Food study

Fish may be divided into groups according to the amount of fat the flesh contains, cod and whitefish being examples of lean fish, while salmon, mackerel, and bluefish are oily. Fish spoils so readily that it is even more important to know how to select it than how to select meat. It is true that the flavor of fish is much better if it can be used as soon as caught. Since this is not possible with fish sold in market, such fish should be killed as soon as caught, and kept on ice. Notice that, in the market, fish exposed for sale is sprinkled with chopped ice. To be good, the flesh must be firm, not soft and flabby, and eyes and gills must be bright. With practice, the sense of smell is a great aid in determining freshness. The amount of waste in head, bones, and skin is large, if fish are bought whole. Hutchison estimates that this may amount to seventy per cent as purchased, and even be as much as thirty-five per cent in fish as sent to the table. These facts must be taken into account in determining the actual cost of fish, as well as the real cost of canned fish free from waste. As usual with foods, the cost is no measure of the food value of the special kinds of fish bought. The fat fish are much more nutritious than lean fish on account of the fat present. If fish have been cleaned at market, they should still be wiped inside and out with a damp cloth. Great care must be taken of fish after it has been bought. It should be kept cold, on ice if possible, but, unless the flesh is protected by skin, not directly on the ice itself. It must not stand long before being cooked. The distinctive taste of fish is due partly to the fat present. Since the flavor — except in very oily varieties — is never strong, even greater care should be taken in cooking to preserve the extractives in fish than in meat. At least five per cent of the solid matter in fish may be lost in boiling. Acid, lemon juice, or vinegar, is often added to the water used in boiling fish in order to help coagulate the protein, and so keep the flesh white and firm. In general, fish is about as digestible as meat, the kinds containing less fat digesting with greater ease than the more oily varieties. Salt, smoked, and pickled fish are all more difficult of digestion than fresh fish. U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. Farmers' Bulletin No. 85. "Fish as Food." Bureau of Chemistry Bulletin No. 133. "The Preparation of Cod and other Salt Fish for Market." OYSTER STEW — FISH CHOWDER 207 1. Give a list of fish which would be classed as rich and oily, and of those which could be called dry. Which class usually has dark flesh ? Which are considered more easily digested ? 2. Why is pork or butter usually added in baking fish, but not in baking meat ? 3. Find out what fish are commonly sold in your home market. Make a table showing season and price. 4. Give ways suitable for cooking different kinds of fish. 5. In boiling a large piece of fish, why would it be convenient to put the fish on a plate or rack, and wrap up together? Would strips of cheese cloth placed across under a fish to be baked help in lifting it when done ? 6. How should a fish be cleaned? Scaled? Skinned? 7. Consult cook books for sauces and garnishes suitable to serve with fish.