Birmingham state herald., 1897-02-26
ART OF CHOOSING MEAT.
A Well Known Chef Tells How to Dis tinguish the Sound From the
 Unsound. |.
Philadelphia Press.

Philadelphia Press.
 Tt is a miracle" remarked a chef, ''that the average woman, with her hus- band and family, is not poisoned more frequently than is the case.'
 What an alarming idear' exclaimed a woman standing near.
 True, nevertheless" he replied. "Do you know that eight women out of dozen cannot detect disease in meat and poultry l don't mean disease germs. It takes doctors with instruments to dis cover that. But really advanced stage. of disease.
 Being requested for further hints upon this most important subject the wise man gave a few of the simple rules by which flesh, sound and unsound, may be dis tinguished from each other.
 First of all the oyster. This should be used as soon as opened-the sooner the better. When an oyster is not firm. When it has a cloudy or milky appear ance, avoid it. This usually occurs dur ing warm weather.
 To buy good fish make sure that the flesh is firm, not fiabby. The skin will be clear and the scales bright. The eyes full and the fins stiff.
 In purchasing your chickens select one which is plump and firm. The breast full and broad-except in the case of spring chickens, upon which little fat is found. The lean meat should be white. The fat pale yellow. The skin will be fine grained. The legs smooth. The breast bone soft and the toes easily broken by bending back Many cooks consider a dry picked" chicken the best for culin- ary purposes. A "scalded'' fowl may be easily detected by the skin. This across the bones. In buying young fowls to broil choose those with yellow legs and firm white skin.
 A turkey, when good, has most of the points given above for chicken buying. The tip of the breast bone should be soft The meat clear and firm. In purchasing chickens and turkeys be careful to watch the liver. intestines, etc. See that these are of healthy normal color
 In buying other birds, as woodcock, quail, etc.. do not worry over the gamey smell. This is not taint. All game of this kind has an odor. It is entirely differ ent from that of decomposition.
 As to venison. Care is necessary with this also. It should show a good bit of fat The fat should be white and the lean dark red
 A good tongue may be discovered by certain points. It should be solid and thick. The under side should show good deal of fat.
 In sausages, pick out such as are firm and solid, being somewhat dry upon the outside.
 In selecting pork, the main object is to secure such as comes from a young anil nal. The flesh should be firm and of a pale red color. The fat white; the skin white and clear. poor quality of pork is shown by the fact that the flesh is soft and the fat yellow When the pork. has been salted, good pork will take on pale pink shade Nothing is more dan gerous than pork which is unsound or from an unhealthy animal The rlnd will be thin in the proper article. The grain will be fine and the skin cold.
 Good veal has several points by which it may be known. It should not be pur- chased when having bluish tinge and a flabby feeling to the touch. This means that the animal was too young. The fat in the proper thing will be white and firm. The lean will be of pale pink shade Never buy veal in swhich the flesh is very white. This shows that Veal newly slain, changes color very rapidly.
 In choosing lamb select meat with red bones. With hard, white fat. For mutton take that which has fat, hard and white. Meat of a fine grain, firm, dark red in color and juicy In appearance.
 In beef look for the following points: heifer, is fine in grain, is firm and solid with yellowish, white fat. When first cut it is dark red in color, which changes rapidly to light red in color, which changes rapidly to light red as the air reaches 1t. It will contain much juice. The suet In good beef is dry. It is easily crumbled and almost without fiber.
 The flesh of OK and COW is considerably darker in color than that of the young nr,mals. I; will appear rather dry. The grain will be coarser.
 All fresh meat to be sound and good should be firm when tried by the fing IFS.