Meat and poultry supply sixteen per cent of the total food material, thirty per cent of the protein and fifty-nine per cent of the fat in the American dietary. The carbohydrate foods supply a larger per cent of protein in the average diet than does meat, but the protein found in these vegetable foods is generally admitted to be in a less available form. Meat, therefore, is really our most important source of protein food, though it is also a very expensive source. Average Composition of Very Lean Beef. Water 75.90% Protein (myosin, albumin, fibrin) 18.36% Gelatine 1.64% Extractives . 1.90% Fat .90% Minerals 1.30% MEAT 167 Meat contains a large amount of water but, unlike the car- bohydrates, it does not take up raore water in cooking. Even when cooked in water it tends to lose rather than gain in weight. Gelatine is obtained from the connective tissues of the meat and the cartilage of the bone by long boiling. It is the gelatine that has been drawn from the meat and bone that often causes the broth from veal to stiffen like jelly when cold. Gelatine has somewhat the same chemical composition as pro- tein but it will not build new tissue. It will furnish heat and energy. The extractives give flavor to the meat and act as stimu- lants. Beef extracts and cleared soups contain only the extrac- tives and a little gelatine. They do not contain any appreciable amount of nourishment. Even lean meat contains a small amount of fat, though it may be invisible to the naked eye. Very fat meat is not as digestible as lean meat, probably because the fat forms a coat- ing around the protein and prevents the action of the digestive juices. The muscle tubes are filled with the "juice" of the meat which is made up of protein, extractives, minerals and water. As the juice contains a large per cent of the nutriment and almost all of the flavor it is important to know how to retain the greater part of it in the meat during the preparation of the meat for the table. A few experiments will give some rules to follow. Ex. 1. Put a piece of raw beef into half a glass of water and let it stand ten or fifteen minutes. Notice the color of the water. Heat the water and notice the coagulated albumin floating on the surface. 168 FOOD AND COOKEKY Ex. 2. Take a piece of meat the same size as the one used in the previous experiment, cut it in small pieces and put it into half a glass of water and let it stand the same length of time. Which is the deeper color? Which contains more albu- min? Ex. 3. Put. two pieces of beef on white plates. Sprinkle one liberally with salt and let both stand ten minutes. Notice the juice around the piece that was salted. Ex. 4. As meat is largely protein, we would expect to cook it below boiling temperature to keep it from being tough. Put a piece of meat in a cold skillet, place the skillet on the stove where the meat will cook very slowly. Notice the moisture in the pan around the meat. Ex. 5. Take another piece of meat, heat the pan very hot and sear the meat on all sides, then turn the fire down to finish cooking. Notice that there is almost no moisture in the pan around the meat. The coating of albumin formed by searing the meat on all sides holds in the juices. In broiled, roasted or boiled meat we wish to keep the juices in the meat; in soups we wish to draw all of the juices out into the broth, and in stews we want part of the juice in the meat and part of it in the gravy. Cooking of Meats. Meat. is cooked to give it a better flavor and make it more palatable, to soften the connective tissue and to kill any para- sites that may be in the meat. Beef and mutton may be served rare, that is, the inside of the meat should be pink in color. If it is purple it has not been cooked enough, if it is white it has been cooked too much. Veal and pork should be well done. MEAT 169

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Meat and poultry supply sixteen per cent of the total food material, thirty per cent of the protein and fifty-nine per cent of the fat in the American dietary. The carbohydrate foods supply a larger per cent of protein in the average diet than does meat, but the protein found in these vegetable foods is generally admitted to be in a less available form. Meat, therefore, is really our most important source of protein food, though it is also a very expensive source. Average Composition of Very Lean Beef. Water 75.90% Protein (myosin, albumin, fibrin) 18.36% Gelatine 1.64% Extractives . 1.90% Fat .90% Minerals 1.30% Meat contains a large amount of water but, unlike the carbohydrates, it does not take up raore water in cooking. Even when cooked in water it tends to lose rather than gain in weight. Gelatine is obtained from the connective tissues of the meat and the cartilage of the bone by long boiling. It is the gelatine that has been drawn from the meat and bone that often causes the broth from veal to stiffen like jelly when cold. Gelatine has somewhat the same chemical composition as protein but it will not build new tissue. It will furnish heat and energy. The extractives give flavor to the meat and act as stimulants. Beef extracts and cleared soups contain only the extractives and a little gelatine. They do not contain any appreciable amount of nourishment. Even lean meat contains a small amount of fat, though it may be invisible to the naked eye. Very fat meat is not as digestible as lean meat, probably because the fat forms a coating around the protein and prevents the action of the digestive juices. The muscle tubes are filled with the "juice" of the meat which is made up of protein, extractives, minerals and water. As the juice contains a large per cent of the nutriment and almost all of the flavor it is important to know how to retain the greater part of it in the meat during the preparation of the meat for the table. A few experiments will give some rules to follow. Ex. 1. Put a piece of raw beef into half a glass of water and let it stand ten or fifteen minutes. Notice the color of the water. Heat the water and notice the coagulated albumin floating on the surface. Ex. 2. Take a piece of meat the same size as the one used in the previous experiment, cut it in small pieces and put it into half a glass of water and let it stand the same length of time. Which is the deeper color? Which contains more albumin? Ex. 3. Put. two pieces of beef on white plates. Sprinkle one liberally with salt and let both stand ten minutes. Notice the juice around the piece that was salted. Ex. 4. Put a piece of meat in a cold skillet, place the skillet on the stove where the meat will cook very slowly. Notice the moisture in the pan around the meat. Ex. 5. Take another piece of meat, heat the pan very hot and sear the meat on all sides, then turn the fire down to finish cooking. Notice that there is almost no moisture in the pan around the meat. The coating of albumin formed by searing the meat on all sides holds in the juices. In broiled, roasted or boiled meat we wish to keep the juices in the meat; in soups we wish to draw all of the juices out into the broth, and in stews we want part of the juice in the meat and part of it in the gravy. Cooking of Meats. Meat. is cooked to give it a better flavor and make it more palatable, to soften the connective tissue and to kill any parasites that may be in the meat. Beef and mutton may be served rare, that is, the inside of the meat should be pink in color. If it is purple it has not been cooked enough, if it is white it has been cooked too much. Veal and pork should be well done.

Student's manual in household arts