, 1880-10-01
The Choice of Food.

First, as regards butchers meat, AZ
tention to the following simple a,rec'
tions will aid the housewife in deciding
upon that all-important point-lts fresh
ness. All lean meat, when fresh, shows
deep purplish red tinge with a bloom
over it on the outside Of the muscle,
and a paler vermilion red with Just a
shade of purple in the cut surface
Mutton lean should be quite even In hue
and have no favor whatever Of taIIow !;
beef lean may be little marbIed with
fat, but it must nave no favor OF suet'
The surface of the meat must be quite
dry, even cut scarcely wettinS 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 in the larder should make no differ
ence as regards this Then, there should
be very little odor in single joint OF
meat; it should not waste much in
cooking, and when brought to table
roasted, should retain its gravy well,
until the knife causes it to gush out in
rich, appetizing stream, full of invit-
ing scent and flavor. This is particu-
larly the case with mutton, and, for as
certaining its value, is the easiest test
we know of. But, generally, for all
meat, good test is to push d 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 We may be quite sure that
Dputrefaction has set in. The smell of
the knife is also a good aid-and this,
blythe way, is always useful in choosing
ham; for, by pushing knife deep in,
Withdrawing it and smelling it, one can
tell whether the favor is very salt OF
the contrary. AS regards fat. The raw
fat of beef should be Of slightly vel
low color, like fresh butter; that Of
mutton should be very white. Lamt
and veal should also have very white
and translucent fat, whilst the lean Of
both should be pale, bat perfectly evenly
tinted. = 'aAcia. w
The various internal parts of an ami
NAL 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 unwhole,
some. Generally speaking, liver, kid
neys, ETC., may be safely eaten when in
their uncooked condition they show
bright even color throughout, and are
quite free from marks of congestions or
bruises. But special word of advice
is needed as to the selection Of sweet
bread, which is the thymus gland Of the
cali, for butchers will sometimes send
the pancreas or stomach. h.bread 4nstead.
This may be recognized, however, even
when cooked and chopped up, by its
large veins and arteries and, as it is
very inferior in digestibiliuy TO the more
delicate gland, it is as well to be quite
+, gure about the real article before buy.
ing il. '''' ''''0 Az
A young and therefore tender fowl
may be known before plpcking by the
largeness Of the feet and the leg joints
and after plucking a thin neck and VIC
let thighs may be taken las invariable
signs of age and toughness, especially ID
turkeys, and fowls The age Of ducks
and geese is tested in different man.
ner-.i e., by their heaks, 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 the3rank and dis,
agreeable 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. WI A ID r
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 iesg The best
tests of freshness are the fullness of the
eyebaIls and the bright pink hue of the
gills when raw, and when cooked the
frmness of the flesh, which in the case
Of stale fish is flabby and stringy, even
if preserved by cold from visible putre
faction The cheapest sorts Of fish are
best to buy, for when any kind is cheap
est it is sure to be most plentiful, in
fullest season, and therefore most whole
some. Great care sis necessary in pur
chasing caviarer-the roe of the sturgeon
(which should always be obtained
straight from tisEmonger, and as fresh
as possible Fresh cayiare is soft, pale
in color, and exhibits the ova qlite dis
tinctly; but when it is old and out Of
season it is black, homogeneous in tex
ture, and is very indigestible-in fact
none but the very freshest is to De