Cookery for every household

| lb. beef. § pt. cold water. A little salt. Choose lean, juicy beef for the purpose. It ought to be freshly killed. A piece from the but- tock, rump, or top side would be suitable, but skin of beef should not be employed, as it contains too much bone and gristle, which require long, slow cooking and produce gelatine, a substance of small value to an invalid. Rub the meat lightly with a damp cloth, and remove from it all fat and skin. Cut it in thin slices, and then shred down finely with a knife, in order to break the fibres of the meat, and to enable the juice to escape more freely. If a large quantity of beef-tea has to be prepared, as in a hospital, the meat may be put through a mincing machine. Weigh the meat, and put it into a strong jar or basin with the above proportion of water and a little salt (unless this latter is prohibited). Cover with a piece of strong white paper or, better still, with a lid, and, if time permits, Allow the beef-tea to stand for 1 hour, as the cold water will help to draw out the juice. Stir well before putting it on to cook. Then place the jar containing the beef-tea in a saucepan with cold water to reach three-quarters way up the sides. Cover with the lid, bring to the boil, and keep the water simmering from 2 to 3 hours. If the water boils down, more must be added. When sufficiently cooked remove the jar from the saucepan, stir the contents with a fork, and strain through a wire sieve or coarse strainer, pressing the meat as dry as possible. (The scraps of meat should be put in the stock-pot.) When clear beef-tea is ordered the straining should be done through a hair sieve or piece of muslin. Note. — A double cooker may be used instead of a jar for cooking the beef -tea. Time to cook, 2 to 3 hours after soaking. Probable cost, 7 d. 2491. Beef-Tea, 2 (Baked) Prepare the meat as in last recipe, and allow the same proportion of water, but instead of steaming, place the jar containing the beef -tea in a slow oven and cook from 2 or 3 hours. Made in this way the beef -tea will be more savoury than when steamed, but it is not always appreciated by a delicate palate. 2492. Beef-Tea, 3 (A Quicker Method) | lb. beef. J pint cold water. A little salt. Prepare the meat as in No. 1, and, if time permits, let it soak in cold water with the salt for £ hour. Then turn it into a lined saucepan and heat slowly over the fire, stirring and pressing the meat well with the back of a wooden spoon, in order to extract the juice. When the meat becomes very pale in colour, and the liquid a rich brown, the beeftea is ready and must be strained as above. Remove all fat from the top, and serve as required. The greatest care must be taken that the beef -tea does not boil. The reason for this is that the albumen, which is the flesh-forming element in the juice of the meat, will harden if heated above a certain temperature (150° Fahr.). It mixes freely with cold water, and remains soluble as long as the heat is not too great ; but if once allowed to coagulate, it either hardens in the meat itself or forms a coarse sediment, which is kept back in the straining, thus robbing the beef-tea of one of its most valuable properties. Time to cook, about J hour after soaking. Probable cost, 7d. 2493. Raw Beef-Tea 2 oz. lean, juicy beef. I A pinch of salt.