School and Home Cooking Part 37

Put the remainder of the meat mixture on top of the crumbs, so that the latter are entirely surrounded by the meat mixture. Place in a hot oven and bake from 1/2 to 3/4 hour. Serve hot,--plain or with Brown Sauce (see below).

Instead of bread stuffing, potato stuffing prepared as follows may be used in _Stuffed Meat Roast_.

Tomatoes may be added to the meat mixture (see _Beef Loaf_).

POTATO STUFFING [Footnote 55: From United States Food Administration Bulletin.]

2 cupfuls dry mashed potatoes 1 egg (beaten) 1 small onion, grated 1 tablespoonful fat 1 stalk celery finely minced _or_ 1/2 teaspoonful celery salt 1 teaspoonful salt Pepper

Mix the ingredients and use in place of ordinary bread stuffing.

EXPERIMENT 53: COMPARISON OF STARCH AND DEXTRIN FOR THICKENING.--When flour is browned what substance is formed from some of the starch (see Experiment 26, above)?

Make a White Sauce, using 1 teaspoonful of fat, 1/2 tablespoonful of flour, and 1/4 cupful of water. Make a Brown Sauce with the same ingredients, browning the fat and flour. Compare the Brown and White Sauce as to thickness. Which has the greater thickening property,--starch or dextrin? Estimate the quant.i.ty of flour to use for Brown Sauce in order to make it equal in thickness to a White Sauce made by using 1, 2, and 3 tablespoonfuls of flour to 1 cupful of liquid.

NOTE.--If a suitable fat has been used, the Brown Sauce may be seasoned and used with the Stuffed Meat Roast.

BROWN SAUCE

1 1/2 tablespoonfuls fat 2 tablespoonfuls flour 1/2 teaspoonful salt Pepper 1 cupful meat stock or hot water 1 teaspoonful sc.r.a.ped onion

If there is any meat stock in the roasting pan, remove it and make the "Brown Sauce" in the pan. Put fat and onion in the pan, and brown them.

Add the flour and brown it, then add the other ingredients and cook as _White Sauce_.

QUESTIONS

What cuts of meat are suitable for roasting? Why?

Explain how it is possible to use tough cuts of meat and roast them successfully.

LESSON LXII

BEEF: METHODS OF COOKING TOUGH CUTS (A)

EXPERIMENT 54: EFFECT OF COLD WATER ON MEAT.--Place a bit of meat in a test tube or gla.s.s measuring cup and add cold water. Allow it to stand for a few minutes and note the appearance. What has been drawn out into the water? What practical application as to was.h.i.+ng meat can be made from this?

Heat the water in which the meat has been soaked. What does the water contain? In soup making, should this material be strained out of broth?

Explain. If broth must be strained, should a coa.r.s.e or a fine strainer be used? Why?

EXPERIMENT 55: EFFECT OF BOILING WATER ON MEAT.--Pour boiling water over a bit of meat, then heat it. Has the juice been drawn out into the water?

Explain how hot water prevents the juices from being drawn out.

EXPERIMENT 56: EFFECT OF SALT ON MEAT.--Sprinkle some salt on a piece of meat. Let stand for 10 minutes or longer and note results. What practical application as to seasoning meats can be drawn from this?

NOTE.--The bits of meat used in these three experiments should be saved and used for soup-making.

TOUGH CUTS OF BEEF.--From the Experiments of Lesson LIX, what was found to be the toughest portion of the muscle of meat? What method of cooking was used to make this tough part tender (see Experiments 51 and 52)? Toughness of meat depends upon (_a_) amount of connective tissue, and (_b_) character of the walls of muscle-fiber tubes (thick or thin).

These conditions depend upon (_a_) the age of the animal, and (_b_) locality of muscle or cut of meat.

Although meat contains some materials which are better slightly cooked, tough cuts of meat contain so much connective tissue that long cooking is necessary to make them palatable. _The long cooking must be accomplished in water or steam_ in order that the meat may not burn or become too dry.

