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Bouillon

A simple beef broth made by simmering beef in cold water with salt.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
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Bouillon

Bouillon

Ingredients

Directions

The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.

Prepare

  1. Place the beef in an earthen stock pot.

  2. Pour in the cold water.

Cook

  1. Set the pot by the fire and heat slowly.

  2. As it heats, skim off any scum that rises to the surface.

  3. Cook until the broth is flavorful, about 2-3 hours.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Beef
Provides the meat flavor and savory richness that the broth carries.
Cold water
Serves as the liquid that extracts flavor from the beef as it heats.

The step that matters

Skim off the scum as it heats. Scum is coagulated protein and impurities that rise as the liquid warms. Removing it keeps the broth clearer and cleaner tasting.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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