The objectives in cooking meat are to change the color of the meat, to retain and develop the natural flavor of the meat, and to make the meat tender, if necessary. It is desirable to do this by methods that keep shrinkage at a minimum, and conserve the nutritive value of the meat. Color Changes. Color in meat is due to pigments in the muscle. During cooking by the usual methods, dry heat develops varying degrees of brownness on the surface of meat as a result of the breaking down of the fat, protein, pigments, and other con¬ stituents. Moist heat also breaks down the color pigments in the muscle tissue of the in¬ terior of the meat, causing definite color changes. The color of the lean changes pro¬ gressively from that of the uncooked meat to that of well-done meat. In a loin of pork, the color progresses from a light pink to nearly white; while in a fresh ham, the well- done color is a light gray or tan. For beef and lamb the color changes from a bluish red to a bright-rose red, a light pink, and finally brownish gray. At a temperature of approximately 150° F. the hemoglobin is broken down to hematin and other products. The color change from red to brown or gray may be complete at 160° F., especially when low cooking tem¬ peratures are used. Again, all pink color may not have disappeared until a temperature of 175° to 180° F. has been reached. The rate at which the pigment changes color is af¬ fected not only by the rate of heating, but also by the kind of meat, the grade or quality, and the amount of aging it has had. Hence, the color of beef roasts may vary somewhat even though they are cooked to the same internal temperature. Table XXXIV gives the color changes which take place in lean meat as it cooks, with the corresponding stage of doneness and the range in internal temperature of the meat at each stage. The internal tempera¬ ture, therefore, is a guide to the color of the inside of meat or to its degree of doneness. While these color changes are taking place in the lean of the interior of meat, the color of the interior fat may change but little. Table XXXIV • Temperatures at Which Color Changes Take Place in Meat Color Stage of Doneness Internal Tem¬ perature of the Meat, °F. Bright pink . Pinkish brown . Grayish or light brown Rare Medium Well done 122 to 140 140 to 160 160 to 180 Tender Meat. In the cooking of meat, there is maximum development and retention [193] of natural meat flavor when dry heat is ap¬ plied, by the methods known as roasting, broiling, pan-broiling, griddle-broiling, and frying. Unfortunately, only tender kinds and cuts of meat may be cooked by these dry-heat methods which conserve and develop the maximum meat flavor. Dry-heat methods of cooking bring about only a small amount of tenderizing, except in moderately tender roasts and thick steaks cooked at low tem¬ peratures. Less Tender Meat. When meat is not ten¬ der, in order to make it palatable, it must be made tender during cooking. This can be accomplished with moist heat, using the methods of cooking known as braising and stewing or cooking in liquid. Moist-heat cookery, in steam or liquid, softens the col¬ lagen of the connective tissue, thus making the meat tender.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

The objectives in cooking meat are to change the color of the meat, to retain and develop the natural flavor of the meat, and to make the meat tender, if necessary. It is desirable to do this by methods that keep shrinkage at a minimum, and conserve the nutritive value of the meat. Color Changes. Color in meat is due to pigments in the muscle. During cooking by the usual methods, dry heat develops varying degrees of brownness on the surface of meat as a result of the breaking down of the fat, protein, pigments, and other constituents. Moist heat also breaks down the color pigments in the muscle tissue of the interior of the meat, causing definite color changes. The color of the lean changes pro¬ gressively from that of the uncooked meat to that of well-done meat. In a loin of pork, the color progresses from a light pink to nearly white; while in a fresh ham, the welldone color is a light gray or tan. For beef and lamb the color changes from a bluish red to a bright-rose red, a light pink, and finally brownish gray. At a temperature of approximately 150° F. the hemoglobin is broken down to hematin and other products. The color change from red to brown or gray may be complete at 160° F., especially when low cooking tem¬ peratures are used. Again, all pink color may not have disappeared until a temperature of 175° to 180° F. has been reached. The rate at which the pigment changes color is af¬ fected not only by the rate of heating, but also by the kind of meat, the grade or quality, and the amount of aging it has had. Hence, the color of beef roasts may vary somewhat even though they are cooked to the same internal temperature. Table XXXIV gives the color changes which take place in lean meat as it cooks, with the corresponding stage of doneness and the range in internal temperature of the meat at each stage. The internal tempera¬ ture, therefore, is a guide to the color of the inside of meat or to its degree of doneness. While these color changes are taking place in the lean of the interior of meat, the color of the interior fat may change but little. Table XXXIV • Temperatures at Which Color Changes Take Place in Meat Color Stage of Doneness Internal Temperature of the Meat, °F. Bright pink . Pinkish brown . Grayish or light brown Rare Medium Well done 122 to 140 140 to 160 160 to 180 Tender Meat. In the cooking of meat, there is maximum development and retention [193] of natural meat flavor when dry heat is applied, by the methods known as roasting, broiling, pan-broiling, griddle-broiling, and frying. Unfortunately, only tender kinds and cuts of meat may be cooked by these dry-heat methods which conserve and develop the maximum meat flavor. Dry-heat methods of cooking bring about only a small amount of tenderizing, except in moderately tender roasts and thick steaks cooked at low tem¬ peratures. Less Tender Meat. When meat is not ten¬ der, in order to make it palatable, it must be made tender during cooking. This can be accomplished with moist heat, using the methods of cooking known as braising and stewing or cooking in liquid. Moist-heat cookery, in steam or liquid, softens the col¬ lagen of the connective tissue, thus making the meat tender.

Foods, their selection and preparation