When the material is cooked, the next step is to make it homogeneous throughout, and to remove any skins or cellulose material it may contain.  To do this, it should be put through a colander.  The kind of colander depends upon the material.  Peas and beans require a fine colander, since the skins, of which we are seeking to rid them, would easily go through a coarse one.  To aid in this sifting process, if the material be at all dry, a small quantity of liquid may be added from time to time.  When the colander process is complete, a sufficient amount of milk or other liquid may be added to make the whole of the consistency of rather thick cream.

[Illustration:  Chinese Soup Strainer.]

If the material is now cold, it must be reheated, and the salt, if any is to be used, added.  The quantity of salt will depend somewhat upon the taste of the consumer; but in general, one half teaspoonful to the pint of soup will be an ample supply.  If any particular flavor, as of onion or celery, is desired, it may be imparted to the soup by adding to it a slice of onion or a few stalks of celery, allowing them to remain during the reheating.  By the time the soup is well heated, it will be delicately flavored, and the pieces of onion or celery may be removed with a fork or a skimmer.  It is better, in general, to cook the soup all that is needed before flavoring, since if allowed to boil, all delicate flavors are apt to be lost by evaporation.  When reheated, add to the soup a quantity of cream as seasoning, in the proportion of one cup of thin cream for every quart or three pints of soup.

To avoid the possibility of any lumps or fragments in the soup, pour it again through a colander or a Chinese soup strainer into the soup tureen, and serve.  It is well to take the precaution first to heat the strainer and tureen, that the soup be not cooled during the process.

If it is desired to have the soup especially light and nice, beat or whip the cream before adding, or beat the hot soup with an egg beater for a few minutes after adding the cream.  The well-beaten yolk of an egg for every quart or three pints of soup, will answer as a very fair substitute for cream in potato, rice, and similar soups.  It should not be added to the body of the soup, but a cupful of the hot soup may be turned slowly onto the egg, stirring all the time, in order to mix it well without curdling, and then the cupful stirred into the whole.  Soups made from legumes are excellent without cream.

The consistency of the soup when done should be about that of single cream, and equal throughout, containing no lumps or fragments of material.  If it is too thick, it may be easily diluted with hot milk or water; if too thin, it will require the addition of more material, or may be thickened with a little flour or cornstarch rubbed to a cream with a small quantity of milk, used in the proportion of one tablespoonful for a quart of soup,—­heaping, if flour; scant, if cornstarch,—­and remembering always to boil the soup five or ten minutes after the flour is added, that there may be no raw taste.