Foods, their selection and preparation

As with other foods, wise consumers con¬ sider the cost of meat. About 56 per cent of the live weight of a meat animal reaches the meat market. The market man has another shrink in cutting the dressed carcass. Usually he is able to sell about 85 per cent of the weight that he buys. The losses help to set the price of meat. In normal times, the price of the various kinds and cuts is regulated largely by supply and demand. In general, the most popular cuts are the ribs, loins, rounds, or legs. The ribs and loins are the most tender parts of the animal and, therefore, are easily and quickly prepared. The rounds or legs also are pre¬ ferred to shoulder, brisket, and other cuts by most consumers. This means that the less demanded cuts must be sold at sufficiently low prices to stimulate their sale, while the price is made up on the more demanded cuts — ribs, loins, rounds, or legs. Price is affected also by the quality or grade of the carcass. Top grades, which are more tender and have a richer flavor, com¬ mand a higher price than lower grades. This is entirely fair, since it takes more time, feed, and care to produce a high-grade carcass than a low-grade one. For economy, the wise consumer will learn the less demanded cuts and will make use of them when they are suited to her purpose. These less demanded cuts are usually the less tender cuts, since tenderness is the most im¬ portant factor in determining the popularity of meat cuts. But when the method of cook¬ ing to be used is one that will make less tender meat tender, there is no reason for buying top-grade meat or the choicest cuts. The medium or low grades and the less tender cuts, at less cost, are entirely suitable. The less demanded cuts have practically the same food value as the more popular ones. The price per pound does not tell the cost per pound of edible meat. Waste must be taken into consideration. A cut with con¬ siderable bone, or with a higher proportion of fat than will be eaten, may prove expen¬ sive even when the price per pound is low. Large cuts of meat sell at a lower price per pound than the small retail cuts. For ex¬ ample, a whole loin of pork costs less per pound than loin chops, and a hind quarter of lamb costs less per pound than the leg and the loin chops that would come from it. Where adequate home refrigeration is avail¬ able, it may be wise to buy the large piece and have it divided into cuts for future use. Boned meat is sold on some markets. With the advance in facilities for holding meat frozen, there is an increasing tendency to bone meat at the packing plant and pack¬ age and freeze retail cuts for distribution. The price per pound is necessarily higher but waste is minimized. Boneless or boned meat cuts can be comparatively high in price per pound and still be an economical purchase. Some general rules to follow in the amounts of meat to buy are these: one pound of boneless meat makes four generous servings, whether it is boned roast, boneless steak, ground meat, liver, sausage, or canned meat; one pound of meat with a small amount of bone, from such cuts as round steak and arm pot roasts, makes three gener¬ ous servings; one pound of meat with a moderate amount of bone, including most steaks, rib cuts, shoulder cuts, chops, and shortribs, makes two servings.