By greasy stock I mean the liquor that has boiled - say, a leg of fat pork, or a piece of bacon, or a pig's head. This stock, although it is so greasy, is just what is wanted for making pea-soup and lentil-soup, and also for boiling haricot beans, a very cheap, nice, nourishing form of food too much neglected in this country. It will also make capital potato-soup out of cold potatoes, also rice-soup, cabbage-soup, etc. These will be described under their different headings; but recollect that to make the stock to the best advantage, you must boil such vegetables as you decide to use with the bacon or pork, as by doing so you not only get a better stock, but you greatly improve the flavour of the meat.

When stock is very greasy, you must let it boil gently by the side of the fire, and now and then throw in a little cold water. This will first stop the boiling, and then it will "throw up its fat," which will collect on the top, and can be taken off in a film that will hang from the spoon. Let it boil away a little, and then throw in a little more cold water, and go on taking off the fat from time to time.

You must let it boil away, or the cold water will make it too weak. When you have thickened anything with brown thickening (see No. 12) you must get rid of the grease and butter this way. You need not stand and watch it, but see to it every now and then. Or, perhaps still better, bring the greasy stock to a boil, and take the saucepan off the fire. In four or five minutes it will be covered with a film of grease that can be be lifted with two forks, it clings so together, but a spoon and fork do the work better. Take off this film, and put the saucepan on the fire, and make it boil again; then take it off", and in another few minutes another film will have risen, and so on - for a dozen times in some cases.

This getting rid of grease, or rather knowing how to get rid of grease, is very important, as it saves us sometimes throwing away stock that can be turned to account. The soul of economy in cooking is not merely not buying expensive things, but also never throwing anything away.

The stock or liquor in which salt pork and salt beef has been boiled can be used in making pea-soup, etc, in moderation, if not too salt. It can be added to soup that has had no salt in it till the soup is sufficiently salted, but you must be careful, or you may sometimes waste the whole soup by finding it too salt to eat. This is one great drawback to salt meat, and also a reason why salt meat should be first soaked in cold water. The same with pickled pork, tongues, etc.