to devote the leavings of the table to some other object. No
person accustomed to really good soup, made from fresh meat, can
ever be deceived in the taste, even when flavoured with wine and
spices. It is not true that French cooks have the art of producing
_excellent_ soups from cold scraps. There is much _bad_
soup to be found in France, at inferior houses; but _good_
French cooks are not, as is generally supposed, really in the
practice of concocting any dishes out of the refuse of the table.
And we repeat, that cold meat, even when perfectly good, and used
in a large quantity, has not sufficient substance to flavour soup,
or to render it wholesome.

Soup, however, that has been originally made of raw meat entirely,
is frequently better the second day than the first; provided that
it is re-boiled only for a very short time, and that no additional
water is added to it.

Unless it has been allowed to boil too hard, so as to exhaust the
water, the soup-pot will not require replenishing. When it is
found absolutely necessary to do so, the additional water must be
boiling hot when poured in; if lukewarm or cold, it will entirely
spoil the soup.

Every particle of fat should be carefully skimmed from the
surface. Greasy soup is disgusting and unwholesome. The lean of
meat is much better for soup than the fat.

Long and slow boiling is necessary to extract the strength from
the meat. If boiled fast over a large fire, the meat becomes hard
and tough, and will not give out its juices.