Page:Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.djvu/181

Rh Any unused stock should be boiled up every day in hot weather, and in cooler weather every second or third day.

MEAT GLAZE.

Any kind of rich meat stock, especially such as contains a good proportion of gelatinous substance, can be reduced to half glaze, or glaze gravy that sets to the thickness of jelly. This is effected by rapid boiling, and frequent skimming to ensure its being clear, until the desired consistency has been reached.

Glaze is used for improving the appearance of meats, galantines, pies, etc., and is very handy for enriching soups and sauces, which frequently require additional strength and flavour.

GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR RECIPES FOR SOUPS.

The vegetables named in the recipes are supposed to be of moderate size, but two smaller ones, or half a larger one may be used instead. To avoid repetition, they are spoken of as "prepared," meaning that the onions have been peeled, the carrots scraped and the turnips pared. As the fibre on the outside of the turnip is very tough and thick it is advisable, and not extravagant, to take off a THICK PARING. On the other hand, potatoes should be pared as thinly as possible, because the outer part contains the most valuable and nutritious part of the potato.

A bouquet-garni is a small bunch of mixed herbs, such as parsley, thyme, bay-leaf, basil and majoram. Sparingly used, these herbs improve the flavour of many soups, but they are not essential, and one or more of them may be omitted if they cannot be easily procured.

The following table of equivalents will enable the cook to dispense with scales in making many of the soups given in the following pages.