The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1881-04-21
Wasting Of Meats.

sible to designate few of the ways of
waste. AT the top of the list stands
the practice of washing meat, not with
soap and water, as one of our far-away
correspondents claims to attend the alb
lutions of such unfortun ate chickens as
fall into her hands, but with "plenty
of clean. cold water" OF course the
daughter of neat New England ought
to know better than to set aside all the
precepts of her clearly ancestry, but
here 'le takes her stand with vigorous
protest against the meat-washing of anv
save smoked or over-salteu viands. She
persists in wiping flesh and fowl with
clean wet cloth, which will remove any
mildly objectionables substance. If such
gentle means are insufficient she deals
no more with the butcher who sent her
more than her fair share of that "peck
OF dirt" She insists that the washing
of meats wastes their nutriment with
every drop of animal fluid that the
water attracts to itself, unless the same
water be used for soups, stews or sauces,
for when the meat is exposed to the
action of water there is an instantane-
Gus interchange of fluids unless the
water be at the boiling point and there
maintained. Once the actual cooking
OF meat is commenced the unavoidable
waste of its substance may be estimated
at about one-third in bulk, except in
frying. All the various methods of
cookery may be concentrated under
three heads. l. The application of di-
rect heat from the fire or from hot air,
as in roasting, broiling and baking. 2.
The action of hot water or steam, as in
boiling. stewing. braising and steam
ing. The instantaneous soaring of the
surface of food by intense surround.
ing heat, as in frying. The actual
waste in substance proceeding from
these different methods may be stated
as follows: Four pounds of meat will
lose in roasting or broiling before the
fire one,pound and half; in baking in
the oven one pound and quarter; in
careful boiling, stewing or braising one
pound; in trying, .. e., entire immersion
in smoking hot fat scarcely any. So,
at the first thought the latter method
might seem the most economical. This
is not the case, for in stews, braises and
thick soups, carefully made, nearly all
the nutriment which the meat loses is
preserved in the broth or sauce, which
both become vehicles for the addition
OF cheap and satisfactory aliment in the
form OF dumpllngs or vegetables. Such
addition is necessary in order to make
a given quantity of boiled meats as nu-
tritious as an equal bulk of roasted or
broiled meat. All broths and stews
should be cooked slowly and kept
closely covered, so that no nutriment is
driven off during the escape of steam
caused by violent ebullition Another
source of waste is the removal of the
scum which rises to the surface of the
water when the cooking begins; this
scum is composed largely of the albu-
men which the water draws out of the
meat, and it should not be removed un-
less clear soup is being made; if taken
from the broth for clear sou 1t should
be added to whatever thick SOUP or
stew is under preparation. The process
OF braising is closely allied in methods
and results to that of stewing, and pre-
sents food in an exceeding palatable
and digestive form. 1t is at this point
that the ACCESSIBILITY of frying may be
questioned, even supposing that the |
frying is well done, which is not often
the case; by bad frying the dyspepsia
fiourishes, while by frying we'll done all
the juices and the substance of the food |
are retained, but the crust produced bv |
the action of the hot fat can not fail to
tax weak digestive powers.
Unquestionably the broiling and
roasting of meat-literally the least
economical ways of dressing it-present
1t IN the most palatable and wholesome
form. Both in boiling and roasting the
meat should be exposed to the direct
heat of a clear hot fire, SO that light
crisp crust may be quickly formed and
serve to retain the juices of the meat;
In broiling, this crust will form close to
a hot fire in about three minutes for
each side of the meat; in roasting, with
joint, may be Drowned in fifteen min
utes; in baking meat in "a hot oven,
about twenty minutes will be required.
Although baking resembles roasting
somewhat, the results are less desirable,
because the hot fat spatters from meat
and burns up on the interior of the oven
producing unpleasant and unwholesome
vapors unless the oven is very well ven
S.A"eS0. bAOW udhIuS tAu tIldt accom-
plished by irregular heat, are sources of
great waste of nutriment and flavor.
To avoid waste in broiling and roast
ng, the fire must be clear, hot and
steady, and the meat exposed directly
% its heat until its surface is Drowned.
It may then be set little away from the
ire, but regular heat must be main
aimed. All drippings and gravy must
De preserved and in broiling meat over
'he fire grooved gridiron must be used
% keep the fat from falling on the
:oals and blazing up against the meat.
The free circulation of air renders both
hese methods desirable, and very little
'hange takes place in the chemical con-
tituents of the flesh. UNDERGONE roasts
md broils may be more savory and pos
ably more nutritious than those well
lone, but they are less digestible, and
less economical, for the
economy of food lies wholly in the
punishment it furnishes the system.
The actual nutritive value of bones is
ut little known; they are even rela-
lively valuable, the bones of the legs of
affording more nutriment than
hose of the back and ribs. During ex-
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