The Republican journal., 1880-12-02
The Choice OF Food.

FIRST aa regards butchers meat, atten-
tM c0 the following simple directions
VIII aid The housewife in deciding upon
tlat all-importaDt point its freshness
Ali lean meat. when fresh shows a deep
udfpIisll red tinge with a bloom over it
Nm the outside Of the muscle and paler
FernIiion Ted with Just shade Of purple
tn the cut surface. Mutton lean should
ne quite even in hue, and have no flavor
whatever ot talloW beef lean NAV be a
Little marbed with fat. but it must have
no flavor Of suet. The surface Of the
meat must he quite dry, even cut
scarcely Wettlng the tinger, and the sub
stance moderately soft tut at the same
Tine go elastic that no mark is left after
X pressure from the finger. Keeping the
neat toI day or Two III the larder should
make No difference DIS regards this.
Ileu. there should be a Very little odor
'4 q single Joint OF meat it should not
waste much in cooking, and when brought
f. table roasted, should retain lis gravy
well until the knife causes it to gush out
p a 1lch, appc5izinG stream, full Of in
riting scent and flavor This is particu-
-drlr The case with mutton, and, for as
celtanlng its value, is the easiest test we
know Of But, generally, for all meat, a
good test is to push clean knife up to
the hilt into its substance. In good fresh
meat the resistance is uniform, but when
some parts are softer than others, wemay
pc quite sure that putretaction has set in.
The smell Of the knife is also a good aid
and TINS, bI the way, is always useful
tn choosing a ham, for, by pushing 4
knlte deep in, withdrawing it and smell
ing it, one can tell whether the flavor is
very salt or the contrary rs regards
fat: The raw tat Of beef should be of a
slightly yellow color, like fresh butter :;
that Of mutton should be very white
Lamb and veal should also have very
White and translucent fat, whilst the lean
0t both should be pale, bu- perfectly
evenly tinted. The various internal parts
Of an animal are more difficult to choose.
and great care is necessary in seeing that
they are perfectly fresh, as they decom-
pose quicker than the outer parts, and
when decomposed they are very lnwhole-
some. Generally speaking, liver, kidneys,
etc, may be safely eaten when in their
unc0Oked condition they show bright
even color throughout, and are quite free
from marks of congestion or bruises But
q special word of advice is needed as to
the selection Of sWeetbread, which is the
thymus gland of the calf, for butchers
will sometimes send the pancreas or stom-
ach bread instead. This may be recog-
nlZed, however, even when cooked and
chopped up by its large veins and arte-
ries; and, as it is very inferior in digesti-
bility to the more delicate gland, it is as
we'll to be quite sure about the real arti-
Gle before buying it, A young and there
fore tender fowl may be known before
plucking by the largeness Of the feet and
the leg joints; and after plucking, a thin
neck and violet thighs may be taken as
invariable signs of age and toughness, es-
pecially in turkeys and fowls. The age
Of ducks and geese is tested in a different
manner-i.e., by their beaks, the lower
part Of which breaks away quite easily
when they are young. One of the chief
and most Objectionable drawbacks to an
old fowl, duck or goose is the rank and
disagreeable SAVIOR. Young birds of the
gallinaceous tribe may be known by their
undeveloped spurs, and young partridges
by the pointed long wing feathers, which
grow rounded at the tip with age. In the
case of fish, many people trust to the
sense of smell; but this is not always to
be depended upon, as it may be deceived
by the use of ice. The best tests Of fresh
ness are the fullness of the eyeballs and
the bright pink hue of the gills when raw,
and when cooked, the firmness of the