The following directions in regard to the choice, preparation, and cooking of this important article
of diet have been given as clearly and concisely as possible, and it is hoped that the housewife who follows
them carefully will find it difficult to go astray in this extensive branch of the culinary art.
PART I
CHOICE, PREPARATION, AND
COOKING OF MEAT
HINTS ON CHOOSING MEAT
General Hints. — It is very important to buy meat
from a good butcher, and one who can be thoroughly
trusted. It may not be convenient to call per-
sonally at the shop each time meat is required,
but it is a good plan to do so occasionally, and to
select carefully the joint or cut that is wanted.
Always insist upon getting the piece suited to your
needs, and the butcher will very soon get into the
way of serving you properly.
There are certain signs by which the quality of
the meat can generally be judged. The texture
should be firm and moderately elastic, and, when
pressed, should not leave the imprint of the finger.
If the flesh is flabby and moist and has an un-
pleasant odour, it is not good.
The lean part should be finely grained, and the
fat, which should not be in any undue proportion,
should be free from kernels, brown spots, and
streaks of blood.
The meat of animals that have died a natural
death or by accident should be avoided.
Good meat does not waste much in cooking,
and when left on a dish the juice should not exude
from it in any quantity.
Besides these general points to be remembered,
each special kind of meat has its individual charac-
teristics by which it can be judged.
Beef. — The best beef is taken from an ox about
two years old. It is of a nice red colour, almost a
cherry red, and the lean has a marbled appearance,
being slightly intergrained with fat. The fat is a
pale yellow colour, not mottled, and the suet hard
and dry. It is fine and smooth in texture, with
rather an open grain. There should be little or
no gristle between the fat and the lean, as this
generally indicates that it is the flesh of an old
animal. Beef of a dark colour with very yellow
fat should be avoided.
Beef is more nourishing and strengthening than
mutton, but not so easy of digestion. Ox beef
is better than cow beef, and generally fetches a
higher price. Bull beef is very coarse, and is
never sold by a good butcher.
Beef should be well hung before it is used, to
make it tender ; the time it should hang will
depend upon the weather, and it should never be
allowed to become high.
Mutton. — The best mutton is plump and small-
boned. The quality depends very much upon
where the animal has been reared. Those fed on
the mountains or on the downs are generally con-
sidered the best, whilo the flesh of those fed on the
salt marshes near the sea -coast is peculiarly delicate
in flavour. This latter is the pre-sale of the French.
Age also has a good deal to do with the quality
of the mutton. From four to six years old is the
best age for killing ; a farmer, however, can rarely
afford to keep his sheep so long, and they are gener-
ally killed between two and three years of age.
Page 315
Presented as published in 1914. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
The following directions in regard to the choice, preparation, and cooking of this important article of diet have been given as clearly and concisely as possible, and it is hoped that the housewife who follows them carefully will find it difficult to go astray in this extensive branch of the culinary art.
CHOICE, PREPARATION, AND COOKING OF MEAT
HINTS ON CHOOSING MEAT
General Hints. — It is very important to buy meat from a good butcher, and one who can be thoroughly trusted. It may not be convenient to call personally at the shop each time meat is required, but it is a good plan to do so occasionally, and to select carefully the joint or cut that is wanted. Always insist upon getting the piece suited to your needs, and the butcher will very soon get into the way of serving you properly.
There are certain signs by which the quality of the meat can generally be judged. The texture should be firm and moderately elastic, and, when pressed, should not leave the imprint of the finger. If the flesh is flabby and moist and has an unpleasant odour, it is not good.
The lean part should be finely grained, and the fat, which should not be in any undue proportion, should be free from kernels, brown spots, and streaks of blood.
The meat of animals that have died a natural death or by accident should be avoided.
Good meat does not waste much in cooking, and when left on a dish the juice should not exude from it in any quantity.
Besides these general points to be remembered, each special kind of meat has its individual characteristics by which it can be judged.
Beef. — The best beef is taken from an ox about two years old. It is of a nice red colour, almost a cherry red, and the lean has a marbled appearance, being slightly intergrained with fat. The fat is a pale yellow colour, not mottled, and the suet hard and dry. It is fine and smooth in texture, with rather an open grain. There should be little or no gristle between the fat and the lean, as this generally indicates that it is the flesh of an old
animal. Beef of a dark colour with very yellow fat should be avoided.
Beef is more nourishing and strengthening than mutton, but not so easy of digestion. Ox beef is better than cow beef, and generally fetches a higher price. Bull beef is very coarse, and is never sold by a good butcher.
Beef should be well hung before it is used, to make it tender ; the time it should hang will depend upon the weather, and it should never be allowed to become high.
Mutton. — The best mutton is plump and smallboned. The quality depends very much upon where the animal has been reared. Those fed on the mountains or on the downs are generally considered the best, while the flesh of those fed on the salt marshes near the sea-coast is peculiarly delicate in flavour. This latter is the pre-sale of the French.
Age also has a good deal to do with the quality of the mutton. From four to six years old is the best age for killing ; a farmer, however, can rarely afford to keep his sheep so long, and they are generally killed between two and three years of age.