Experimental cookery

Surface area and cooking losses. The shape and surface area of the meat also influence the loss that occurs during cooking. The greater the surface area of the meat, the greater the area at which losses may occur. Compact pieces of meat with correspondingly small surface areas give smaller losses than irregular-shaped pieces with greater surface areas. Cooking temperature and cooking losses. The cooking tempera- ture is in many instances the principal factor in determining the percentage of weight that is lost during cooking. Occasionally time may be a more important factor than cooking temperature in its effect on the resulting losses. For example, cooking losses were greater for halves of chicken roasted at 125°C. (about 250°F.) than for the corresponding halves roasted at 175°C. (about 350°F.). In the former instance, twice as long was required for the interior of the thigh to reach 85°C. (185°F.). Alexander and Clark found similar results for very small, poorly finished legs of lamb. However, in general the higher the cooking temperature the greater the cooking losses; the lower the cooking temperature the smaller the cooking losses. Intermediate cooking temperatures give corresponding intermediate cooking losses. Method of cooking and cooking losses. The method of cooking the meat may also influence the cooking loss. A broiled steak may have a far greater total loss than a pan-broiled one, yet the interior of the meat may be just as juicy. The radiant heat as well as the temperature reached usually causes a high fat loss from the edge of the boiled steaks, whereas a pan- broiled one may have a small fat loss. 240 MEAT Degree of ripeness. Alexander and Clark found cooking losses de- creased with longer ripening. The Losses Occurring in Cooked Meats The cooking losses vary with the factors mentioned, time, stage of cook- ery, cooking temperature, surface area, and composition. Usually, the longer a piece of meat is cooked, the greater the cooking losses; but this is not always true in practise, for owing to differences in surface area and com- position of different meats, it is not possible always to standardize all conditions. Meats show wide variations in cooking losses. The cooking losses in meat may vary from 5 per cent to 50 per cent. This is a wide variation. Obviously, meat that has lost 50 per cent of the uncooked weight is either very dry or has lost an immense amount of surface fat. Swiss steak was cooked to determine the effect of different percentages of loss on texture and palatability of the meat. The ones with 50 per cent loss were very dry and unappetizing, even for a person who prefers meat very well done. Here there was little surface fat, because of the cut and type of meat used. A roast with a great deal of surface fat may suffer a rather high loss and be far more palatable than a lean piece of meat. But, in general, a 40 to 50 per cent loss leaves the meat much too dry.