Meat from old animals is usually tough. Veal and lamb are more tender than beef and mutton. The muscles that are used most are toughest, because they are developed to a greater extent and contain more connective tissue.

Muscles that are constantly used contain more extractives, hence tough cuts of meat have more flavor than tender cuts. This is not always appreciated, however, since all the flavor of tough meat is rarely extracted because it is so hard to chew. Moreover, as mentioned previously, dry heat usually applied to tender cuts tends to develop flavor in meat.

USE OF BONE AND FAT IN SOUP-MAKING.--Bone contains a substance which long cooking changes into a jellylike ma.s.s called _gelatine_. In the center of the bone there is a fatty substance called _marrow_. This fat in the bone and that in and around the muscles liquefies in making soup stock. In cooling, the fat rises to the top, hardens, excludes the air from the stock, and thus prevents it from spoiling readily. Hence, in soup-making, it is of advantage to use both the fat and the bone with the lean meat. The fat, however, should be removed carefully from the stock before using.

BEEF STOCK

2 pounds meat, bone and fat 1/4 teaspoonful celery seed 5 peppercorns 2 cloves 2 quarts cold water 1/2 bay leaf 2 1/2 teaspoonfuls salt

Cut the meat and fat into small pieces. Try out some of the fat and brown about 1/3 of the meat in it. Put all the meat in a kettle, add the seasoning and water; cover, and allow to soak one hour. Then cook below boiling temperature for 3 hours; strain through a coa.r.s.e strainer. Pour it through a fat separator or set aside to cool. If the fat has been allowed to solidify, skim it from the surface when the stock is to be used.

1 can of tomatoes, 1 carrot, 1 turnip, and 1 onion (all cut in small pieces) may be added to the ingredients of beef stock. Tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs and bones of fresh meats or bones and pieces of roasts or unused meat may be cut into small pieces and used for soup stock. No smoked or charred pieces of meat or bone should be used, however. Stock may be colored with caramel, provided the sugar has been cooked sufficiently to lose its sweetness.

CUTS OF BEEF (see Figure 56).--The feeding, care, and age of an animal have much to do with the _quality_ of its meat. It is considered that good beef is obtained from an animal four or five years old. Beef should be firm, of bright red color, and of fine grain. There should also be a generous supply of suet. The latter should be dry and easily crumbled. In most markets, meat is made more tender by allowing it to hang for several days at a temperature near freezing.

The _cost_ of the different cuts of meat varies greatly. The difference in cost is based upon the tenderness of the cut of meat, and upon the demand,--not upon the nutritive value. Prices vary in different localities, and in different seasons.

The _waste_ of a cut of meat is a factor which the housekeeper needs to consider in determining the cost of meat. The cuts of meat containing no waste may be "cheaper" than some cuts whose price per pound is lower.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Adapted from diagram in _University of Illinois_ Bulletin, No 158 FIGURE 56.--CUTS OF BEEF.]

The line dividing the rib and loin cuts and the plate and flank, marks the division of the beef into hind and fore quarters. The position of the various cuts is indicated by letters. The names of the cuts are indicated around the outer boundary of the diagram.

The closely s.p.a.ced lines such as shown in the round cut indicate that the cut is sliced into steaks, while the more widely s.p.a.ced lines such as shown in the rib cut, indicate that the cut is separated into pieces for roasting or stewing. The numerals indicate the number of steaks or pieces into which a cut is usually divided.

EXPLANATION OF FIGURE 56. CUTS OF BEEF

HIND QUARTER

NAME AND FORM OF CUT METHOD OF COOKING

ROUND A. Rump. Pot-roasting.

1. Rump piece (see Figure Stewing.

57). Corning.

B. Round (not including Sauteing.

rump and shank). Stewing.

2-14. Round steaks (see Braising.

Figure 54). Pot-roasting.

C. Horseshoe or Heel. Pot-roasting.

15. Pot roast. Stewing.

D. Hind shank.