and other gelatinoids of
connective tissue, tendon, cartilage, and bone are
changed to gelatin, soluble in hot water. ^
But will hot water best draw out the meat juice?
How may we contrive to extract all possible food value
from both meat and bone ? And how may we also give
to soup that rich flavor produced only by heating meat
to above 212° F.? All these points must be considered
if we mean to make the best possible soup out of our
materials.
285. The soup-kettle or stock-pot. — Have for stock-
making a deep kettle with a tight-fitting cover; the
tighter the cover the smaller is the amount of water
lost by evaporation. In an ordinary kettle, stock may,
during cooking, lessen by one-half; in a soup-digester
with a steam-tight, valved cover, evaporation is so slight
that one pint of water instead of one quart may be
allowed to one pound of meat and bone.
1 The change from collagen to gelatin, like that from raw starch to
starch-paste, is a process of hydration, i.e. of combination with water.
THE FLESH OF ANIMALS 159
Fresh material may be added to that already in the
stock-pot, provided that once a week the contents are
removed and the pot cleaned. Fresh material must be
combined with "left-overs" for a satisfactory stock,
cooked meat alone yielding too little soluble material.
Fresh herbs and, unless a varied stock of cooked vege-
tables is on hand, a few fresh vegetables are required
for flavoring.