Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-03
SavOry, Economical Ways
Of Using Meat and Fish
Possibilities Which May Be Overlooked by House
wife Are Recalled to Mind by Efficient
Study of Methods Leftovers.

| Many housewives overlook the posi-
bil1ties of variety in serving meats. Only
through trips to the meat market, the
choosing of various cuts of meat from
| time to time, and serving them in a
variety OF ways will information be
gained relative to the best ways of cook
ing and serving and the relative econ
| omy Of different cuts. But no matter
what the cut of meat is, whether ex-
pensive or cheap, 1t cannot be used to
the best advantage unless 1t Is well
| cooked. Poorly prepared meat dishes
are almost entirely wasted at the table.
Exactly how much meat should be
eaten Is difficult matter to determine.
Probably If one meat dish is served a
day and other materials supplying pro-
tein, such as milk, eggs, beans or SINH
lar foods, are also used, there is little
danger of getting too much meat or too
little protein. It is, of course, possible
to eat meat dishes less frequently, or to
omit meat from the diet altogether, If
one so desires and the diet is so ar
ranged that it remains well balanced.
Preserving Flavor.
Next to the unchanged flavor of meat
/ itself comes the flavor which is secured
by browning the meat with fat. The
outside slices of roast meat have this
Drowned flavor. Except in the case of
roasts, browning for flavor is usually
accomplished by heating the meat in
frying pan In fat which has been tried
out of pork or in suet or butter. Care
should be taken that the fat is not
Scorched. Browning meat, or part of it,
before covering with water results in
keeping some of the natural f1avoring
In the meat itself and allowing less to
go into the gravy. The flavor Of veal
can be very greatly improved in this
way.
When meat is boiled the water dis
solves out some valuable food and fla
voring materials. Save such water for
soups, or for use in Stews or GRAVES, or
for cooking vegetables. Every bit of
meat or fish left over can be combined
with vegetables for making meat cakes,
meat or fish pies and add flavor and
food value to made dishes. Every
spoonful of leftover gravy can be used
in soups and sauces. or as flavoring for
meat pies, croquettes and vegetables.
Vegetables of distinctive flavor, such
as onions, carrots or celery; savory
herbs, such as parsley, sage, bay leaf or
thyme, and materials such as vinegar,
pickles or currant jelly, spices such as
pepper, cloves or curry mixtures and
sharp or highly seasoned meat sauces
are all types of flavoring material which
may be served in a great variety of ways
A popular way to extend the flavor
Of meat over a large amount of food is
by the use Of stuffing or forcemeat. AS
1t is impossible to use much stufhng in
some pieces of meat, even if the meat is
cut to make a pocket for it, it is often
q good plan to prepare more than can
be used in the meat and to cook the rest
in the pan near the meat. Some cooks
cover the extra Stuffing with buttered
paper while 1t is cooking and haste it
at intervals.
When lamb or mutton fat Is used in
making cream gravy, both the texture
and the flavor of the gravy will be bet
ter II the flour used is Drowned lightly
in the hot fat before the liquid is added.
The addition Of capers or the liquid in
which they have been bottled, chopped
pickle, lemon juice, tomatoes, or cur
rant Jelly will improve the flavor Of the
gravy.
Pounded and Chopped Meat.
Pounding meat before cooking it is
an old-fashioned method of making 1t
tender, but while it has the advantage
Of breaking down the tough tissues. 1t
has the disadvantage of being likely to
drive out the juices and with them the
flavor. A very good way Of escaping
this dif1culty Is to pound some -four
into the meat. This catches and re-
CalnS the juices.
Chopping meat is one Of the principal
methods Of making tough and inexpen-
sive meat tender; that is, dividing 1t
finely and thus cutting the connective
tissue into small bits. Such meats have
another advantage in that they may
be cooked quickly and economically.
Chopped raw meat OF almost any kind
can be very quickly made into savory
dish by cooking it with water or with
water and milk for a short time, then
thickening with butter and flour and
adding different seaSonings as desired,
either pepper and salt alone or onion
juice, celery or tomato. Such q dish
may be made to go further by serving
it on toast or with border Of rice or
in some similar combination.
Macaroni cooked with chopped ham,
hash made Of meat and potatoes or
meat and rice, meat croquettes made of
meat and some starchy material like
bread crumbs, cracker dust or rice are
familiar examples of meat combined
with starchy materials Veal cakes are
Of this character and easily made. To
make them mix one pound of cooked or
raw chopped veal with one-fourth
pound of soaked bread crumbs, one