18. CARE OF MEAT IN THE MARKET.--Animal foods decompose more readily
than any other kind, and the products of their decomposition are
extremely dangerous to the health. It is therefore a serious matter when
everything that comes in contact with meat is not clean. Regarding the
proper care of meat, the sanitary condition of the market is the first
consideration. The light and ventilation of the room and the cleanliness
of the walls, floors, tables, counters, and other equipment are points
of the greatest importance and should be noted by the housewife when she
is purchasing meat. Whether the windows and doors are screened and all
the meat is carefully covered during the fly season are also matters
that should not be overlooked. Then, too, the cleanliness and physical
condition of the persons who handle the meat should be of as great
concern as the sanitary condition of the market. The housewife who
desires to supply her family with the safest and cleanest meat should
endeavor to purchase it in markets where all the points pertaining to
the sanitary condition are as ideal as possible. If she is at all
doubtful as to the freshness and cleanliness of what is sold to her, she
should give it thorough cooking in the process of preparation so that no
harm will be done to the persons who are to eat it.
19. CARE OF MEAT IN THE HOME.--Because of the perishable nature of meat,
the care given it in the market must be continued in the home in order
that no deterioration may take place before it is cooked. This is not
much of a problem during cold weather, but through the summer months a
cool place in which to keep it must be provided unless the meat can be
cooked very soon after it is delivered. Meat that must be shipped long
distances is frozen before it is shipped and is kept frozen until just
before it is used. If such meat is still frozen when it enters the home,
it should not be put into a warm place, for then it will thaw too
quickly. Instead, it should be put in the refrigerator or in some place
where the temperature is a few degrees above freezing point, so that it
will thaw slowly and still remain too cold for bacteria to
become active.
Even if meat is not frozen, it must receive proper attention after it
enters the home. As soon as it is received, it should be removed from
the wrapping paper or the wooden or cardboard dish in which it is
delivered. If the meat has not been purchased personally, it is
advisable to weigh it in order to verify the butcher's bill. When the
housewife is satisfied about the weight, she should place the meat in
an earthenware, china, or enameled bowl, cover it, and then put it away
in the coolest available place until it is used. Some persons put salt
on meat when they desire to keep it, but this practice should be
avoided, as salt draws out the juices from raw meat and hardens the
tissues to a certain extent.
If such precautions are taken with meat, it will be in good condition
when it is to be cooked. However, before any cooking method is applied
to it, it should always be wiped with a clean, damp cloth. In addition,
all fat should be removed, except just enough to assist in cooking the
meat and give it a good flavor. Bone or tough portions may also be
removed if they can be used to better advantage for soups or stews.
* * * * *
COOKING OF MEAT
PURPOSES OF COOKING MEAT
20. It is in the preparation of food, and of meat in particular, that
one of the marked differences between uncivilized and civilized man is
evident. Raw meat, which is preferred by the savage, does not appeal to
the appetite of most civilized persons; in fact, to the majority of them
the idea of using it for food is disgusting. Therefore, civilized man
prepares his meat before eating it, and the higher his culture, the more
perfect are his methods of preparation.
While it is probably true that most of the methods of cookery render
meat less easy to digest than in its raw condition, this disadvantage is
offset by the several purposes for which this food is cooked. Meat is
cooked chiefly to loosen and soften the connective tissue and thus cause
the muscle tissues to be exposed more fully to the action of the
digestive juices. Another important reason for cooking meat is that
subjecting it to the action of heat helps to kill bacteria and
parasites. In addition, meat is cooked to make it more attractive to the
eye and to develop and improve its flavor.
METHODS OF COOKING MEAT
21. The result desired when meat is cooked has much to do with the
method of cookery to choose, for different methods produce different
results. To understand this, it will be necessary to know just what the
action of cooking is on the material that meat contains. When raw meat
is cut, the tiny meat fibers are laid open, with the result that, in the
application of the cooking process, the albuminous material either is
lost, or, like the albumen of eggs, is coagulated, or hardened, and thus
retained. Therefore, before preparing a piece of meat, the housewife
should determine which of these two things she wishes to accomplish and
then proceed to carry out the process intelligently.
