The best type of soup to use for a dinner menu is one made of a meat stock foundation. These soups should not be confused in food value with heavy chowders, purees or the various cream soups and should be classed as accessories instead of foods. The foundation for this type of soup is a meat stock. Clear soup has its place at the beginning of the dinner because it is a valuable appetizer, acting as a stimulant rather than as a nutrient, and being quickly assimilated, prepares the way for the dishes which are to follow.

Under the ordinary conditions of a dinner, a soup is intended to gratify, not satisfy, hunger. It stimulates the flow of the digestive juices. When the dishes which follow soup are of a hearty nature, the soup should be light and clear, not necessarily nutritious. Water cannot dissolve the fiber of meat, and as the fiber holds most of the nourishment, a meat stock has little food value.

Where a soup is to form the main dish for luncheon it should always be of a nourishing character, such as cream soup, puree or chowder.

The flavor of a good stock depends upon the amount of "extractives" that have been obtained during the cooking process. "Extractives" are that part of animal food which gives distinctive flavor and acts as a stimulant to the appetite and as an aid to digestion.

Meat stock should always be made the day before it is required, as a good result can only be obtained by long, slow cooking. It is only by this means, too, that the fat can be removed from the top of the stock. A good stock is strong, well flavored and free from grease. There are a number of kinds of stock.

The first and best stock is made from uncooked meat and bones, well flavored. This forms the foundation for consomme, bouillon, etc. A second stock may be made of the meat and bones left from this first stock by recook-ing with water and a quantity of vegetables. This soup depends mainly upon the vegetables for flavor.

Stock may be made from the left-overs of cooked meats, bones and vegetables. Such stock can be used not only for soup but as a foundation for gravies and savory sauces. Stock may be made of vegetables, water and seasonings. This makes a very palatable and easily prepared soup. Fish stock is made from fish, shellfish or from the trimmings of fish, and well flavored with vegetables. This stock forms a base for soup or fish sauces.

Stock made of the left-overs of poultry is quite satisfactory. Brown stock is made principally of beef bones and meat, while white stock is made of mutton, lamb, poultry, veal or rabbit. Glaze is a stock which has been reduced in quantity by slow cooking, and when cold forms a solid jelly. Freshly made soup stock may be poured into sterilized jars sealed and set aside for future use. It will keep the same as any canned fruit or vegetable.

Consommes are made from the first stock, which has been made clear by adding the whites and shells of eggs; usually some characteristic flavoring is added to give a distinguishing name, such as Consomme Julienne (with shredded vegetables), or it may be served plain, but should be well seasoned. Broths are made from the first stock; they should be well flavored with vegetables, and may be thickened slightly by adding sago, rice, pearl barley, etc. Bouillon is a broth made from beef. It is not cleared, as for consomme; it should be well flavored with vegetables and may be served plain or with the vegetables finely diced or with rice, sago or pearl barley. Thick soups are made from meat stock which has been thickened by adding corn starch, arrowroot or a quantity of sago, tapioca, rice, pearl barley, etc. These thickening substances add somewhat to the food value of the soup, but not sufficient to place them in the same class with cream soups and chowders.

The meat from which soup is made lacks flavor, but still contains most of the necessary food value. It should be well seasoned to supply the flavor which has been extracted and may be used for croquettes, timbales, or minced and served with savory sauces.

To obtain the flavor of the meat and bones they should be cut in small pieces and all but a small portion of the lean meat should be covered with cold water and allowed to soak for at least an hour. The meat which has been reserved should be dredged with flour and browned in hot fat. Add the cooked meat to that which is soaking in cold water; pour over one cupful of water and simmer for a few minutes to obtain all the browned material, which adds color and flavor to the stock.

Set the soup kettle over the fire, add the seasoning and bring slowly to the boiling point only, then simmer gently several hours. Soup stock should never boil, as that would make the meat tough and would keep most of the juices in the meat instead of extracting them, as desired; also the salt has a tendency to draw out the juices and may be added to the cold water when soaking the meat.

The vegetables added for flavor should be finely chopped and sauted, in beef dripping or a portion of the suet, for about 5 minutes, then added to the stock. When cooked the soup should be strained and set aside to cool; the coat of fat which will cover the top should be removed and then the stock is ready for use for the various soups. Pearl barley, rice, etc., should be previously cooked or partially cooked, then added to the stock. Vegetables should be finely diced or cut in thin strips, so that a very short length of time only will be required to cook them. The vegetables used to flavor the stock when first preparing will not take the place of vegetables served in the soup. The first are used for flavor only. The second to serve in the soup and to give additional flavor.