There should be a jar of clarified fat in every kitchen; it is useful for ordinary pastry, for greasing moulds and basins, and can often be used in place of butter for sauces, etc., in ordinary household cookery.

Trim off all superfluous fat from joints-whether beef, mutton, pork, or veal, all can be used; or if there is not sufficient cooked and uncooked fat from the joints, purchase two or three pounds of " pieces of fat " from the butcher; these are usually sold at threepence or fourpence per pound.

Having cut away every scrap of lean, cut up the fat into small pieces, put them in a saucepan with enough cold water to cover the bottom of the pan to the depth of three inches. Boil the fat quickly, with the lid off the pan, until the pieces of fat are shrivelled like over-fried bacon and the melted fat is perfectly clear. Keep it well stirred, otherwise the pieces of fat may stick to the bottom of the pan and burn and be spoilt. Let the liquid cool slightly, then strain it into a jar or basin.