Girl's home manual of cookery, home management, home nursing and laundry

(3) Chucks — Rib chops and cheap roasts. (4) Breast, stews. (5) Shoulder, roasts. : (6) Loin, best chops and roasts. soups. (8) Leg, prime b> ag | (7) Flank, stews and (7 roast. sf 9; (9) Shanks, stews and soup. ay The Effects of Cooking Meat. (1.) The appearance and flavour of both lean and fat are improved. Two loins cut together make a saddle. This is an excellent roast. (2.) Harmful bacteria are destroyed if the cooking is thorough. ‘ (3.) Moist Heat. In soup the juices are extracted and the gelatine dissolved in the water. In a stew the gelatine is softened, part of the juices are extracted in the gravy, and part remains in the meat. Dry Heat. In roasts, broils and baked meat great heat is applied during the early stages of cooking, the protein material on the surface is solidified and forms a covering to keep the juices in the meat. The proteins of meat both harden with heat, they begin to coagulate at from 134° F. to 160° F. When the muscle and connective tissue have become thickened and tough by age and exercise moist heat is required to soften and loosen the muscle fibres and to convert the connective tissue into gelatine. (4.) Meat loses weight when cooked. Carving of Meat. Meat should be cut at right angles to the fibres, the muscle tubes are then broken and the juices flow out. The Care of Meat. (1.) Remove meat from paper on arrival to prevent the juices soaking into the paper. (2.) Place it on an earthen or enamel dish and put it in a safe or cover with cheesecloth. Keep meat in a cold place. (3.) Before cooking wipe all over with damp cheesecloth. . Scrape outer parts if necessary, and cut away undesirable pieces. ' (4.) Frozen meat before being cooked must be thawed in a warm room. Directions for Baking Meat. Roast meat is cooked in front of an open fire, baking now takes its place. (1.) Weigh and wipe meat with a damp cloth, place on a trivet in a baking pan. If the meat is very lean put some dripping on it. (2.) Place the meat in a hot oven at first that the albumen on the surface may be immediately hardened and thus form a covering to keep in the meat juices, lower the heat slightly after fifteen minutes. The heat should be greater for a small joint than for a large one. (3.) Baste the meat frequently with hot fat to keep it moist and impart a good flavour. (4.) Time. Allow fifteen minutes to each pound and fifteen minutes extra to the whole joint for beef, lamb and mutton, and twenty minutes to each pound for pork and veal and twenty minutes extra to the whole joint. The thickness of the joint and the amount of bone must be taken into consideration. 5. Serve the meat on a hot dish and the gravy separate. Gravy for Meat (1). 2 tbsp. fat. f.g. pepper. 2 tbsp. flour, to 1 cup of hot water or stock. 1/2 tsp. salt. After the cooked meat is removed from meat pan, pour off all fat except quantity required, add- the flour and seasoning, stir over the fire until well browned, stir and add hot water or stock off the fire, return and boil up, stirring vigorously for 3 minutes. Strain gravy into hot gravy boat. A little brown colouring may be added if wished. Pot Roast Gravy. See directions for Pot Roast. SAUCES FOR MEATS Mustard. Mix % cup mustard and ¥% tsp. salt to a liquid paste with cold milk. Serve e with roast beef. Apple Sauce. 6 apples. 1 cup water. Wash apples, remove stalk and calyx, cut in slices, add water. Stew until sott. Stir occasionally. Rub through a strainer. Reheat and serve with hot roast pork. Mint Sauce. _ 14 cup finely chopped or puwdered mint. Y% cup hot water. 2 tbsp. sugar. 1% cup cold vinegar. Mix mint, sugar and hot water together, when cold add vinegar, stir thoroughly, leave for an hour to soak. Serve cold with hot roast lamb or mutton. Onion Sauce.