| THE SOUP POT |
Soups are classified in accordance with the presence or absence of “stock” as a foundation. By stock, it is
meant those juices and soluble portions of bone and vegetable, which have been extracted by slow cooking and
stored for future use. This material is more or less solid after it has become cold. Bouillon and consommé belong
to this class of soups.
Soups made without stock as a base are called soups, maigre, from a French work meaning lean or poor. Some
other terms associated with soups are stock, fruit, broth, bouillon, consommé, puree, chowder, bisque and cream.
Besides these names, soups receive special names from their color, as white, brown, amber or from garnishing
used as macaroni, noodle or julienne.
A clear soup is a most fitting and agreeable prelude to dinner. It is a savor to health before any dinner as it is
quickly absorbed by the linings of the stomach and gently stimulates that organ to take care of the more
substantial nourishment that is to follow.
A crème soup-puree, bisque or chowder is substantial in itself and may fittingly form the chief article of a meal. If
we are to get all the nutriment possible from various food supplies, it is necessary to take part of our food in the
form of soup.
Every kind of meat may be used in stock making, either alone or in combination. The distinctive flavor of
different kinds of meat is more highly developed in a cooked than uncooked state and browned meat give color to
the soup. A small quantity of fat if a wholesome addition to any soup. A part will be absorbed by the stock during
the cooking process and the part that if not thus absorbed will rise to the top which can be skimmed off when the
stock cools.
Expensive cuts of beef are not so well adapted to soup making as the cheaper pieces. The blood flows more
freely to those parts of the creature that are in constant use and this toughens the muscles; slow cooking
removes this. Select for stock, the under part of the round, the vein, neck, flank, cheek and skin, tough and
inexpensive pieces but full of nutriment.
In making fish stock, select the white-blooded varieties. The head and trimmings are valuable because of the
gelatinous material. Salmon, lobster and other red-blooded fish need to be used sparingly.
As a rule, that which is extracted from the bones is least desirable element that enters into a soup; particularly
with beef bones. If bones are use and the liquid is cooked at high temperatures, lime is dissolved in the soup,
giving it a cloudy appearance. The bones of chicken and veal are rich in delicate gelatin, and are desirable to
give body to the soup. Gelatin also preserves the agent, as the stock jells air is excluded and the stock keep
much better.
The first step in soup making is to draw out the soluble juices and flavorings into the water. Clean the meat and
place in cold water for approximately 30 minutes to color the water. Place the pot on heat, gradually boil and
skim; then cover and cook at a temperature below 180 degrees F for 5 to 6 hours or use a crock pot so as not to
lose the digestibility of the soup. Add the vegetables and season to taste.