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BUTTER, Melted

A historical recipe from Mrs. Beeton's Dictionary of Every-Day Cookery The "All About It" Books, by Beeton, Mrs. (Isabella Mary).

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A historical recipe

Mrs. Beeton's Dictionary of Every-Day Cookery The "All About It" Books, by Beeton, Mrs. (Isabella Mary). Project Gutenberg eBook #50191.

From an old book: a historical recipe, not current advice. Its methods, additives and storage may be unsafe by today's standards.

Ingredients 3 ingredients

  1. ¼ lb. of butter
  2. a dessertspoonful of flour
  3. 1 wineglassful of water

Possible health benefits

General information, not medical advice.

  1. Flour Source of phosphorus · Source of copper · Source of manganese · +1

    Source of phosphorus · 106 mg per 100 g, 15% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Phosphorus contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
    • Phosphorus contributes to normal function of cell membranes.
    • Phosphorus contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.
    1 more authorised claims
    • Phosphorus contributes to the maintenance of normal teeth.

    Phosphorus is a mineral contained in each cell in our body. Most phosphorus is in the bones and teeth, and some is in your genes. NIH fact sheet

    Source of copper · 0.2 mg per 100 g, 17% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Copper contributes to maintenance of normal connective tissues.
    • Copper contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
    • Copper contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system.
    5 more authorised claims
    • Copper contributes to normal hair pigmentation.
    • Copper contributes to normal iron transport in the body.
    • Copper contributes to normal skin pigmentation.
    • Copper contributes to the normal function of the immune system.
    • Copper contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.

    Copper is a mineral that you need to stay healthy. Your body uses copper to carry out many important functions, including making energy, connective tissues, and blood vessels. NIH fact sheet

    Source of manganese · 0.6 mg per 100 g, 28% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Manganese contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
    • Manganese contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.
    • Manganese contributes to the normal formation of connective tissue.
    1 more authorised claims
    • Manganese contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.

    Manganese is a mineral that your body needs to stay healthy. Your body uses manganese to make energy and protect your cells from damage. NIH fact sheet

    Source of selenium · 10 µg per 100 g, 19% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Selenium contributes to normal spermatogenesis.
    • Selenium contributes to the maintenance of normal hair.
    • Selenium contributes to the maintenance of normal nails.
    3 more authorised claims
    • Selenium contributes to the normal function of the immune system.
    • Selenium contributes to the normal thyroid function.
    • Selenium contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.

    Selenium is a nutrient that the body needs to stay healthy. Your thyroid gland needs selenium to produce hormones and function properly. NIH fact sheet

    Nutrients per 100 g of “Flour, 00”, USDA FoodData Central.

Claims: EU Register of health claims (Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, © European Union, CC BY 4.0), shown only where the ingredient meets the claim's conditions (Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006). Nutrients: USDA FoodData Central (CC0). Facts: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (public domain).

Cook safely

Keep children and pets away from the hob and the oven, and keep oven gloves and a lid within reach.

  • Boiling water and steam. Turn pan handles inward, away from the edge of the hob. Lift lids away from you, and pour hot water away from your body: steam burns too.
  • Blending hot liquid. Let it cool a little first, fill the blender no more than a third, and hold the lid down with a folded towel. Start on the lowest speed. A stick blender in the pan is safer.
  • Sharp knives. Cut on a board that doesn't slip (a damp cloth under it helps), and curl the fingers of the hand that holds the food.

Method

  1. Ingredients.—¼ lb.
  2. of butter, a dessertspoonful of flour, 1 wineglassful of water, salt to taste.
  3. Mode.—Cut the butter up into small pieces, put it into a saucepan, dredge over the flour, and add the water and a seasoning of salt;
  4. stir it one way constantly till the whole of the ingredients are melted and thoroughly blended.
  5. Let it just boil, when it is ready to serve.
  6. If the butter is to be melted with cream, use the same quantity as of water, but omit the flour;
  7. keep stirring it, but do not allow it to boil.
  8. Time.—1 minute to simmer.
  9. Average cost for this quantity, 4_d.
  10. BUTTER, Melted (more Economical).
  11. Ingredients.—2 oz.
  12. of butter, 1 dessertspoonful of flour, salt to taste, ½ pint of water.
  13. Mode.—Mix the flour and water to a smooth batter, which put into a saucepan.
  14. Add the butter and a seasoning of salt, keep stirring one way till all the ingredients are melted and perfectly smooth;
  15. let the whole boil for a minute or two, and serve.
  16. Time.—2 minutes to simmer.
  17. Average cost for this quantity, 2_d.
  18. BUTTER, Rancid, What to do with.
  19. When butter has become very rancid, it should be melted several times by a moderate heat, with or without the addition of water, and as soon as it has been well kneaded, after the cooling, in order to extract any water it may have retained, it should be put into brown freestone pots, sheltered from the contact of the air.
  20. The French often add to it, after it has been melted, a piece of toasted bread, which helps to destroy the tendency of the butter to rancidity.

Plating

Cookware for this recipe

  • Saucepan
  • Blender
  • Chef's knife
  • Wooden spoon
Source Public domain in the USA
Credit

From Mrs. Beeton's Dictionary of Every-Day Cookery The "All About It" Books, by Beeton, Mrs. (Isabella Mary). Digitised by Project Gutenberg, eBook #50191 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50191). Public domain in the USA; its status may differ elsewhere.

What was changed: As printed, from the book's text; Project Gutenberg's header and licence removed. Ingredient lines were read out of the text by a program. A historical recipe, not current advice.