The midland journal., 1917-02-16
SUGGESTIONS FOR
COOKING MEATS
AesTATE HOME DEMONSTRATION
,AGENT GIVES INSTRUCTION in
SELECTING MEAT CUTS.
DIFFERENT CUTS DESCRIBED
Should Be Balanced With a Whole,
some Amounts Of Fresh veee.
tables and Pure Drink
ing Water.

College Park, Md, Feb. Sin q
series of lessons prepared for the in
struction of the housewife, Miss K. A.
Pritchett, State Home Demonstration
Agent, gives the following information
regarding the selection and use of
meat cuts:
Meat AS a Food.
A few facts we should know about
meat are called to our attention.
The meats that we commonly use
are derived from the flesh of domestic
and wild animals of herbivorous habits
and from fowls. The flesh of carnivor-
Dus animals is seldom used as food
The quality of the meat is depend
Dnt upon the condition of the animal
from which 1t Is derived The crea-
ture should be in perfect health and
full fed. Methods of slaughter, trans
portation and preservation all affect
the quality of beef. In meat, as it is
Z purchased we have bone, tat and the
desh. consisting of the muscles of the
animal, with its connective tissue.
The color of meat should be clear and
fairly bright, not purplish or dull.
There should be little or no odor ard
WEhe meat should be firm and elastic to
4he touch.
Beef should be bright red and we'll
streaked with fat
Veal should be pink and somewhat
1acr 4J,or,
fabby it is too young.
Mutton is duller red and firm Tho
fat is white or slightly yellow and
hard.
Lamb is pink rather than rcd and
slightly less firm than mutton.
Pork is rather pale and somewhat less
firm than beef and mutton, and the
fat is softer.
TO understand the difference be-
tween tough and tender cuts we must
be familiar with the structure of the
muscles. Each muscle consists Of
bundles of tubes held together by con-
nective tissue. In tough meat the
muscle tubes are thicker and there is
more connective tissue present Exer-
else strengthens the muscles and this
accounts for the fact that the unex-
ercised muscles of the young animal
gives us softer meat In the mature
animal the muscles most exercised
furnish the tough meat, and the less
used muscles the tender. If you think
Of the proportionate amount of exer-
else that the different muscles receive,
you can easily determine where the
tough meat will occur.
The tough cuts come from the neck
and legs; the tender cuts from the
middle of the back, the toughness in
creasing as the cuts approach the
neck and hind legs. The muscles Of
the abdomen are also tender, but they
give a coarse-grained meat
The tender cuts from the ribs and
toin are the most highly priced, and,
!. therefore, bring the highest prices.
These cuts are liked because of their
Tenderness, although the nutritive
value Of the tough meat is as high as
that OF the tender, or possibly even
higher. For the sake of economy, we
are forced to use the relatively cheap
or cuts. and to seek for meat substi-
tutes. We must also take pains to
use the cooking processes that will
make the tough meats palatable
Meat Is valuable chiefly for its
protein, fat and mineral salts. In
spite Of the fact that meat is COM
mon article of diet it should not be
used in excess. Other forms of pro-
tein, as those in eggs and milk are
usually digested as easily, and most
people can digest vegetable proteins if
The vegetables are carefully prepared.
Small children should not eat meat,
FOR it has stimulating properties which
are undesirable for them and 1t takes
away the taste for foods more import
ant for growth. When used largely in
the diet, meat tends to cause intestinal
putrefaction and to form excess of
acid in the body. 1t is less likely to
be harmful If taken with plenty of
fruits and green vegetables and a
liberal drinking of clear water