The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-12-07
Tho Choice OF Food,

First, as regards butchers meat,attcntior
to the following simple directions will aic
the housewife in deciding upon that all-im
| portant point--its freshness. All lear
meat, when fresh, shows deep purplisl
red tinge with bloom over IL on tho out
side of the muscle, and paler vermilior
red with just shade of purple in the cut
surface. Mutton lean should be quite oven
IN nue., and have no flavor whatever of tai
low; beef lean may be little marblcd with
iat, but 1t must have no flavor of suet
The surface Of the meat must bo quite dry
even a cut scarcely wctting the finger, and
the substance moderately soft, but at the
same time so elastic that no mark is left
after pressure from the finger. Keeping
the meat for day or two Ill the lardeI
should make no difference as regards this.
Then, there should be very little odor in a
single JOINT OF meat; 1t should not waste
much i'll cooking, and when brought to
taoie roasted, should retain its gravy we'll
until the knife causes it to glsh out in q
rich, appctHing stream, full Of inviting
scent and flavor. This is particularly the
case with mutton, and for asccrtalning 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 lis
substance. In good, fresh meat the resis-
tancc is uniform, but when some parts are
softer than others we may be quite suro
That Dutrcfaction has set in. The smell Of
the knife is also good aid-uud this, by
the way, is always useful IN choosing a
ham; Tor, by pushing a knife deep III,
withdrawing it and smelling 1t, one can tell
whether the flavor Is very salt or the con-
trary. AS regards fat. Tho raw fat 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 fnt.
whilst the lean of both shoul:l be pale. but
perfectly evenly tinted
Il young and therefore tender fowl may be
known before plucklng by the largcncss of
the feet and the leg joints and after pluck
ing thin neck and violet thighs may be
taken rs invariablc signs of age and tough
ness, especially in turkeys and fowls. The
age Of ducks and geese is tested in differ
cnt manncr-that IS, by their leak, tho
lower part Of which breaks away quite ca
silly when they are young One of the
chief and most Objectionable drawbacks to
an old fowl, duck or goose, is the rank and
dsagrceablc savor. Young birds of the
gallinaccous tribe may be known by their
undcvelopcd spurs, and young partridgcs
ny tho pointed long wing feathers, which
grow rounded at the tip with aye. In the
case of fish, many people trust to the sense
Of smell; but this is not always to be de-
pended upon, IS il may be deceived by the
use OF ice. The best tests of freshness arc
the fullncss Of the eyebalIs aud the bright
pink hue of the gills whom raw, and when
cooked the firmness OF the flesh, which in
the case of stale fish is tlabby and stringy,
even II preserved by cold from visible pu-
trefaction, The cheapest sorts of fish are
- t--f----, r. - Ia: ~. ~. ~
1t Is sure to be most plentiful, in fullest
season, and therefore most wholesome.