BASIC RULES FOR BREWING BONE AND MEAT BOUILLONS
From the book by Ananyev "SOUPS"
Soups are prepared mainly in broths. Broths have a low calorie content, but they have a good taste and, thanks to the extractive substances they contain, have the property of stimulating the appetite.
The quality, taste, aroma of meat, bone and other broths depend on the amount of extractive and aromatic substances, proteins, minerals, and fat contained in them.
In order to obtain a good quality broth, it is necessary to use raw materials that would contain the greatest amount of extractive and other nutrients, and apply a technology that would ensure a more complete extraction of these substances when cooking products.
The largest amount of extractive substances is found in beef, poultry and some types of game (partridges, pheasants, etc.). Broths from these products have a very good taste and aroma. Lamb broths and especially pork broths are inferior in quality to beef broths. When using beef, lamb and pork bones, the quality of the broths is also different. Broth is obtained from beef bones of a higher quality than from lamb and pork bones. The nutritional value and taste of the broth are in direct proportion to the correctness of the cooking process.
The duration of boiling the bones also affects the completeness of the extraction of soluble nutrients from them. Soluble substances are almost completely removed by boiling bones in an autoclave. However, at the same time, the proteins and fat contained in the bones undergo serious changes, as a result of which the quality of the broth is inferior to the quality of the broth cooked in open kettles.
During prolonged cooking of bones in an open kettle, proteins and fat can also change, which leads to a deterioration in the quality of the broth. Therefore, it is recommended to cook the bones for no more than 6 hours. This period of heat treatment ensures the extraction of essential nutrients from the bones and does not degrade the quality of the broth.
The duration of cooking meat depends on the type and age of the animals; on average, cooking it usually lasts 2.5-3 hours.
If a meat-and-bone broth is being prepared, then the bones and meat should be placed in water, in accordance with the timing of their cooking, ie, bones first, and 1.5-2 hours before the end of the broth cooking - meat.
Important when cooking broths observe a certain temperature regime. During the cooking of the broth, do not boil too much, since in this case the fat extracted from the bones and meat breaks down into small droplets, which come into suspension and give the broth turbidity. Therefore, after boiling the broth, the heating intensity must be reduced. It is most advisable to put the boiler on the fire so that the broth boils slightly and only on one side. Under this condition, the fat collects on the surface of the broth on the opposite side of the boiler. Periodically (especially when boiling bone broth) the fat must be removed, since during the boiling of the broth it changes and can give the broth an unpleasant odor and a specific greasy taste.
It must be remembered that products should not be excessively cooked, as this reduces their nutritional value, deteriorates the taste and aroma, which directly affects the quality of the dish.
The readiness of the meat is determined by piercing with a cook's needle: the needle enters the cooked meat freely. The finished meat is taken out on baking sheets and covered with damp gauze to protect it from drying out during storage.
During prolonged cooking, vegetables, potatoes, pasta and other products lose their shape, turning into mashed potatoes, which spoils the appearance of the soup. therefore each product should be put into the broth, taking into account the duration of its cooking. In the broth, first you need to lay products that are cooked longer, and then products that do not require prolonged heat treatment.Products with a particularly long cooking time, such as pearl barley, should be cooked separately. After the products are put into the broth, the intensity of its heating must be increased so that the boiling process resumes faster and, therefore, the time for cooking the soup is reduced. After boiling, the heat is reduced again so that the soup does not boil too much.
In addition to the cooking time, it is also necessary to know some properties of products, their influence on each other.
The digestion of vegetables, fruits, cereals, legumes is caused by a change in cell membranes, the transition of insoluble substances contained in them (protopectin, hemicelluloses) into soluble substances (pectin, sugar).
The transition of insoluble substances of cell membranes into a soluble state occurs much faster in an alkaline, neutral medium and slows down strongly in an acidic one. This circumstance must be taken into account in culinary practice. If you put pickles, sorrel or other foods containing acid in the soup, and then potatoes, then it will not boil down and remain tough. Peas, beans and other legumes do not boil in an acidic environment.
The cook may face this phenomenon even if the established legume soaking mode. When stored for a long time in water and at high temperatures, legumes undergo fermentation, sour and do not boil during heat treatment. Some cooks add baking soda to the water to speed up the cooking of the beans. You can't do this since in an alkaline environment the vitamin B contained in legumes is destroyed and the nutritional value of dishes decreases. Products that are poorly or not at all boiled down in an acidic environment should be cooked separately.
For the preparation of soups, as well as broths, various aromatic roots, onions, carrots are used, which improve the taste, aroma, and appearance of dishes. As mentioned above, the aromatic substances contained in the roots are very volatile, they are easily separated with water vapor during the cooking of the soup. In order to eliminate the loss of aromatic substances, onions, carrots, parsley and other roots are pre-sautéed (fried) with fat. Fat has the ability to trap and firmly hold aromatic substances; therefore, browned vegetables give soups a particularly good taste and lasting aroma. However, browned vegetables can lose their flavor if they are cooked for too long. To avoid this, the browned roots should be placed in the soup 10-15 minutes before it is cooked. Immediately before the end of cooking, you should also put bay leaf and pepper in the soup.
Roasting carrots serves another purpose in addition to retaining the aromas. Carrots are rich in coloring matter - carotene, which is converted into vitamin A in the human body and therefore is called provitamin A. Carotene in raw and boiled carrots is not absorbed significantly. When carrots are toasted, their cells are destroyed and carotene is converted into fat. Carotene, dissolved in fat, is absorbed by the human body much better. In addition, the fat turns orange, which gives the soups a beautiful appearance.
The broth yield is 4–4.5 liters per 1 kg of product used. The broth, the yield of which is 1 liter per 1 kg of bones, meat products or food waste, is called concentrated.
The concentrated broth is diluted with boiled water in an appropriate proportion and boiled before laying the products. All fat is removed from the finished broth and the broth is filtered.
Is of great importance the temperature of the soup when it is eaten... Overcooled food, although properly prepared and well presented, loses its taste and causes fair complaints from diners. The most favorable temperature is about 60 °. Hotter soup is undesirable, as it strongly irritates the digestive organs, which, ultimately, with frequent use, can lead to gastrointestinal tract disease.
