Beef: Methods of Cooking Tender Cuts (Applied to Chopped Beef) II HAMBURG STEAK 1 pound beef steak, chopped \ cupful water Juice of 1 onion 1 teaspoonful parsley✪ Hamburg Steak Mix all the ingredients together, and shape into firm cakes. Heat an iron frying pan until hot ; oil it with a bit of fat from the meat ; then remove the fat. Sear the cakes ; then reduce the temperature to finish cooking. Turn the cakes often. Season with salt and pepper. Serve at once. Half a cupful of soft bread crumbs and 1 egg may be added to this meat mixture. SALISBURY STEAK 1 pound beefsteak chopped 1 tablespoonful lemon juice i cupful water 2 tablespoonfuls chopped parsley Mix and cook as Hamburg Steak. Protein in Meat. — The most important protein in meat is found in the microscopic tubes or muscle fibers. (See Muscle Fiber, p. 120.) This protein is in liquid form dur- ing life, but clots after death. It is called either muscle globulin or myosin. The solid substance of muscle fiber from which the juice was extracted (see Experiment 50, p. 120) contains much myosin. Immediately after clotting, myosin is very tough, but softens when the meat is allowed "to hang " two or three weeks before using for food. In meat myosin exists in greater quantity than the other proteins. It is practically insoluble in both hot and cold water, though somewhat soluble in a salt solution. As not much myosin is extracted from meat in soup making, the 132 THE COOKING OF FOODS solid part of meat must be eaten in order to obtain the greatest nourishment. . Protein is found also in the juice of meat. (See Experi- ment 51, p. 120.) This is, of course, soluble in cold water, and is coagulated by heating ; hence it exists in solid par- ticles in meat broth and soup. Since this supplies much of the nutriment in soup, it should not be removed from the broth. If it is necessary to strain meat soup, a coarse strainer should be used. Extractives also exist in the juice of meat. These sub- stances give flavor to meat ; they are stimulating, but have no food value. These substances give their decided flavor to beef tea and beef extract. Connective tissue contains proteins which are changed into gelatine by cooking in water. Protein which may be changed into gelatine by cooking also exists in the walls of the microscopic tubes or muscle fibers. QUESTIONS Why is it necessary to reduce the temperature to finish cooking meat after searing it ? What are the prices per pound of round and long shoulder ? How many cupfuls are there in one pound of chopped meat ? How many servings of Hamburg Steak can be obtained from one pound of meat ? LESSON XLII Beef: Methods of Cooking Tough Cuts (I) Tough Cuts of Beef. — From the Experiments of Lesson XXXIX, p. 119, what was found to be the toughest portion of the muscle of meat ? What method of cooking was used to make this tough part tender ? (See Experiments 48 and 49.) Toughness of meat depends upon (a) amount of con- nective tissue, and (b) character of the walls of muscle-fiber METHODS OF COOKING TOUGH CUTS 133 tubes (thick or thin). These conditions depend upon (a) the age of the animal, and (b) locality of muscle or cut of meat. Although meat contains some materials which are better slightly cooked, tough cuts of meat contain so much con- nective tissue that long cooking is necessary to make them palatable. The long cooking must be accomplished in water or steam in order that the meat may not burn or become too dry.

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Beef: Methods of Cooking Tender Cuts (Applied to Chopped Beef) II HAMBURG STEAK 1 pound beef steak, chopped \ cupful water Juice of 1 onion 1 teaspoonful parsley Mix all the ingredients together, and shape into firm cakes. Heat an iron frying pan until hot ; oil it with a bit of fat from the meat ; then remove the fat. Sear the cakes ; then reduce the temperature to finish cooking. Turn the cakes often. Season with salt and pepper. Serve at once. Half a cupful of soft bread crumbs and 1 egg may be added to this meat mixture. SALISBURY STEAK 1 pound beefsteak chopped 1 tablespoonful lemon juice i cupful water 2 tablespoonfuls chopped parsley Mix and cook as Hamburg Steak. Protein in Meat. — The most important protein in meat is found in the microscopic tubes or muscle fibers. (See Muscle Fiber, p. 120.) This protein is in liquid form during life, but clots after death. It is called either muscle globulin or myosin. The solid substance of muscle fiber from which the juice was extracted (see Experiment 50, p. 120) contains much myosin. Immediately after clotting, myosin is very tough, but softens when the meat is allowed "to hang " two or three weeks before using for food. In meat myosin exists in greater quantity than the other proteins. It is practically insoluble in both hot and cold water, though somewhat soluble in a salt solution. As not much myosin is extracted from meat in soup making, the solid part of meat must be eaten in order to obtain the greatest nourishment. . Protein is found also in the juice of meat. (See Experiment 51, p. 120.) This is, of course, soluble in cold water, and is coagulated by heating ; hence it exists in solid particles in meat broth and soup. Since this supplies much of the nutriment in soup, it should not be removed from the broth. If it is necessary to strain meat soup, a coarse strainer should be used. Extractives also exist in the juice of meat. These substances give flavor to meat ; they are stimulating, but have no food value. These substances give their decided flavor to beef tea and beef extract. Connective tissue contains proteins which are changed into gelatine by cooking in water. Protein which may be changed into gelatine by cooking also exists in the walls of the microscopic tubes or muscle fibers. Why is it necessary to reduce the temperature to finish cooking meat after searing it ? What are the prices per pound of round and long shoulder ? How many cupfuls are there in one pound of chopped meat ? How many servings of Hamburg Steak can be obtained from one pound of meat ? LESSON XLII Beef: Methods of Cooking Tough Cuts (I) Tough Cuts of Beef. — From the Experiments of Lesson XXXIX, p. 119, what was found to be the toughest portion of the muscle of meat ? What method of cooking was used to make this tough part tender ? (See Experiments 48 and 49.) Toughness of meat depends upon (a) amount of connective tissue, and (b) character of the walls of muscle-fiber tubes (thick or thin). These conditions depend upon (a) the age of the animal, and (b) locality of muscle or cut of meat. Although meat contains some materials which are better slightly cooked, tough cuts of meat contain so much connective tissue that long cooking is necessary to make them palatable. The long cooking must be accomplished in water or steam in order that the meat may not burn or become too dry.

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