The methods of cookery that may be applied to meat include broiling, pan
broiling, roasting, stewing or simmering, braizing, frying, sauteing,
and fricasseeing. All of these methods are explained in a general way in
Essentials of Cookery, Part 1, but explanations of them as they apply
to meat are here given in order to acquaint the housewife with the
advantages and disadvantages of the various ways by which this food can
be prepared.
22. BROILING AND PAN BROILING.--Only such cuts of meats as require short
cooking can be prepared by the methods of broiling and pan broiling. To
carry out these methods successfully, severe heat must be applied to the
surface of the meat so that the albumin in the ends of the muscle fibers
may be coagulated at once. This presents, during the remainder of the
preparation, a loss of the meat juices.
Meat to which either of these methods is applied will be indigestible on
the surface and many times almost uncooked in the center, as in the case
of rare steak. Such meat, however, is more digestible than thin pieces
that are thoroughly cooked at the very high temperature required
for broiling.
23. ROASTING.--The process of roasting, either in the oven or in a pot
on top of the stove, to be properly done, requires that the piece of
meat to be roasted must first be seared over the entire surface by the
application of severe heat. In the case of a pot roast, the searing can
be done conveniently in the pot before the pot-roasting process begins.
If the meat is to be roasted in the oven, it may be seared first in a
pan on top of the stove. However, it may be seared to some extent by
placing it in a very hot oven and turning it over so that all the
surface is exposed. Then, to continue the roasting process, the
temperature must be lowered just a little.
The roasting pan may be of any desirable size and shape that is convenient and sufficiently large to accommodate the meat to be prepared. It is provided with a cover that fits tight. In this cover is an opening that may be closed or opened so as to regulate the amount of moisture inside the pan. In the bottom of the pan is a rack upon which the meat may rest.
24. To prepare meat for roasting, flour should be sprinkled or rubbed
over its lean surface before it is put in the pan. This forms a paste
that cooks into a crust and prevents the loss of juices from the meat.
In roasting, the heat is applied longer and more slowly than in broiling
or frying, so that there is more possibility for the connective tissue
beneath the surface to soften. The surface is, however, as indigestible
as that of broiled meat.
An important point for every housewife to remember in this connection is
that the larger the roast the slower should be the fire. This is due to
the fact that long before the heat could penetrate to the center, the
outside would be burned. A small roast, however, will be more delicious
if it is prepared with a very hot fire, for then the juices will not
have a chance to evaporate and the tissues will be more moist and tasty.
25. FRYING AND SAUTEING.--When meat is fried or sauted, that is, brought
directly in contact with hot fat, it is made doubly indigestible,
because of the hardening of the surface tissues and the indigestibility
of the fat that penetrates these tissues. This is especially true of
meat that is sauted slowly in a small quantity of hot fat. Much of this
difficulty can be overcome, however, if meat prepared by these methods,
like that which is broiled or roasted, is subjected quickly to intense
heat. In addition, the fat used for cooking should be made hot before
the meat is put into it.
26. BOILING.--To boil meat means to cook it a long time in water at a
temperature of 212 degrees Fahrenheit. This method of preparing meat is
not strongly advocated, for there is seldom a time when better results
cannot be obtained by cooking meat at a lower temperature than boiling
point. The best plan is to bring the meat to the boiling point, allow
it to boil for a short time, and then reduce the temperature so that the
meat will simmer for the remainder of the cooking.
In cooking meat by boiling, a grayish scum appears on the surface just
before the boiling point is reached. This scum is caused by the gradual
extraction of a part of the soluble albumin that is present in the
hollow fibers of the muscle tissue. After its extraction, it is
coagulated by the heat in the water. As it coagulates and rises, it
carries with it to the top particles of dirt and other foreign material
present in the water or on the surface of the meat. In addition, this
scum contains a little blood, which is extracted and coagulated and
which tends to make it grayish in color. Such scum should be skimmed
off, as it is unappetizing in appearance.
