Cooking. Defrosted meat is cooked in the same way as unfrozen meat.
But if cooking is started before the meat is defrosted, then the temperature
and time of cooking need to be changed to allow the meat both to thaw
and to cook. Otherwise, a steak or roast can be served with a brown
appetizing exterior and still be frozen in the interior. The writer prefers
to start cooking all frozen steaks and chops before defrosting, as there is
then no loss of fluid and flavor. But the meat is not seared. The cooking
temperature must be low and the cooking time increased to at least 3 or 4
times longer than for unfrozen meat. Because of the longer time required
for thawing and cooking the exterior browns sufficiently without searing.
The use of salt. There is no advantage in salting large pieces of meat,
226 MEAT
as the salt Is placed on the surface of the meat and does not penetrate
to any appreciable extent during cooking. Part of the salt is carried from
the surface of the meat by the juices and into the drippings. Snyder
determined the total and nitrogenous losses in beef roasts and stews. The
meat was all from the same carcass, the cooking conditions were standard-
ized, and the roasts or stews cooked in pairs. Similar cuts, cut as nearly
alike as possible by an experienced meat cutter, from the right and left
side of the animal, were used for each pair, one of the pair being salted,
the other left unsalted. The quantity of salt used was about the amount
that would be used by housewives in cooking meat, 1.5 grams per pound
of meat. The losses were determined on the basis of the uncooked weight
of the meat and on surface area, but both methods showed no appreciable
differences in the total or nitrogenous losses of the salted and unsalted
meats. In the salted roasts the flavor penetrated to less than ^ inch in
depth. The layer in which the salt had penetrated was a deeper gray in
color than the corresponding layer on the unsalted roast.
Records for cooked meats. In addition to the records of weight, time
of cooking, etc., a tracing may be made of the cut surface of roasts, steaks,
and chops. A piece of parchment paper is laid over the cut surface and
the entire surface rubbed lightly with the fingers to bring it in contact with
the meat. The fat leaves the paper semi-transparent, and the moisture from
the lean portion slightly puckers the paper. A pencil tracing is made
around the edge of the meat and the fat and bone layers. A tracing of this
sort is better than a photograph in that the dimensions are actual size. It
also shows the exact distribution of fat, lean, and bone. A good grade of
thin typewriter paper can be used for making these prints.
Methods of Cooking Meats
In general meat Is cooked (1) by dry heat and (2) by moist heat. Dry
heat Is generally used for tender cuts, such as roasts and steaks. The meat
is surrounded by dry air In the oven, under the broiler, or over coals, or
by hot fat. In general, moist heat is used for the less tender cuts and
Includes methods by which the meat is surrounded by steam or water. This
Includes cooking meat in water as for stews, In steamers, in casseroles. In
Dutch ovens, and even in roasting pans when the lid fits tightly and holds
the steam around the meat.
Page 182
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Cooking. Defrosted meat is cooked in the same way as unfrozen meat.
But if cooking is started before the meat is defrosted, then the temperature
and time of cooking need to be changed to allow the meat both to thaw
and to cook. Otherwise, a steak or roast can be served with a brown
appetizing exterior and still be frozen in the interior. The writer prefers
to start cooking all frozen steaks and chops before defrosting, as there is
then no loss of fluid and flavor. But the meat is not seared. The cooking
temperature must be low and the cooking time increased to at least 3 or 4
times longer than for unfrozen meat. Because of the longer time required
for thawing and cooking the exterior browns sufficiently without searing.
The use of salt. There is no advantage in salting large pieces of meat,
226 MEAT
as the salt Is placed on the surface of the meat and does not penetrate
to any appreciable extent during cooking. Part of the salt is carried from
the surface of the meat by the juices and into the drippings. Snyder
determined the total and nitrogenous losses in beef roasts and stews. The
meat was all from the same carcass, the cooking conditions were standard-
ized, and the roasts or stews cooked in pairs. Similar cuts, cut as nearly
alike as possible by an experienced meat cutter, from the right and left
side of the animal, were used for each pair, one of the pair being salted,
the other left unsalted. The quantity of salt used was about the amount
that would be used by housewives in cooking meat, 1.5 grams per pound
of meat. The losses were determined on the basis of the uncooked weight
of the meat and on surface area, but both methods showed no appreciable
differences in the total or nitrogenous losses of the salted and unsalted
meats. In the salted roasts the flavor penetrated to less than ^ inch in
depth. The layer in which the salt had penetrated was a deeper gray in
color than the corresponding layer on the unsalted roast.
Records for cooked meats. In addition to the records of weight, time
of cooking, etc., a tracing may be made of the cut surface of roasts, steaks,
and chops. A piece of parchment paper is laid over the cut surface and
the entire surface rubbed lightly with the fingers to bring it in contact with
the meat. The fat leaves the paper semi-transparent, and the moisture from
the lean portion slightly puckers the paper. A pencil tracing is made
around the edge of the meat and the fat and bone layers. A tracing of this
sort is better than a photograph in that the dimensions are actual size. It
also shows the exact distribution of fat, lean, and bone. A good grade of
thin typewriter paper can be used for making these prints.
Methods of Cooking Meats
In general meat Is cooked (1) by dry heat and (2) by moist heat. Dry
heat Is generally used for tender cuts, such as roasts and steaks. The meat
is surrounded by dry air In the oven, under the broiler, or over coals, or
by hot fat. In general, moist heat is used for the less tender cuts and
Includes methods by which the meat is surrounded by steam or water. This
Includes cooking meat in water as for stews, In steamers, in casseroles. In
Dutch ovens, and even in roasting pans when the lid fits tightly and holds
the steam around the meat.