Smoking. — This hardly comes under the heading of cooking, but as smoked meat and fish are consumed in many parts without again being cooked, we can justly look upon the process of smoking as a crude method of cooking, Cured and smoked meats, as well as fish, are highly esteemed articles of food. By smoking a piece of meat it can be preserved for a long period. The preservative effect of smoke was, no doubt discovered by accident ; just like the first method of cooking, or the application of heat for the purpose of cooking, such as Charles Lamb describes in his tale of the origin of roast pig. Wheli meat is hung at some distance above a smoky wood fire, it becomes dry by smoke, the aromatic juices of the wood impart a new and a highly appreciated flavour to the articles thus exposed to smoke for a certain time. The average loss in weight by cooking meat, &c., works out as follows. Grilling . . . . . about 10 per cent. Frying „ 15 „ Steaming . „ 15 „ Boiling „ 20 ., Baking ,, 25 „ Stewing Roasting . 17 to 20 „ . about 30 ,, G 82 THE NEW CENTURY COOKERY BOOK CHAPTER IX STOCKS AND SOUPS' It is an acknowledged fact that stock forms the essential basis for all meat soups, consommes, most thick soups, sauces, and gravies, and as such it is recognised as being the foundation or, as Francatelli terms it, ‘ the very soul of good cookery ’ ; this is not altogether an exaggeration, for stock is also largely used for many other culinary prepara- tions. Stock is the liquid, or broth, into which the juices of meat, vegetables, &c., have been ex- tracted by means of low and gentle simmering. Thus the chief object in making stock must be that of drawing the goodness out of the materials employed into the liquid con- tained in the stock-pot. There is a wide range of stocks,2 from the simple homely bone stock to the double stock used for consommes, but the most useful is what cooks term the ‘ general stock,’ which will serve not only for soups and sauces, but also for a vast number of other culinary preparations for which water is often used merely because there is no stock at hand. Every household kitchen wherein it is desired to attain some degree of perfection, as well as of econoiny, should keep a constant supply of good stock. Unfortunately many ignorant or over-careful cooks, as well as housewives, look upon the stock-pot as a sort of culinary rubbish bin, where everything which cannot be made use of finds its way. On the Constituent Parts of Stock. — The nutritive and flavour- ing qualities of a properly prepared stock of first quality are : albumen, gelatine, osmazome, fat, and alkaline salts. 1 For individual recipes see Chapter XIV. 2 There are four kinds of stock principally used in cooking : - 1. Meat stock. 2. Game stock. 3. Fish stock i These are called maigre, because no meat is used in 4. Vegetable stock ) their preparation. STOCKS AND SOUDS 83 The meats used in making stock must, therefore, be carefully chosen ; they must contain a certain proportion of bones, and a small amount of fat. Lean meats, the cheaper or inferior parts, are very useful for the purpose ; but fat mutton or pork should on no account be used.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Smoking. — This hardly comes under the heading of cooking, but as smoked meat and fish are consumed in many parts without again being cooked, we can justly look upon the process of smoking as a crude method of cooking, Cured and smoked meats, as well as fish, are highly esteemed articles of food. By smoking a piece of meat it can be preserved for a long period. The preservative effect of smoke was, no doubt discovered by accident ; just like the first method of cooking, or the application of heat for the purpose of cooking, such as Charles Lamb describes in his tale of the origin of roast pig. When meat is hung at some distance above a smoky wood fire, it becomes dry by smoke, the aromatic juices of the wood impart a new and a highly appreciated flavour to the articles thus exposed to smoke for a certain time. The average loss in weight by cooking meat, &c., works out as follows. Grilling . . . . . about 10 per cent. Frying „ 15 „ Steaming . „ 15 „ Boiling „ 20 ., Baking ,, 25 „ Stewing Roasting . 17 to 20 „ . about 30 ,, G CHAPTER IX It is an acknowledged fact that stock forms the essential basis for all meat soups, consommes, most thick soups, sauces, and gravies, and as such it is recognised as being the foundation or, as Francatelli terms it, ‘ the very soul of good cookery ’ ; this is not altogether an exaggeration, for stock is also largely used for many other culinary preparations. Stock is the liquid, or broth, into which the juices of meat, vegetables, &c., have been extracted by means of low and gentle simmering. Thus the chief object in making stock must be that of drawing the goodness out of the materials employed into the liquid contained in the stock-pot. There is a wide range of stocks,2 from the simple homely bone stock to the double stock used for consommes, but the most useful is what cooks term the ‘ general stock,’ which will serve not only for soups and sauces, but also for a vast number of other culinary preparations for which water is often used merely because there is no stock at hand. Every household kitchen wherein it is desired to attain some degree of perfection, as well as of econoiny, should keep a constant supply of good stock. Unfortunately many ignorant or over-careful cooks, as well as housewives, look upon the stock-pot as a sort of culinary rubbish bin, where everything which cannot be made use of finds its way. On the Constituent Parts of Stock. — The nutritive and flavouring qualities of a properly prepared stock of first quality are : albumen, gelatine, osmazome, fat, and alkaline salts. 1 For individual recipes see Chapter XIV. 2 There are four kinds of stock principally used in cooking : - 1. Meat stock. 2. Game stock. 3. Fish stock i These are called maigre, because no meat is used in 4. Vegetable stock ) their preparation. The meats used in making stock must, therefore, be carefully chosen ; they must contain a certain proportion of bones, and a small amount of fat. Lean meats, the cheaper or inferior parts, are very useful for the purpose ; but fat mutton or pork should on no account be used.

The new century cookery book