27. Whether the meat should be put into cold water or boiling water
depends on the result that is desired. It is impossible to make a rich,
tasty broth and at the same time have a juicy, well-flavored piece of
boiled meat. If meat is cooked for the purpose of making soup or broth,
it should be put into cold water and then brought to a boil. By this
method, some of the nutritive material and much of the flavoring
substance will be drawn out before the water becomes hot enough to
harden them. However, in case only the meat is to be used, it should be
plunged directly into boiling water in order to coagulate the surface at
once, as in the application of dry heat. If it is allowed to boil for 10
minutes or so and the temperature then reduced, the coating that is
formed will prevent the nutritive material and the flavor from being
lost to any great extent. But if the action of the boiling water is
permitted to continue during the entire time of cooking, the tissues
will become tough and dry.
28. STEWING OR SIMMERING.--The cheap cuts of meat, which contain a great
deal of flavor and are so likely to be tough, cannot be prepared by the
quick methods of cookery nor by the application of high temperature, for
the result would be a tough, indigestible, and unpalatable dish. The
long, slow cooking at a temperature lower than boiling point, which is
known as stewing or simmering, should be applied. In fact, no better
method for the preparation of tough pieces of meat and old fowl can be
found than this process, for by it the connective tissue and the muscle
fibers are softened. If the method is carried out in a tightly closed
vessel and only a small amount of liquid is used, there is no
appreciable loss of flavor except that carried into the liquid in which
the meat cooks. But since such liquid is always used, the meat being
usually served in it, as in the case of stews, there is no actual loss.
To secure the best results in the use of this method, the meat should be
cut into small pieces so as to expose as much surface as possible. Then
the pieces should be put into cold water rather than hot, in order that
much of the juices and flavoring materials may be dissolved. When this
has been accomplished, the temperature should be gradually raised until
it nearly reaches the boiling point. If it is kept at this point for
several hours, the meat will become tender and juicy and a rich, tasty
broth will also be obtained.
29. BRAIZING.--Meat cooked by the method of braizing, which is in
reality a combination of stewing and baking, is first subjected to the
intense dry heat of the oven and then cooked slowly in the steam of the
water that surrounds it. To cook meat in this way, a pan must be used
that will permit the meat to be raised on a rack that extends above a
small quantity of water. By this method a certain amount of juice from
the meat is taken up by the water, but the connective tissue is well
softened unless the cooking is done at too high a temperature.
than any other kind, and the products of their decomposition are
extremely dangerous to the health. It is therefore a serious matter when
everything that comes in contact with meat is not clean. Regarding the
proper care of meat, the sanitary condition of the market is the first
consideration. The light and ventilation of the room and the cleanliness
of the walls, floors, tables, counters, and other equipment are points
of the greatest importance and should be noted by the housewife when she
is purchasing meat. Whether the windows and doors are screened and all
the meat is carefully covered during the fly season are also matters
that should not be overlooked. Then, too, the cleanliness and physical
condition of the persons who handle the meat should be of as great
concern as the sanitary condition of the market. The housewife who
desires to supply her family with the safest and cleanest meat should
endeavor to purchase it in markets where all the points pertaining to
the sanitary condition are as ideal as possible. If she is at all
doubtful as to the freshness and cleanliness of what is sold to her, she
should give it thorough cooking in the process of preparation so that no
harm will be done to the persons who are to eat it.
19. CARE OF MEAT IN THE HOME.--Because of the perishable nature of meat,
the care given it in the market must be continued in the home in order
that no deterioration may take place before it is cooked. This is not
much of a problem during cold weather, but through the summer months a
cool place in which to keep it must be provided unless the meat can be
cooked very soon after it is delivered. Meat that must be shipped long
distances is frozen before it is shipped and is kept frozen until just
before it is used. If such meat is still frozen when it enters the home,
it should not be put into a warm place, for then it will thaw too
quickly. Instead, it should be put in the refrigerator or in some place
where the temperature is a few degrees above freezing point, so that it
will thaw slowly and still remain too cold for bacteria to
become active.
Even if meat is not frozen, it must receive proper attention after it
enters the home. As soon as it is received, it should be removed from
the wrapping paper or the wooden or cardboard dish in which it is
delivered. If the meat has not been purchased personally, it is
advisable to weigh it in order to verify the butcher's bill. When the
housewife is satisfied about the weight, she should place the meat in
an earthenware, china, or enameled bowl, cover it, and then put it away
in the coolest available place until it is used. Some persons put salt
on meat when they desire to keep it, but this practice should be
avoided, as salt draws out the juices from raw meat and hardens the
tissues to a certain extent.
