The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-04-23
|H|CH COST is CUT
by SELECTION and
SAVING OF MEAT

/ Specialists Have Made
Special Study for
Housewife.
Washington, D. c. April 21.-Mea
| is one Of the. more expensive items ii
| the food bill Of the ordinary family
and for this reason it is importan
that it be bought and used to the bes
possible advantage.
4 American consumers are reminded
of this in a statement just issued BIZ
specialists of the Z. s. Department Of
Agriculture. The methods by which
economy may be effected will vary
it is pointed out, with the conditions
surrounding each family, with tbs
amount of personal supervision giver
by the housewife to the preparation
of food, with her skill, with market
conditions. and with the Willingness
of the members of the family to cal
dishes other than those often espec-
| tally expensive-for which they have
a special liking.
| Many persons, says the statement
eat over abundantly Of meat. In such
! cases it should be possible, If the in
centive is great enough, to reduce ex-
penditure for meat by reducing the
amount purchased. Where meat has
been purchased by telephone or or
ders to a butchers boy, personal shop
| ping and careful selection may make q
saving possible. Still another posi-
bility for ecopomizing is to purchase
cheaper cuts and to compensate for
any toughness and less desirable fla
vor by preparing them more careful
| ly for the table. Finally, economy
often may be achieved by utilizing
the meat more completely, including
the trimmings and bones, and left
overs.
| In purchasing the cheaper, and Of
ten tougher cuts OF meat instead OF the
chofcer cuts, a housewife is losing lit
tie, 1t any, nutriment, provided of
course, the proportion OF bone to meat
is no greater than In the more costly
kinds. She rather is sacrificing only
texture or flavor or ease OF prepare
ton for the sake OF cheapness; and, if
she wishes OF produce dishes as pala-
table as those made from expensive
meats, must expend more care on
preparing. favoring and cooking. II
the cheaper steaks are purchased. for
example. degree Of tenderness may
be impaired to them by the we'll
known method of pounding the meat.
The juices and havors OF such steaks
will be retained more satisfactorily
il flour Is sprinkled over them during
the beating process and SO worked
into the fibres on the surface.
Another common method OF uti1-
izing the tougher meats is to grind
them and form them into balls which
may be broiled like steak. Cheap
cuts OF meat also may be cooked
slowly with vegetables or dumplings
in a casserole or any other thick wall
ed baking dish which can be covered
the juices thereby being retained.
Whatever the quality Of meat
bought, undoubtedly there will be in
most cases trimmings and scraps Of
fat. bones. grist1e etc. The fat may
be tried out by grinding or chopping
and heating in double boiler. The
tried out fat then may be boiled in
water and allowed to solidify on the
surface OF the water, when the lat
ter coo1s. impurities being scraped
from the under surface Of the cake.
Trimmings of lean meat, gr1ktle and
bone. may be boiled slowly and used
for soup stock.
Leftover portions Of cooked meats
from serving dishes may be used in
a variety of ways to prepare palatable
dishes. In utilizing such materials
and in the preparation Of other meats
the knowledge Of few general prin-
ciples Of cookery, such as the GUAM
tity Of flour used to thicken sauce
the time needed for cooking meats Of
varying toughness. the proportion Of
starchy foods or succulent vegetables
to combine with meats, and the like
makes 1t easy to utilize whatever ma
terials may happen to be on hand
without 9 special recipe for each par
ticular dish. Leftover cooked meats
may be used, like small pieces of UNI
cooked meat. with vegetables and 9TH
er foods in the preparation OF casse-
role dishes, in making stews, haslles,
crOquettes, etc. Cold sliced meat
may be served with hot gravy from
soup stock, milk, meat fat and flour
or other ingredients.
An important way in which the
amount of money expended for meat
may be lessened is by preparing rela-
lively small quantities OF meat in such
a way as to extend its flavor to other
and cheaper foods. In using meat SO
as to extend it's flavor it may be,
ground and combined with rice, bread
crumbs. ETC.. to form crouuettes:
made into pies with relatively large
quantities of pastry: cooked with
dumplings; served in the same dish
with gravy and starchy foods, such
as spaghetti or rice; ground and used
with bread crumbs or other materials.
as a stuffing for vegetables, such as
tomatoes and green peppers; or cut
thin and wrapped around a stuffing
of bread crumbs, rice, vegetables, etc.
II 1t Is considered desirable, other
protein foods may be consumed in
larger quantities to take the place Of
the meat formerly eaten This pro-
tein may be furnished by eggs, if they
are cheap. skim milk, cheese, dried
beans, peas, cowpeas and other 1e-
gumes.
A few typical recipes are given be-
low as examples of the many dishes
housewives may prepare with meat as
the chief ingredient
Braised Beef or Pot Roast.