Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-03-24
SELECTING PROVISIONS,
Infallible Rules for Selectinx the hest
In the Market From q Tender steak %
Soup Bone.
POULTRY, VEGETABLES AND GAME.


In order to facilitate the choice of the best
provisions, the following signs of good quality
should be attended to:
As general rule, the best meat is that which
is moderately fat. Lean meat will be found to
be tough and tasteless Very fat meat NAV be
good but 1t is not economical and the butcher
| ought to be required to cut of the superfluous
| suet before weighing it.
BEETLE flesh should feel tender. have a
| fine grain and clear red color. The fat should
| be moderate In quantity. and lie in streaks
| through the lean. Its color should be white or
| very light yellow. Ok beef Is the best; heifer
very good, If we'll fed; cow and bull decidedly
| inferior.
Mutton-The flesh, like that Of beef, should
| be Of good red color. perhaps shade darker
| 1t should be fne-grasned and well mixed with
| fat, which ought to be white and firm. Wether
| mutton is superior to either ram or eve, and
may be distinguished by having a prominent
lump of fat on the inside of the leg at the
broadcast part. The flesh of the ram has very
dark color, and is OK a coarse texture; that of
| the eve is pale, and the fat yellow and spongy
Veal-Its color should be light, with a tinge
of pink. 1t ought to be rather fat and feel firm
| to the touch. The flesh should have fine dell
cate texture. The leg bone should be small.
the kidney small and well covered with fat
The proper age is about two or three months
When killed too youngit is soft, fabby and dark
colored. The bull calf makes the best veal.
though the cow calf is preferred for some dishes
| on account of the udder.
Lamb-This should be light-colored and fat.
| and have delicate appearance The kidneys
should be small and imbedded in fat, the
! quarters short and thick. and the knuckle stiff
| When FRESH the vein in the fore quarter will
| have blush tint. If the vein looks green or
| yellow it is a sure sign of staeness. which may
also be detected by smelling the kidneys.
Pork-Both the flesh and the fat must be
white firm smooth and dry Whap wanna ona
fresh. the lean ought to break when pinched
with the fingers. and the skn which should be
| thin, yield to the nails. The breed having
| short legs, thick neck and small head is the
| best. Six months is the right age for killing,
when the leg should not weigh more than six or
seven pounds. Measly pork is known by the
| fat being notified with little Jumps and kernels,
| and should be religiously avoided.
Generally all meat. when not fresh. has
tainted smell about the Kidneys and the eyes
| are shrunk and shriveled instead of being
plump and full.
Bacon and ham may be considered good when
the rnd is thin, the fat white and firm, ana
| when the flesh adheres to the bone and has
clear, darkish red color not streaked with yell
low. To test the perfect freshness of ham, run
knife into 1t close to the bone and If, when
drawn out 1t has no unpleasant SMELL and the
knife is not smeared, the ham is fresh and good.
If either bacon or ham have the slightest tnge
| of yellow in the fat, it will soon become rancid
| and unfit for use.
Butter and cheese should be judged Of by
tasting them.
Eggs-It is difficult to discover II an egg be
fresh. The best plan is to hold it between the
eye and lighted candle, close to the light,
when if it appears equally transparent through
out. 1T may be pronounced good; but if there are
any cloudy spots apparent it may be rejected as
stale.
POULTRY.
Birds of all kinds are best when young. The
thin bone projecting over the belly will then
feel soft and gristly; ifit is stiff and hard the
bird is old. All poultry should be firm and
fleshy.
Fowls are best when short and plump, with
broad breast and thick rump, the legs smooth
and the spurs short and blunt. The backlog
ged kind are the most juicy. In capGns the
comb should be short and pale-in cocks. short
and bright red. If fresh, the vent will be close
and dark; when stale, it will be tainted and the
eyes sunk.
Turkeys-The same remarks apply to these
as to fowls. When young the toes and bills are
soft. Some persons prefer the tom turkey to
the hen. will here remark that, to my notion.
the flesh OF the hen is whittier, tenderer and
| sweeter eating than that of the tom. For nv
use prefer hen turkey of ten or twelve
pounds, though Tor ''shOw piece" your FIVE
and-tWenty FOUNDER is q grander spectacle to
the eye; and as to sweetness and flavor In the
turkey, could never see thatsize had anything
much darker and more perfumed than that OF
the domestic turkey.
Geese-The flesh should be Of fine light
pink tint, the liver pale, the fat white and soft.
and the breast full and plump. In a young
goose the feet ana bill are yellow; I'm an old one
reddish. 1t ought to have very few or no hairs
on the body
>Ducks-Young ducks are distinguished In the
same manner as young geese; the belly should
De firm and thick. The drake is the best eat
ing.
Pigeons-The breast should be full and plump
and the feet elastic. When not fresh they are
1abby and the vent discolored.
GAME
Wild fowls when young. have soft quilts. and
should be plump and hard in the vent Old
birds are distinguished by rigid bills, rough leg
sinews and long sharp spurs; they require
longer keeping than young Ones Small field
birds should always be used fresh
Venison-The flesh Of good venison is dark.
tine grained and firm, and the fat clear and
bright. lying thickly on the back. When young
the cleft Of the hOof is smooth and close.
Rabbits are fresh when the body is rigid.
Young ones have the claws smooth, sharp and
close, and the ears tender and easily torn.
FISH.
A stale fish furnishes such unmstakablo evil
dence of its condition, both to smell and sight,
that the merest novice who should purchase 1t
would be inexcusable. When perfectly fresh the
body is stiff and elastic; the gs close, red diff
cult to open; the fms lying flat to the sides: the
eyes bright and full, the scales glistening and
firmly attached to the body. When stale, it is
the reverse of all this, and has, besides a
strong, offensive smell. The best fish of all
kinds have small heads and tails, thick bodies
and broad shoulders.
HOLSTERS and crabs should weigh heavy: when
light they are filled with water, which may also
be knowni in Holsters by the berries being large
and brownish. In crabs. after being boiled, the
water, ifthere be any, may be heard rafting on
shaking them. The male Is better than the fe- |
male, and is distinguished in the lobster by
narrow TAIL and in the crab by narrow breast |
The lobster, when in perfection. has hard,
firm she'll and may be considered very superior
if incrusted with marine animals
Prawns and shrimps are usually sold boiled.
They are good when their tails turn strongly in
ward and when they have no unpleasant smell,
and best when very red and free from spawn
under the tail.
Oysters and clans, If alive and healthy, will |
close upon the knife when being opened.
vECETARIEN