How" to Choose ••• How to Cook •••

ExtensIon Bu II e t in 291 January 1960 How" to choose ••• How to cook ••• Verna Mikesh 1/ UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA fl~ c~ ge/Wice U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Contents Page Meat makes the meal ..... .... .... .............. ............ ... ... ..... ... ..... ......................... .3 What is meat? ....... .. ....... ... .... ................ ....... ..... ....... .. ......... ............................... 3 Indications of high-quality beef .............. .. ................ .............. ................ 4 Hints on beef selection ........................................................ ...... ........................................... 5 Hind quarter ..... ........ ... ... .. .................. ......... .... .. ...... .................................... .... 5 Front quarter .................................................... .............................................. 8 Guides to the purchasing of beef ........... .... ...... .............................. ... 10 What is meant by aged beef? ........................................................................... 11 Treatment prior to cooking ........ .......... ..... ............................... ..... ..... ..... ..... 11 Beef cookery .............................. ........................................................................................................ 11 Dry heat methods.............. .......... ..................... ........................................................ 12 Roasting ........................ ....................................... ................................................................... 12 Broiling ........................ ........................................................................................................... 13 Pan broiling .... .................................................................................................................. 13 Frying ........................ ........................................................................................................... 13 Moist heat methods .. .. .. ........... .... ................ ........ ................ ......... ............... .. ... 13 Braising .................................................................................................................................... 13 Stewing .......................................................................... ............................. .................. 13 Simmering in water..... ....... ........................ ... ........................ ........................ 13 Pressure saucepan .................................. .. .... ... ............................... ...... ..... ........ 14 How to cook frozen beef .... ... ............ ............. .. ................ ..... ..... .................. 14 How to make beef gravy ................................................................................ 14 Seasonings for beef .................................................................................................................. 15 Verna A. Mikesh ELL-COOKED MEAT-tender, juicy, attractive in color and Wtexture, and with an appetizing flavor and aroma is the basis of many satisfying meals. Since a substantial amount of the food dollar is spent for meat, it should be carefully selected and cooked to avoid waste. Meat preferences vary among fami maker who is willing to devote a little lies. Some have traditions such as the extra time and skill to the preparation Sunday dinner roast; others may prefer of less tender cuts will feed the family a quick steak to provide time for other well, save money, and still be able to activities. Young families consume provide tender and good-tasting meats. quantities of hamburger because it is Beef furnishes high quality protein less expensive and popular among chil for growth and tissue repair. A valuable dren. Small families or single persons source of iron for bulding and replacilfg may use steaks and chops in preference red blood cells, it provides B-vltamins to the larger cuts. for maintenance of all-around good Regardless of individual tastes, how health. Its caloric content varies some ever, two servings of protein-rich food what with the amount of fat. The av per day are recommended for optimum erage three-ounce serving supplies nutrition. These may be meat, poultry, about 300 calories. fiish, eggs or cheese, with legumes such as dried beans, peas, nuts, etc. as alter nates. Two or three ounces of lean What Is Meat? cooked meat without bone count as a serving. Meat is made up of millions of muscle People differ in the amount of money fibers held together with a fine network they are willing to spend for meat. of connective tissue. Each fiber may be Generally speaking, you pay a higher thought of as a tiny tube filled with price for meat tenderness. The home- water, protein, minerals, vitamins, fla- 3 voring materials, and coloring matter. tissue stretched thin with the accumu Small bundles of muscle fibers are held lation of fat is more easily broken by together with connective tissue to form chewing. Fat protects meat from drying larger bundles called muscles. out during cooking and makes it seem Connective tissue, a gauze-like ma more juicy. Juicy meat seems more terial, holds the parts of the body to tender. gether. It may be loosely meshed, such as packing material between organs, or it may be concentrated to make it Indications of High Quality heavy and strong. A tendon is an ex Beef ample of concentrated connective tissue. Exercise and age tend to change the 1. Red porous bones. Bones become character of connective tissue making it white and flinty as the animal ages. less tender. Cartilage on the tips of the backbone There are two kinds of connective and the outer edges of the shoulder tissue, white and yellow. White con blade indicates a young animal. nective tissue strands can be softened 2. Cream colored brittle fat. Marbling by heat and moisture to form gelatin. (threads of fat between the muscle White connective tissue binds musrles fibers) is found in upper grades. together as is seen in the beef round. Yellow connective tissue, tissue that 3. A deep, bright, rich-red color. stretches, is not affected by any cooking 4. Fine texture and velvety appear process. The neck strap of a beef animal ance. is an example of yellow connective tis sue. The white may contain a few Following is a chart showing the strands of yellow here and there. location of cuts from a beef side. This Fat between and around the muscles chart was reproduced from a drawing and muscle fibers is associated with in the Modern Meat Cookbook by tsnderness. It is thought that connective Jeannette Frank. Round Rump Sirloin Rib Chuck Steak Roast Steak Porterhouse Steak Steak Flank Beef Ground T-Bone Short Boiling Steak Stew Bee£ Steak Ribs Beef 4 The retailer prepares wholesale cuts Choice of a cut depends upon the into saleable portions. Today's trend is number of people to be served, cooking toward small cuts, closely trimmed, method, equipment, recipe, and cost. often boneless, individually packaged In the following illustrations numbers 1-10 come from the hind quarter, num and labeled as to cut, grade, and cost bers 11-20 from the front quarter- the per pound. Labeling is valuable to the cuts and their descriptions are arranged purchaser as the old-time identification across from one another. Ground beef: marks of bone and shape may no longer and stew meat come from trimmings' b present. or less popular cuts. ' Hind Quarter 1. Heel of Round Pot Roast Identified by the somewhat cone shape and fat covering on the outside, this cut comes from the lower extremity of the round. It has a number of small muscles visible on the cut surface. When rolled and tied it may be retailed as the Pike's Peak. It is suited for brais ing. The retail weight of this cut is usually 2 to 5 pounds. 2. Round Steak Identified by the oval shape and a small, round bone, this cut's large clearly de-' fined muscles may be seamed apart and sold separately. The area, which in this case partly surrounds the round bone, is called sirloin tip- the most tender part. Opposite is a large muscle called the inside or top round- moderately tender. Below are smaller muscles called the bottom round- least tender. Any part of the round steak may be cut thick and retailed as Swiss steak. 5 3. Standing Rump Roast This irregularly shaped cut contains a large flat bone which is shaped like a spoon. A full standing rump roast may weigh up to 12 pounds, but is usually cut into several smaller roasts, or boned, rolled, and tied. Rump is best braised xcept in prime grade wh n it may be oven roast d. 4. Boneless Rump Roast This is actually the same cut as round steak, but it has been boned, rolled, and tied-making it easier to carve and to conserve freezer space. A full boneless rump roast weighing 6 to 9 pounds may be cut into two or more smaller roasts. 5. Sirloin Steak Pin bone and flat bone sirloin are char acterized by the large muscles at the top. They have three distinct sections of muscling as seen in the illustration. These are considered the more d sirable of the sirloin steaks as they have some of the characteristics of the loin steaks. 6. Sirloin Steak (wedge and round bone) Wedge and round bone sirloins can be recognized by the large muscle which h~s been cut with the grain. These are most desirable for broiling when cut one to two inches thick. 6 7. Porterhouse Steak Identified by the three distinct muscles -the tail or flank, tenderloin, and large eye muscle.

Load more