Consuming Interest
Gone to Pot
By LESLIE ADRIAN
THE stock-pot is the heart of 2 D 0:7 well-run kitchen. But it may 14/ also be the breeding-ground for
many dangerous bacteria. Mrs. Beeton's Book Of Household Management, described by the publishers as 'The Ideal Wed- ding Gift,' includes a para- graph on the care of the stock-pot calculated to give nightmares to any bacteriologist interested in food hygiene. (This section does not appear in the editions for which Isabella Beeton herself was responsible, but was added by one of the editors after her death, and has survived even in the latest edition.) Meat broth kept at room temperature is the ideal medium for breeding bacteria, and it is deliberately made in laboratories by scientists who want to encourage the growth of bacteria for experimental purposes. Similar conditions are created at home when a large stock-pot has fresh bits and pieces added to it each day, is brought to the boil, simmered for a short time and left to cool slowly to the temperature of a warm kitchen, subsequently being stored in a larder that is cool rather than cold.
1 would be the last to discourage the use of fresh stock. Tins, packet, bottles, dehydrated foods, concentrates and synthetics already domin- ate the national larder, but however standardised and inferior in taste it is, a bouillon cube is much safer than old stock. Rather, I would suggest a few precautions. A counsel of perfection, Of course, is new stock every day.
One of the most dangerous of the bacilli which breed in meat can survive four hours of boiling, so stock simmered in the conventional way should be allowed five hours. However, fifteen minutes at 15 lb. per sq. in. in a pressure cooker will effec- tively sterilise meat and bones, although a little longer may be needed to extract all the goodness' Quick cooling is vital. Bacteria flock to Juke' warm broth like northerners to the Meditcr' ranean. Running water, small receptacles, grid shelves in cool places or any other device for hasty cooling should be used so that it is ready for 'cold storage' in larder or refrigerator as quickly as possible. The importance of clean hands, instruments and containers for handling meat and stock cannot be over-emphasised.
Unfortunately, in Britain, which is said to en- joy the world's second highest living standard, only 16 per cent. of homes include a refrigerator, (Why will writers who list the trappings of luxuri- ous living include refrigerators along with such genuine luxuries as cars, TV sets, washing machines and electric mixers'?) Dr. Betty Hobbs' one of the directors of the Food Hygiene Labors' tory and a leading bacteriologist, insists that eyed home should have a refrigerator, and that all catering establishments should have adequate cold-room space where food can be stored at a temperature below 40° F. The Chancellor of the Exchequer is in a position to reduce the inci- dence of food-poisoning in Britain.
Anyone owning a refrigerator should remem- ber the importance of good air circulation, and Priority in the refrigerator should always be given to perishable foods such as cooked meats, soups and stock as well as the more obvious foods like raw meat and dairy produce. If space is restric- ted, fats, cured bacon and raw vegetables can be kept outside the refrigerator, and precious cold space should not be wasted on tins, jams and pre- serves—and certainly not on cheese, which should not be kept in the refrigerator anyway (in spite of what various manufacturers say to the con- trary).
Well-made stock, kept in the refrigerator (and not taken out to stand around the kitchen for hours at a time, while meals are being prepared), will keep for several days, and the daily boiling UP, so often advised, is unnecessary and even un- desirable because it means the stock has to go through the cooling-down process daily as well. But boiling immediately before using is recom- mended. Without a refrigerator, stock may be un- safe after two days. A cloudy appearance and tendency to liquefy is a clear indication that jellied stock has deteriorated and should not be used.
The fuss and bother of making fresh stock frequently may be too much for some house- holds. A sound alternative is a home-made meat essence, known in France as jus, which solidifies into a very stiff jelly and can be kept safely in a sterile airtight jar in the refrigerator for several weeks. This recipe for jus is taken from Tante Marie's French Kitchen (published by Nicholas Kaye at 16s.): -11b. each of stewing steak and stewing veal.
1 calf's foot (or knuckle of veal sawn into four pieces).
2 onions, 2 carrots and 2 cloves.
Bouquet garni. Salt and pepper. Water.
Put all the ingredients except the calf's foot or knuckle into a heavy pan with a cover. Add pint of water and cook until the meat juices begin to stick to the pan and vegetables begin to brown. Add 1 pint of water and put in the calf's foot. Cook over a very slow flame for three hours. Strain the liquid into a shallow pan and skim off the fat as it cools. A hard jelly will form. This can be used to/ enrich soups and sauces or as a glaze for meat and vegetables.
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