The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1925-09-11
ROAST BEEF-RARE OR
WELL DONE
by Erna ]. Bertrams
Director of Food Economics

Some people prefer blondes TO
brunettes; some people prefer rare
beef to well done beef; some people
prefer tan shoes to black; some peo-
ple prefer we'll done to rare. Ana
thare ID lust about the same reason
or logic in either choice. It's MAI
Ter of personal taste. From
standnoint Of nutrition and diges-
zion there virtually is nc. difference
,stwoan roast beef we'll done,
medium or rare. It's a mattei y
habit and palatability more 'nan
anvthing else in the world. :.
Once in a while the question Is
~ IN to the officials of Armour
and Company as to the rela'ise
values Of beef cooked in the 'mee
wovs In order to help settle DC
casional arguments that arise among
enicureans or advocates OF one KIM
e cooking rather than another Tue
nanartment of Food Economies ieo
ontlv has completed an exhauselse
survey of the question and also ",
FAMED the opinions OF noteo ioou
avnarts on the subject. AS result
- tba letters and the study, 1t may
~ rather definitely stated that tnere
i little or no difference IN .ne
accessibility, the palatabillty' OF .he
nntritive value of beef cooked to the
various degrees.
some people, without really know
ing. have the impression that wen
done meat is more healthful ano
more easily digested Advocates OF
rare meat have argued that II Is
more difficult to digest well done
meat because that meat must DC
more thoroughly masticated. In
that process there is mixed more
than the usual amount OF saliva,
which they claim produces an over
alkalinity of the digestive fluids.
The rare beef devotee will assert
that meat which is rare may be
digested without chewing. Rather
exhaustive tests along that line
have been made with dogs and it
has been proved that a dog can di-
gest piece of raw beef, unchewedl
quite easily, but so far as is known
to the scientific world, no such
tests have been made with human
beings.
The man who prefers his beef
cooked medium asserts that it is
the only way to have beef cooked
because the protein is just suf-
ficiently cooked.
DR.. Philip D. Hawk, who stands
very high in the medical and
dietetic world, carried on some OF
the most important experiments at
Jefferson Medical College in Phila
delphia, in connection with the di
gestion Of various foods, and con-
corning the digestibility of roast
beef we'll done, medium, or rare
he says:
There is not very much difference
in the rapidity of digestion of roast
beef cooked in the three ways. In
our tests, eight stomachs out of ten
emptied in three hours or less, when
rare roast beef was fed; three out
of five when the roast beef was
medium; two out of six when the
meat was we'll done. The consen
sus of opinion of the stomachs is
therefore slightly against the well
done beef, but the margin of diff
ference is slight" One would infer
from his opinion that DR.. Hawk ad
vocates rare or medium roast beef. Z
But along comes DR.. McCollum
also of high rank in dietetics, with
his opinion:
Personally, like beef well
done" though DR.. McCollum does
not explain why, nor does he asser'
that his choise is based on anything
other than the palatability of the
meat as he finds it.
DIR. Harvey H. Wiley, nationally
known pure food expert. says:
Meat carries much bacterial
fora, most of which is entirely
harmless and some of which is
beneficial Also, it may carry and
does carry at times pathogenic
bacteria and particularly animacule
and trichina (this of course refers
to pork For this reason it seems
to me that meats should be cooked
at a temperature SO that the inside
OF roast is raised to the tempera-
ture of boiling water-212 degrees
For little above, for short
time. This, however, would de-
stroy our vogue for red meat, but it
would be safeguard of health as
far as pathogenic infection is
concerned.
$50 far as know, no scientific
determinations have been made of
the points you raise, except in the
destruction of vitamins by too high