To Choose Beef. — In ox-beef the grains
should be loose, the flesh red, and the fat of
a fine cream-color. Cow-beef has a closer
grain, a whiter fat, and meat not quite so
red. Poor beef is indicated by a hard,
skinny fat, a dark-red lean. In old animals
a line of horny texture runs through the
meat of the ribs. When pressed by the
finger the meat should rise up quickly, if it
does so slowly, age is indicated.
Mutton. — The meat of sheep should
have a firm, close grain and dark -red color,
the fat being white and firm. If too young,
the flesh is tender when pinched ; if too old,
it wrinkles and remains so.
Lamb. — This meat will not keep long
after it is killed. If fresh the large vein in
the fore-quarter should be bluish in color ;
if stale this becomes green. The flesh
should be light-colored and juicy, the fat
white and rich.
Veal. — Good veal is white, smooth and
juicy ; the fat white and firrn. The flesh of
a bull-calf is firmer and darker than that of
a cow-calf. If stale, the color changes
quickly, the flesh feels moist and clammy,
the joints flabby, and there is a faint musty
odor.
Pork.^Here we should have a thin,
smooth rind, cold to the touch, the fat must
be very firm and the lean white. The rind
of young pork should yield easily to the
finger. The flesh should be smooth and
dry; if clammy, it is tainted. " Measly
pork" is very unwholesome, and may be
told by the fat being full of enlarged glands,
or kernels.
Bacon. — This should have a thin rind,
and flrm and reddish fat ; the flesh a tender,
clear red, with no yellowish mixture, and
clinging closely to the bone.
386
Ham. — To judge this, put a knife under
the bone and up to the knuckle. If part-
icles of meat adhere to the knife or the odor
is unpleasant, the ham is not good.
Poultry. — In selecting poultry choose
those that are full-grown, but not old.
When young and fresh-killed, the eyes are
full and bright, the joints neither stiff nor
flabby ; the skin is thin and tender, so that it
may be easily torn with a pin ; the breast-
bone is pliable, yielding easily to pressure.
Fowls, if young, have a hard, close vent,
and the legs and comb are smooth. Old
turkeys have rough and reddish legs ; young
ones smooth and black. If fresh killed the
eyes are full and clear and the feet moist.
A goose, if young, has but few hairs, a yel-
low bill, and is limber -footed. Ducks,
when fat, are hard and thick on the belly ;
if young and good, they are limber-footed.
Egigs. — Put your tongue to the larger
end ; if it feel warm, the ^^'g is fresh. Or
put the ^gg into a pan of cold water ; if per-
fectly fresh, it will sink immediately, and so
in proportion to its freshness ; a rotten ^%%
will float on the top of the water.
Of ordinary meats mutton is at once the
most nutritious and the easiest of digestion.
Beef is usually considered more strengthen-
ing, but demands more vigorous digestive
powers. Veal and lamb, though tender,
are less digestible than the flesh of mature
animals, this being especially the case with
veal. Of all meats, however, pork stands
first in the rank of the indigestible.
Page 21
Presented as published in 1901. 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
To Choose Beef. — In ox-beef the grains should be loose, the flesh red, and the fat of a fine cream-color. Cow-beef has a closer grain, a whiter fat, and meat not quite so red. Poor beef is indicated by a hard, skinny fat, a dark-red lean. In old animals a line of horny texture runs through the meat of the ribs. When pressed by the finger the meat should rise up quickly, if it does so slowly, age is indicated.
Mutton. — The meat of sheep should have a firm, close grain and dark-red color, the fat being white and firm. If too young, the flesh is tender when pinched ; if too old, it wrinkles and remains so.
Lamb. — This meat will not keep long after it is killed. If fresh the large vein in the fore-quarter should be bluish in color ; if stale this becomes green. The flesh should be light-colored and juicy, the fat white and rich.
Veal. — Good veal is white, smooth and juicy ; the fat white and firm. The flesh of a bull-calf is firmer and darker than that of a cow-calf. If stale, the color changes quickly, the flesh feels moist and clammy, the joints flabby, and there is a faint musty odor.
Pork. — Here we should have a thin, smooth rind, cold to the touch, the fat must be very firm and the lean white. The rind of young pork should yield easily to the finger. The flesh should be smooth and dry; if clammy, it is tainted. " Measly pork" is very unwholesome, and may be told by the fat being full of enlarged glands, or kernels.
Bacon. — This should have a thin rind, and flrm and reddish fat ; the flesh a tender, clear red, with no yellowish mixture, and clinging closely to the bone.
Ham. — To judge this, put a knife under the bone and up to the knuckle. If particles of meat adhere to the knife or the odor is unpleasant, the ham is not good.
Poultry. — In selecting poultry choose those that are full-grown, but not old. When young and fresh-killed, the eyes are full and bright, the joints neither stiff nor flabby ; the skin is thin and tender, so that it may be easily torn with a pin ; the breastbone is pliable, yielding easily to pressure. Fowls, if young, have a hard, close vent, and the legs and comb are smooth. Old turkeys have rough and reddish legs ; young ones smooth and black. If fresh killed the eyes are full and clear and the feet moist. A goose, if young, has but few hairs, a yellow bill, and is limber-footed. Ducks, when fat, are hard and thick on the belly ; if young and good, they are limber-footed.
Eggs. — Put your tongue to the larger end; if it feel warm, the egg is fresh. Or put the egg into a pan of cold water; if perfectly fresh, it will sink immediately, and so in proportion to its freshness; a rotten egg will float on the top of the water.
Of ordinary meats mutton is at once the most nutritious and the easiest of digestion. Beef is usually considered more strengthening, but demands more vigorous digestive powers. Veal and lamb, though tender, are less digestible than the flesh of mature animals, this being especially the case with veal. Of all meats, however, pork stands first in the rank of the indigestible.