If such precautions are taken with meat, it will be in good condition
when it is to be cooked. However, before any cooking method is applied
to it, it should always be wiped with a clean, damp cloth. In addition,
all fat should be removed, except just enough to assist in cooking the
meat and give it a good flavor. Bone or tough portions may also be
removed if they can be used to better advantage for soups or stews.
* * * * *
COOKING OF MEAT
PURPOSES OF COOKING MEAT
20. It is in the preparation of food, and of meat in particular, that
one of the marked differences between uncivilized and civilized man is
evident. Raw meat, which is preferred by the savage, does not appeal to
the appetite of most civilized persons; in fact, to the majority of them
the idea of using it for food is disgusting. Therefore, civilized man
prepares his meat before eating it, and the higher his culture, the more
perfect are his methods of preparation.
While it is probably true that most of the methods of cookery render
meat less easy to digest than in its raw condition, this disadvantage is
offset by the several purposes for which this food is cooked. Meat is
cooked chiefly to loosen and soften the connective tissue and thus cause
the muscle tissues to be exposed more fully to the action of the
digestive juices. Another important reason for cooking meat is that
subjecting it to the action of heat helps to kill bacteria and
parasites. In addition, meat is cooked to make it more attractive to the
eye and to develop and improve its flavor.
METHODS OF COOKING MEAT
21. The result desired when meat is cooked has much to do with the
method of cookery to choose, for different methods produce different
results. To understand this, it will be necessary to know just what the
action of cooking is on the material that meat contains. When raw meat
is cut, the tiny meat fibers are laid open, with the result that, in the
application of the cooking process, the albuminous material either is
lost, or, like the albumen of eggs, is coagulated, or hardened, and thus
retained. Therefore, before preparing a piece of meat, the housewife
should determine which of these two things she wishes to accomplish and
then proceed to carry out the process intelligently.
The methods of cookery that may be applied to meat include broiling, pan
broiling, roasting, stewing or simmering, braizing, frying, sauteing,
and fricasseeing. All of these methods are explained in a general way in
Essentials of Cookery, Part 1, but explanations of them as they apply
to meat are here given in order to acquaint the housewife with the
advantages and disadvantages of the various ways by which this food can
be prepared.
22. BROILING AND PAN BROILING.--Only such cuts of meats as require short
cooking can be prepared by the methods of broiling and pan broiling. To
carry out these methods successfully, severe heat must be applied to the
surface of the meat so that the albumin in the ends of the muscle fibers
may be coagulated at once. This presents, during the remainder of the
preparation, a loss of the meat juices.
Meat to which either of these methods is applied will be indigestible on
the surface and many times almost uncooked in the center, as in the case
of rare steak. Such meat, however, is more digestible than thin pieces
that are thoroughly cooked at the very high temperature required
for broiling.
23. ROASTING.--The process of roasting, either in the oven or in a pot
on top of the stove, to be properly done, requires that the piece of
meat to be roasted must first be seared over the entire surface by the
application of severe heat. In the case of a pot roast, the searing can
be done conveniently in the pot before the pot-roasting process begins.
If the meat is to be roasted in the oven, it may be seared first in a
pan on top of the stove. However, it may be seared to some extent by
placing it in a very hot oven and turning it over so that all the
surface is exposed. Then, to continue the roasting process, the
temperature must be lowered just a little.
The roasting pan may be of any desirable size and shape that is convenient and sufficiently large to accommodate the meat to be prepared. It is provided with a cover that fits tight. In this cover is an opening that may be closed or opened so as to regulate the amount of moisture inside the pan. In the bottom of the pan is a rack upon which the meat may rest.
24. To prepare meat for roasting, flour should be sprinkled or rubbed
over its lean surface before it is put in the pan. This forms a paste
that cooks into a crust and prevents the loss of juices from the meat.
In roasting, the heat is applied longer and more slowly than in broiling
or frying, so that there is more possibility for the connective tissue
beneath the surface to soften. The surface is, however, as indigestible
as that of broiled meat.
