To Select Veal. — Milk-fed calves that are from six to eight weeks of age make the best veal. The fat about the kidneys of such calves is white and the flesh is white and firm. The hind quarter is the choicest and generally sells for a few cents a pound more than the fore quarter. The loin makes the fattest and finest chops. Cudets are usually taken from the leg. The fillet is also taken from the leg. Roasts are selected from the loin, the breast, the shoulder, and the leg. The pancreatic glands, or sweetbreads, are two small . lumps of flesh that are found in the lower throat and near the heart of the calf They seldom weigh more than half a pound, and their function is to assimilate the oily portions of the food of the young animal. In milk-fed calves the sweetbreads are composed largely of assimilated cream and are very tender and delicate in flavor, but as the calves increase in age they become tough and worthless. The sweetbread nearest the heart is plump and oval in form, while that from the throat is longer and less compact. There is little differ- ence, however, in their flavor or delicacy. To Select Mutton. — The best mutton is that in which the fat is abundant, white, clear, and solid, the leg bones white, the scored skin on the fore quarters red, and the lean meat juicy and firm and of a dark red color. To Select Lamb. — In selecting lamb choose that which has hard, white fat on the back and about the kidneys, and has pinkish-hued bones. How to Select Meat. 13 To Select Pork. — The lean of the best pork is of a delicate red color, juicy, firm, and fine grained. The fat is white and the skin thin and pearly. When the skin is thick the pig is old. To Select Ham. — Medium-sized hams weighing from eight to twelve pounds are usually the best. Hams should be plump and round, with short tapering shanks and small bones. The fat should be white and firm, and the skin thin and not wrinkled. To Select Poultry. — A moderate sized turkey is more apt to be young than a larger one, and a hen is prefera- ble to a gobbler, being generally plumper, fatter, and more delicate in flavor. The legs of a turkey should be black and smooth and the breast-bone soft and pliable. If the legs are rough, the breast-bone hard, and the skin tough, the turkey is old. When turkeys or other fowls are fresh the eyes are bright and full, and the feet and legs limber. The breast of a goose should be plump and white, and the feet yellow and flexible. If the windpipe is soft the goose is young. Capons are the greatest delicacies known in the poultry line, as they retain the tenderness of young chickens while having the size and flavor of mature fowls. To judge the age of a chicken press with the finger on the breast-bone at the point nearest the tail, and if the bone is soft and pliable the chicken is young. Poultry that is dark and slimy is stale and unfit for food. To Select Eggs. — Fresh eggs look clear and semi- transparent in a strong light, and if lifted in the hand feel heavier than eggs that are stale. If eggs are dropped into a bucket or pan of water those that are 14 The Art of Cookery.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

To Select Veal. — Milk-fed calves that are from six to eight weeks of age make the best veal. The fat about the kidneys of such calves is white and the flesh is white and firm. The hind quarter is the choicest and generally sells for a few cents a pound more than the fore quarter. The loin makes the fattest and finest chops. Cutlets are usually taken from the leg. The fillet is also taken from the leg. Roasts are selected from the loin, the breast, the shoulder, and the leg. The pancreatic glands, or sweetbreads, are two small . lumps of flesh that are found in the lower throat and near the heart of the calf They seldom weigh more than half a pound, and their function is to assimilate the oily portions of the food of the young animal. In milk-fed calves the sweetbreads are composed largely of assimilated cream and are very tender and delicate in flavor, but as the calves increase in age they become tough and worthless. The sweetbread nearest the heart is plump and oval in form, while that from the throat is longer and less compact. There is little difference, however, in their flavor or delicacy. To Select Mutton. — The best mutton is that in which the fat is abundant, white, clear, and solid, the leg bones white, the scored skin on the fore quarters red, and the lean meat juicy and firm and of a dark red color. To Select Lamb. — In selecting lamb choose that which has hard, white fat on the back and about the kidneys, and has pinkish-hued bones. How to Select Meat. 13 To Select Pork. — The lean of the best pork is of a delicate red color, juicy, firm, and fine grained. The fat is white and the skin thin and pearly. When the skin is thick the pig is old. To Select Ham. — Medium-sized hams weighing from eight to twelve pounds are usually the best. Hams should be plump and round, with short tapering shanks and small bones. The fat should be white and firm, and the skin thin and not wrinkled. To Select Poultry. — A moderate sized turkey is more apt to be young than a larger one, and a hen is preferable to a gobbler, being generally plumper, fatter, and more delicate in flavor. The legs of a turkey should be black and smooth and the breast-bone soft and pliable. If the legs are rough, the breast-bone hard, and the skin tough, the turkey is old. When turkeys or other fowls are fresh the eyes are bright and full, and the feet and legs limber. The breast of a goose should be plump and white, and the feet yellow and flexible. If the windpipe is soft the goose is young. Capons are the greatest delicacies known in the poultry line, as they retain the tenderness of young chickens while having the size and flavor of mature fowls. To judge the age of a chicken press with the finger on the breast-bone at the point nearest the tail, and if the bone is soft and pliable the chicken is young. Poultry that is dark and slimy is stale and unfit for food. To Select Eggs. — Fresh eggs look clear and semitransparent in a strong light, and if lifted in the hand feel heavier than eggs that are stale. If eggs are dropped into a bucket or pan of water those that are 14 The Art of Cookery.

The art of cookery