storage beef is much more apt to be tender than that cut from a
freshly killed animal. Animals that are not allowed to run over a
large area, but are kept in a small inclosure and fed on fattening
foods, produce meat of a high quality. This is because the muscular
tissue has not been hardened with exercise. The worked muscle is
always tougher than the quiet one. For this reason the tenderloin of
beef is more tender than the flank. It is situated in the part of the
animal that is exercised the least. The tough parts, however, are not
lacking in flavor or nourishment, but the manner in which they must be
cooked to assure them of being tender deprives them of much of their
original flavor. This is demonstrated in broths and soups made from
the tough cuts of meat. The extractives from which meat derives its
flavor and the soluble albumens are drawn out by the water, and if it
is to be used as hash, croquettes, etc., needs to be seasoned, since
the broth, while it has taken very little of the actual nourishment
from the meat, has deprived it of practically all of its flavor. In
making broth or soup, if the meat is covered with cold water instead
of hot, more of the extractives will be drawn out and the broth will
be more highly flavored and much more stimulating. The color, odor,
and freshness of the muscular and fatty tissues of meat are all
indicative of their quality. Fresh meat is firm in texture and free
from offensive odor. Stale beef and that cut from an old steer exhales
a pungent odor of butyric acid. The color of beef should be dark
purplish when fresh cut but this changes quickly to a bright red; it
should contain preservatives of no kind and must be cut from animals
free from all disease. The fat should be of a yellowish white and be
crumbly, and should be distributed throughout the muscular tissue and
around the organs.
~Veal~, being the flesh of an immature creature, is not so highly
flavored as the flesh of older animals, but the bones and cartilages
are softer, and when this meat is used for broth, more of the gelatin
(collagen and elastin from the bones and connective tissue) is
dissolved out, giving a slightly higher percentage of nutriment in the
broth.
~Selecting of Chicken and Turkey.~--In selecting chicken for the diet
of invalids, use only the young birds for broiling, those a few months
older for baking and roasting, and the fowls for soup and broth. To
test a chicken for broiling and roasting, s
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