vary with the kind, breed, and feed of the
animal. In general, pork fat and lamb fat
are whiter than beef fat, the fat of grass-fed
beef often being quite yellowish in color.
The fat in veal is white, or pinkish white.
Pork fat is the softest, that of beef and veal
next, and that of lamb and mutton the
hardest. The melting point of the exterior
fat is lower than that of the kidney fat from
the same animal. The melting point of the
fat laid down in an animal under usual con¬
ditions conforms to that typical of its kind.
Yet in an animal fed large amounts of a fat
of a different melting point, the melting
point of the fat deposited tends to change.
Hogs fed largely on peanuts or soybeans have
an oily rather than a solid fat.
Fat in meat adds to its flavor. It also in¬
creases the apparent tenderness if not the
real tenderness of the cooked meat. It
definitely increases the juiciness of the
cooked meat. Intramuscular fat, which
forms the marbling of the lean, is con¬
sidered more important in improving flavor,
tenderness, and juiciness than cover fat.
Some cover fat, however, is very important
in cooking. It decreases the time required
for cooking, decreases the loss of moisture
by evaporation during cooking, and aids in
the development of flavor and juiciness.
Since some of the fat is lost in cooking or is
discarded at the table, there is a point
beyond which fattening of meat animals
is uneconomical.
Bone. Bone forms the skeletal portion or
framework of the meat animal and carcass.
The shape of the bones is useful as a means
of identifying the various cuts of meat.
The character of the bone furnishes in¬
formation regarding the age of the animal
when slaughtered. In fully mature car¬
casses the bones are flinty white, while in
young carcasses they are pinkish in color.
Since bone is largely waste, a high proportion
of bone increases the cost of the edible meat.
[172]
The amount of bone should be observed
when selecting meat cuts and comparing
prices.
COMPOSITION AND NUTRITIVE
VALUE
Meat not only is one of the most univer¬
sally liked foods, but is an excellent source
of certain important nutrients.
Proximate Composition. The composition
of the edible portion of different cuts of
meat varies within wide limits, according
to the kind of meat, the grade, the age of
the animal when slaughtered, and the loca¬
tion of the cut in the carcass. In most meat
cuts, close to 70 per cent of meat muscle is
water. Usually the protein constitutes
about 15 to 20 per cent of the edible portion.
The fat varies from 5 to 30 per cent. The
carbohydrate of meat is negligible, except in
the liver, where the glycogen content is from
1 to 6 per cent. The total mineral content
of meat is approximately 1 per cent.
The proximate composition of lean beef
may be stated as approximately 67 per cent
water, 19 per cent protein, 13 per cent fat,
and 1 per cent minerals. The widest vari¬
ations are in the water and the fat content.
Protein. Meat is one of the important
sources of high-quality protein. The muscle
proteins are complete, that is, they contain
all the essential amino acids in approximately
correct proportions. Connective-tissue pro¬
teins are incomplete; that is, certain amino
acids are lacking, or are present in inade¬
quate amounts.
Page 159
Presented as published in 1935. 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
vary with the kind, breed, and feed of the animal. In general, pork fat and lamb fat are whiter than beef fat, the fat of grass-fed beef often being quite yellowish in color. The fat in veal is white, or pinkish white. Pork fat is the softest, that of beef and veal next, and that of lamb and mutton the hardest. The melting point of the exterior fat is lower than that of the kidney fat from the same animal. The melting point of the fat laid down in an animal under usual con¬ ditions conforms to that typical of its kind. Yet in an animal fed large amounts of a fat of a different melting point, the melting point of the fat deposited tends to change. Hogs fed largely on peanuts or soybeans have an oily rather than a solid fat.
Fat in meat adds to its flavor. It also in¬ creases the apparent tenderness if not the real tenderness of the cooked meat. It definitely increases the juiciness of the cooked meat. Intramuscular fat, which forms the marbling of the lean, is con¬ sidered more important in improving flavor, tenderness, and juiciness than cover fat. Some cover fat, however, is very important in cooking. It decreases the time required for cooking, decreases the loss of moisture by evaporation during cooking, and aids in the development of flavor and juiciness. Since some of the fat is lost in cooking or is discarded at the table, there is a point beyond which fattening of meat animals is uneconomical.
Bone. Bone forms the skeletal portion or framework of the meat animal and carcass. The shape of the bones is useful as a means of identifying the various cuts of meat. The character of the bone furnishes in¬ formation regarding the age of the animal when slaughtered. In fully mature car¬ casses the bones are flinty white, while in young carcasses they are pinkish in color. Since bone is largely waste, a high proportion of bone increases the cost of the edible meat.
[172]
The amount of bone should be observed when selecting meat cuts and comparing prices.
Meat not only is one of the most univer¬ sally liked foods, but is an excellent source of certain important nutrients.
Proximate Composition. The composition of the edible portion of different cuts of meat varies within wide limits, according to the kind of meat, the grade, the age of the animal when slaughtered, and the loca¬ tion of the cut in the carcass. In most meat cuts, close to 70 per cent of meat muscle is water. Usually the protein constitutes about 15 to 20 per cent of the edible portion. The fat varies from 5 to 30 per cent. The carbohydrate of meat is negligible, except in the liver, where the glycogen content is from 1 to 6 per cent. The total mineral content of meat is approximately 1 per cent.
The proximate composition of lean beef may be stated as approximately 67 per cent water, 19 per cent protein, 13 per cent fat, and 1 per cent minerals. The widest vari¬ ations are in the water and the fat content.
Protein. Meat is one of the important sources of high-quality protein. The muscle proteins are complete, that is, they contain all the essential amino acids in approximately correct proportions. Connective-tissue pro¬ teins are incomplete; that is, certain amino acids are lacking, or are present in inade¬ quate amounts.