are preferable, on the score of flavor and strength-giving
properties, to the most expensive. For instance, the shoul-
der of mutton is much more delicate than the leg. And the
^/et or tenderloin of beef, generally the most expensive cut,
has less taste and nutriment than any other part of the flesh
of the animal : it is- simply tender ; and that is because it
is composed of muscular fibre which is worked but little,
and consequently is not as well nourished as those parts
that are so exercised as to make their circulation rapid and
ample. When we offer the tenderloin of beef to a guest or
an invalid, we only give them the most expensive meat, not
the best. And so it frequently is with mutton : contrary
to the general impression prevailing in this country, the
shoulder is the choice portion; in England, where the best
mutton in the world is raised, it is that which is set before
the guest, while the leg is relegated to the family table as
being the more economical and less delicate. It is a favorite
maxim among good old-fashioned housekeepers, that only
prime cuts of meat are available and of good value. But
this is the case only when the family taste insists always
upon a roast or a steak : when any variety of fare is accept-
able, many of the cheap cuts can be made into delicious
dishes; and, when there is a general demand for them,
butchers will willingly keep them to meet it, and thus in a
measure equalize the price of more expensive cuts.
It 'is not always that the average late marketer has the
opportunity of buying the best meats. In cities, the buyers
for large hotels, restaurants, and clubs market very early, or
have the choice parts reserved for them. Then, too, every
dealer will have his special customers whose wants he endeav-
ors to supply : if he is honest, he will of course give all his
customers as good as he has on hand, and they may rely
upon his opinion; but there are occasions when the buyer
may safely depend upon individual judgment.
20 PRACTICAL AMERICAN COOKERY.
GOOD POINTS IN MEATS.
A few clearly defined points will enable any ordinarily care-
ful and intelligent person to select a good quality of flesh
from what is offered. The best meats are from well-fed, ma-
ture animals, which have not been overworked, and the meat
of which has been carefully transported from the slaughter-
house to the market. A loose texture of flesh in full-grown
meats indicates an excess of water, which will cause the meat
to shrink in cooking or preserving it in any way. The flesh
of grass-fed meat is of this character ; while that of " stall-
fed " or " corn-fed " animals has a firm, dense fibre, admira-
bly calculated to retain its substance, either under the action
of heat in cooking or of salt in curing it. Of the three best-
known mature meats, beef has the largest and firmest fibres,
and pork has the densest, closest texture ; and therefore both
are well suited for curing. About one-fifth of the weight of
flesh is composed of the solid substances of fibrine, albumen,
and gelatine ; the residue being the juice of the flesh, which
consists of water and some soluble salts that are essential to
the preservation of health.
Page 21
Presented as published in 1885. 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
are preferable, on the score of flavor and strength-giving properties, to the most expensive. For instance, the shoulder of mutton is much more delicate than the leg. And the filet or tenderloin of beef, generally the most expensive cut, has less taste and nutriment than any other part of the flesh of the animal : it is- simply tender ; and that is because it is composed of muscular fibre which is worked but little, and consequently is not as well nourished as those parts that are so exercised as to make their circulation rapid and ample. When we offer the tenderloin of beef to a guest or an invalid, we only give them the most expensive meat, not the best. And so it frequently is with mutton : contrary to the general impression prevailing in this country, the shoulder is the choice portion; in England, where the best mutton in the world is raised, it is that which is set before the guest, while the leg is relegated to the family table as being the more economical and less delicate. It is a favorite maxim among good old-fashioned housekeepers, that only prime cuts of meat are available and of good value. But this is the case only when the family taste insists always upon a roast or a steak : when any variety of fare is acceptable, many of the cheap cuts can be made into delicious dishes; and, when there is a general demand for them, butchers will willingly keep them to meet it, and thus in a measure equalize the price of more expensive cuts.
It 'is not always that the average late marketer has the opportunity of buying the best meats. In cities, the buyers for large hotels, restaurants, and clubs market very early, or have the choice parts reserved for them. Then, too, every dealer will have his special customers whose wants he endeavors to supply : if he is honest, he will of course give all his customers as good as he has on hand, and they may rely upon his opinion; but there are occasions when the buyer may safely depend upon individual judgment.
GOOD POINTS IN MEATS.
A few clearly defined points will enable any ordinarily careful and intelligent person to select a good quality of flesh from what is offered. The best meats are from well-fed, mature animals, which have not been overworked, and the meat of which has been carefully transported from the slaughterhouse to the market. A loose texture of flesh in full-grown meats indicates an excess of water, which will cause the meat to shrink in cooking or preserving it in any way. The flesh of grass-fed meat is of this character ; while that of " stallfed " or " corn-fed " animals has a firm, dense fibre, admirably calculated to retain its substance, either under the action of heat in cooking or of salt in curing it. Of the three bestknown mature meats, beef has the largest and firmest fibres, and pork has the densest, closest texture ; and therefore both are well suited for curing. About one-fifth of the weight of flesh is composed of the solid substances of fibrine, albumen, and gelatine ; the residue being the juice of the flesh, which consists of water and some soluble salts that are essential to the preservation of health.