An important point for every housewife to remember in this connection is
that the larger the roast the slower should be the fire. This is due to
the fact that long before the heat could penetrate to the center, the
outside would be burned. A small roast, however, will be more delicious
if it is prepared with a very hot fire, for then the juices will not
have a chance to evaporate and the tissues will be more moist and tasty.
25. FRYING AND SAUTEING.--When meat is fried or sauted, that is, brought
directly in contact with hot fat, it is made doubly indigestible,
because of the hardening of the surface tissues and the indigestibility
of the fat that penetrates these tissues. This is especially true of
meat that is sauted slowly in a small quantity of hot fat. Much of this
difficulty can be overcome, however, if meat prepared by these methods,
like that which is broiled or roasted, is subjected quickly to intense
heat. In addition, the fat used for cooking should be made hot before
the meat is put into it.
26. BOILING.--To boil meat means to cook it a long time in water at a
temperature of 212 degrees Fahrenheit. This method of preparing meat is
not strongly advocated, for there is seldom a time when better results
cannot be obtained by cooking meat at a lower temperature than boiling
point. The best plan is to bring the meat to the boiling point, allow
it to boil for a short time, and then reduce the temperature so that the
meat will simmer for the remainder of the cooking.
In cooking meat by boiling, a grayish scum appears on the surface just
before the boiling point is reached. This scum is caused by the gradual
extraction of a part of the soluble albumin that is present in the
hollow fibers of the muscle tissue. After its extraction, it is
coagulated by the heat in the water. As it coagulates and rises, it
carries with it to the top particles of dirt and other foreign material
present in the water or on the surface of the meat. In addition, this
scum contains a little blood, which is extracted and coagulated and
which tends to make it grayish in color. Such scum should be skimmed
off, as it is unappetizing in appearance.
27. Whether the meat should be put into cold water or boiling water
depends on the result that is desired. It is impossible to make a rich,
tasty broth and at the same time have a juicy, well-flavored piece of
boiled meat. If meat is cooked for the purpose of making soup or broth,
it should be put into cold water and then brought to a boil. By this
method, some of the nutritive material and much of the flavoring
substance will be drawn out before the water becomes hot enough to
harden them. However, in case only the meat is to be used, it should be
plunged directly into boiling water in order to coagulate the surface at
once, as in the application of dry heat. If it is allowed to boil for 10
minutes or so and the temperature then reduced, the coating that is
formed will prevent the nutritive material and the flavor from being
lost to any great extent. But if the action of the boiling water is
permitted to continue during the entire time of cooking, the tissues
will become tough and dry.
28. STEWING OR SIMMERING.--The cheap cuts of meat, which contain a great
deal of flavor and are so likely to be tough, cannot be prepared by the
quick methods of cookery nor by the application of high temperature, for
the result would be a tough, indigestible, and unpalatable dish. The
long, slow cooking at a temperature lower than boiling point, which is
known as stewing or simmering, should be applied. In fact, no better
method for the preparation of tough pieces of meat and old fowl can be
found than this process, for by it the connective tissue and the muscle
fibers are softened. If the method is carried out in a tightly closed
vessel and only a small amount of liquid is used, there is no
appreciable loss of flavor except that carried into the liquid in which
the meat cooks. But since such liquid is always used, the meat being
usually served in it, as in the case of stews, there is no actual loss.
To secure the best results in the use of this method, the meat should be
cut into small pieces so as to expose as much surface as possible. Then
the pieces should be put into cold water rather than hot, in order that
much of the juices and flavoring materials may be dissolved. When this
has been accomplished, the temperature should be gradually raised until
it nearly reaches the boiling point. If it is kept at this point for
several hours, the meat will become tender and juicy and a rich, tasty
broth will also be obtained.
29. BRAIZING.--Meat cooked by the method of braizing, which is in
reality a combination of stewing and baking, is first subjected to the
intense dry heat of the oven and then cooked slowly in the steam of the
water that surrounds it. To cook meat in this way, a pan must be used
that will permit the meat to be raised on a rack that extends above a
small quantity of water. By this method a certain amount of juice from
the meat is taken up by the water, but the connective tissue is well
softened unless the cooking is done at too high a temperature.