Foods, their selection and preparation

Any Rolled Roast. The roast is placed on the platter with the larger cut surface down. If carved in the kitchen on a cutting board, it may be placed in this same position; a long roast may rest lengthwise on the board, with the larger end toward the left. Insert the fork firmly into the roast on the left side. Slice across the grain parallel to the cut surface, making uniform slices of an eighth to three-eighths of an inch thick. As each slice is carved, lift it to the side of the platter (or cutting board) or to a hot serving plate. Standing Rib Roast. If the market man has separated the backbone from the ribs, the backbone can and should be removed in the kitchen after roasting. This will facilitate carving. The roast is placed on the platter (or cutting board) with the smaller cut surface up and the ribs to the carver’s left. The fork should be inserted between the two top ribs. From the outside edge of the roast, slice toward the ribs, making slices from one-eighth to three-eighths inch thick. Release each slice by cutting close along the rib with the tip of the knife. [214] After each slice is released, lift it on the blade of the knife to the edge of the platter or cutting board, or to a hot plate. Porterhouse or T-Bone Steak. A steak need not be cut across the grain, since the muscle fibers are both tender and comparatively short. Place the steak on the platter with the backbone to the right and the flank end to the left. Holding the steak with the fork inserted at the left, cut close around the T-shaped bone and lift the bone to one side, out of the way of the carving. With the fork in position, cut across the full width of the steak. Make wedge-shaped portions, widest at the far side. Each serving should consist of a piece of the tenderloin and a piece of the large muscle, the flank end being served last if additional servings are needed. Other Steaks. Carving a sirloin steak is essentially the same as carving a porterhouse. A round steak is usually much thinner than a porterhouse or sirloin and, in carving, wider portions are cut. If the natural seams or divisions between the muscles are followed, carving will be easier. A Swiss steak is usually quite thick and the servings are cut nar¬ rower than with a thin round steak. In the blade steak, the same bones are present that are in the blade pot roast. The bones are removed and the steak is cut in slices. See instructions on the blade pot roast. Blade Pot Roast. This cut contains at least part of a rib and a portion of the blade bone. The bones may be slipped out before the pot roast is placed ready for carving. Hold the pot roast with the fork inserted at the left and separate a section by running the knife between two muscles, then close to the bone (if the bone has not been removed). Turn the section thus separated so that the grain of the meat is parallel with the platter. By holding the piece in this position with a fork, one can cut slices across the National Live Stock and Meat Board Carving Standing Rib Roast grain, one-fourth to three-eighths inch thick. The remaining sections of the pot roast are separated in the same way.