Jonathan Gilroy, age 15, of Marion, Ohio, for his question:

HOW DO WE OBTAIN EXTRACT?

Extract is a substance obtained by extracting, or taking out, the juices of meats or various plants, herbs and flowers. Extracts are then used as flavoring in cooking and as antiseptics in medicine.

Two common ways of obtaining extracts are the pressure method and the decoction method. In the pressure method, the extract is squeezed or pressed out of the product. In the decoction method, the product is dipped or steeped in a boiling liquid for a number of hours. After the liquid cools, it is strained and reduced to a paste or extract by evaporation.

Popular flavoring extracts used in cooking include vanilla, lemon, almond and the meat extracts.

An extract of a drug is called a tincture. Tincture of iodine is a frequently used medical extract.

Cosmetic extracts, or essences, are used in making perfumes, toilet soaps, toothpaste and hair oil. Such extracts include ambergris, benzoin, caster, musk and balsam.