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To Make Broths and Soups

A simple broth made by simmering lean meat with water, roots, and herbs.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 3 ingredients
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To Make Broths and Soups

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Use fresh, lean meat for the best flavor.

  2. Clean the roots and herbs thoroughly.

Simmer the broth

  1. Place the meat in a pot with 1 quart of water.

  2. Heat over moderate fire for about 30 minutes without boiling.

  3. Remove any scum that forms on the surface.

  4. Cover the pot tightly to retain flavor.

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.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Lean beef, mutton, or veal
Provides the meat flavor and dissolves gelatin and savory compounds into the liquid.
Water
Acts as the solvent that extracts flavor from the meat and roots.

The step that matters

Heating without boiling. A gentle heat keeps the broth clear, because a hard boil churns fat and proteins into the liquid and makes it cloudy. Skimming scum as it forms also helps keep the broth clean.

“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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