State board of health. 
321 
by boiling, when the object is to cook thoroughly and to extract as 
little of their juices as possible. In boiling, however, the meat 
should be put into cold water and heat applied afterward. Stew¬ 
ing is a process by which meats are made very tender, and the 
juices which are extracted are preserved in the gravy. Frying is 
universally disapproved as the worst possible way of preparing 
meat. The very high temperature to which meat is exposed by 
this process, greatly impairs its nutritive properties. When meats 
are prepared in this way, they should be covered by crumbs or 
batter, which, to some extent, prevent the injurious action of the 
process. 
It is unnecessary to discuss the methods employed in preparing 
mollusks, Crustacea, etc., which are generally regarded as articles 
of luxury, and a consideration of condiments, spices, etc., and vari¬ 
ous vegetable articles used in refined cooking would be out of 
place, as they refer chiefly to the taste and have no direct bearing 
on nutrition. Before, however, leaving the subject of animal foods 
and their preparation, we will briefly refer to a very important 
physiological subject, with regard to the principles which are 
extracted from various meats by prolonged boiling, and the best 
method of making a nutritious and economical soup. Soups are 
very largely consumed by all classes of communit}’’, and when prop¬ 
erly prepared are quite nutritive, so much so as to be a matter of 
wonder when we consider the small amount of solid matter which 
they contain; the proportion of solid matter not being more than 
nine or ten parts per thousand. In making soups, various vegeta¬ 
bles are added, which, beside flavoring them, supply a certain quan¬ 
tity of nutritive matter. As the type of all soups, we will give the 
manner of preparing the celebrated “ houillon'''’ of French cuisine. 
Take of water.20 gallons. 
Take of meat with the bones. 68 lbs. 10 oz. 
Take of vegetables. 13 lbs. 10 oz. 
Take of salt. 1 lb. 12^^ oz. 
Take of burnt onions. 7^ oz. 
The meat should be cut off from the bones and tied with strong 
cords in packages of nine or ten lbs. each, and the bones broken 
up and placed in the bottom of the kettle. The meat should then 
be placed upon a grating, or perforated false bottom, above the 
bones. Twenty gallons of water are then poured in, when the 
whole is raised to the boiling point, and the scum removed as it 
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