Structure of Beef; Methods of Cooking Tender Cuts Meat. — The flesh of animals is called meat. In market this term is applied to the muscle, bone, and fat of beef (ox), veal (calf), mutton (sheep), lamb, and pork (pig). To show the structure and properties of the substances in lean meat, try the following experiments with beef : Experiment 47 : Division of Muscle. — Scrape a piece of lean beef on both sides until nothing remains but the stringy mass or framework of the meat. What is the color and texture, i.e. toughness, of the two parts into which the muscle is divided ? Lean meat, or muscle, of animals may be divided into two parts : (a) connective tissue or framework, and (b) muscle fiber. Experiment 48 : Effect of Dry Heat on Connective Tissue. — Ex- amine the connective tissue and note its toughness. Place it in a fry- ing pan and heat it for a few minutes. Examine it again. Is it made more tender or tough by dry heat ? Experiment 49 : Effect of Moisture and Heat on Connective Tissue. — Place the connective tissue from Experiment 48 in a pan and cover it with water. Let it simmer for at least 15 minutes. How do moisture and heat affect its toughness? 120 THE COOKING OF FOODS From these experiments what conclusion can you draw with regard to the length of time — long or short — that connecfiue tissue must be cooked in order to make it tender ? What conclusion can you draw with regard to the kind of heat — dry or moist — that must be applied to connective tissue to make it tender ? Muscle Fiber. — The connective tissue of meat is the ma- terial which holds the muscle fiber in place. One can get an idea of the structure of muscle fiber from some cuts' of meat such as the rump. This meat when cooked can be torn into strands. On closer exami- nation, however, one finds that these strands are made up of tiny tubes, microscopic in size, which are also held together by a network of connective tissue. (See Fig. 28.) The microscopic tubes hold the juice and a clotted pro- tein which furnishes most of the nour- ishment of meat. In cutting meat into steaks or slices, the cut is made at right augles to the strands so that the nutri- tive material and the juice is exposed. Experiment BO : Division of Muscle Fiber.— Form the scraped meat or muscle fiber into a bail, then heat it (not enough to sear it) in a frying pan. Place the hot meat in a cheese- cloth ; then press the juice out of the fiber, catching it in a test tube. What is the color Fig. 23. -Structure of the i iquid m th e tube ? of meat. a, muscle fibers; b. r«t Muscle fiber may be divided into two «iiv c, amnsctive ^^ _ ^ $ \i&, and (6) liquid (juice). Experiment Si: Effect of Heat on the "Juice" of Heat.— Add a little water to the liquid in the test tube of Experiment 50. Heat it and note tie change which takes place. How does it change in color? STRUCTURE OP BEEF 121 Can you compare this substance with any other material that coagu- lates on heating ? (See Experiment 34, p. 87.) From the results of previous experiments on protein, state what effect long cooking would have on muscle fiber. The solid material left in the cheesecloth from Experiment 60 contains most of the nourishment found in meat. Its properties will be discussed in auother lesson. Care of Heat. — As soon as meat comes from the market, remove the paper in which it is wrapped, and put the meat away in a cool place. Before cooking, wipe the meat with a damp cloth. Do not allow it to stand in cold water. If meat is to be roasted, it should be weighed before cooking.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Structure of Beef; Methods of Cooking Tender Cuts Meat. — The flesh of animals is called meat. In market this term is applied to the muscle, bone, and fat of beef (ox), veal (calf), mutton (sheep), lamb, and pork (pig). To show the structure and properties of the substances in lean meat, try the following experiments with beef : Experiment 47 : Division of Muscle. — Scrape a piece of lean beef on both sides until nothing remains but the stringy mass or framework of the meat. What is the color and texture, i.e. toughness, of the two parts into which the muscle is divided ? Lean meat, or muscle, of animals may be divided into two parts : (a) connective tissue or framework, and (b) muscle fiber. Experiment 48 : Effect of Dry Heat on Connective Tissue. — Examine the connective tissue and note its toughness. Place it in a frying pan and heat it for a few minutes. Examine it again. Is it made more tender or tough by dry heat ? Experiment 49 : Effect of Moisture and Heat on Connective Tissue. — Place the connective tissue from Experiment 48 in a pan and cover it with water. Let it simmer for at least 15 minutes. How do moisture and heat affect its toughness? From these experiments what conclusion can you draw with regard to the length of time — long or short — that connecfiue tissue must be cooked in order to make it tender ? What conclusion can you draw with regard to the kind of heat — dry or moist — that must be applied to connective tissue to make it tender ? Muscle Fiber. — The connective tissue of meat is the material which holds the muscle fiber in place. One can get an idea of the structure of muscle fiber from some cuts of meat such as the rump. This meat when cooked can be torn into strands. On closer examination, however, one finds that these strands are made up of tiny tubes, microscopic in size, which are also held together by a network of connective tissue. (See Fig. 28.) The microscopic tubes hold the juice and a clotted protein which furnishes most of the nourishment of meat. In cutting meat into steaks or slices, the cut is made at right augles to the strands so that the nutritive material and the juice is exposed. Experiment 50 : Division of Muscle Fiber.— Form the scraped meat or muscle fiber into a bail, then heat it (not enough to sear it) in a frying pan. Place the hot meat in a cheesecloth ; then press the juice out of the fiber, catching it in a test tube. What is the color Fig. 23. -Structure of the i iquid m th e tube ? of meat. a, muscle fibers; b. r«t Muscle fiber may be divided into two «iiv c, amnsctive ^^ _ ^ $ \i&, and (6) liquid (juice). Experiment 51 : Effect of Heat on the "Juice" of Heat.— Add a little water to the liquid in the test tube of Experiment 50. Heat it and note tie change which takes place. How does it change in color? STRUCTURE OP BEEF 121 Can you compare this substance with any other material that coagulates on heating ? (See Experiment 34, p. 87.) From the results of previous experiments on protein, state what effect long cooking would have on muscle fiber. The solid material left in the cheesecloth from Experiment 50 contains most of the nourishment found in meat. Its properties will be discussed in auother lesson. Care of Meat. — As soon as meat comes from the market, remove the paper in which it is wrapped, and put the meat away in a cool place. Before cooking, wipe the meat with a damp cloth. Do not allow it to stand in cold water. If meat is to be roasted, it should be weighed before cooking.

A text-book of cooking