Chapter 2 of 8 · 3940 words · ~20 min read

Part 2

---------------------------------------+----------------------------- NAME OF CUT | COOKING HELPS | HOW USED | | -------------------+-------------------+----------------------------- 1. Shank | Sear, cook slowly | Stews and soups 2. Round | “ “ quickly| Steaks, and roasts, heel | | for pot roasts and stews 3. Rump | “ “ slowly | Steaks, pot roasts, braising | | and corning 4. Sirloin | “ “ quickly| Steaks 5. Pin Bone | “ “ “ | Steaks 6. Porterhouse | “ “ “ | Choicest steaks 7, 8, 9. Prime Ribs| “ “ “ | Best roasts 10. Short Ribs | “ “ slowly | Roasts and stews 11. Flank | “ “ “ | Steaks, stews, braising 12. Plate | “ “ “ | Stews, soups, corning 13. Brisket | “ “ “ | Stews, pot roasts, soups 14. Chuck | “ “ “ | Roasts, steaks, pot roasts, | | boiling, stews 15. Shoulder Clod | “ “ “ | Steaks and pot roasts 16. Neck | “ “ “ | Soups, stews and corning -------------------+-------------------+----------------------------

=Boneless Cuts=—_Other things being equal, the following boneless cuts give much more nutrition, per pound, than the regular cuts._ 1 Shank meat; 1-2 Insides and Knuckles; 3 Rump Butts; 4-5 Sirloin Butts; 6 Strip Loins (bone in); 7 Beef Rolls; 11 Flank Steak; 14 Boneless Chuck. Tenderloin is inside of the loin under 4, 5 and 6.

_Armour and Company Meats are delivered to your dealer in perfect condition_

STANDARD CUTS OF BEEF

[Illustration: FIRST CUT OF CHUCK

CHUCK OVEN ROAST

FLANK CUTLETS _with slices of Bacon_

RUMP

FLANK

CHUCK POT ROAST

RUMP OVEN ROAST

SKIRT

MINUTE STEAK

SHOULDER

7TH AND 8TH RIB

LARDED TENDERLOIN

CLUB OR DELMONICO

BRISKET

SIRLOIN

PORTERHOUSE

ROUND STEAK

PLATE]

Every wise home manager should learn to cook to advantage every cut of meat.

This knowledge of correct cookery offers an opportunity for a wide variety of meat dishes.

VEAL PORK LAMB AND MUTTON

[Illustration]

VEAL

-------------+------------+-----------+----------+---------------- |Calories per|Comparative| Cooking | How Used Name of Cuts |lb. uncooked| Cost | Helps | -------------+------------+-----------+----------+---------------- 1. Breast | 740 | Reasonable| Sear—cook| Roast—baked | | | slowly | 2. Shoulder | | “ | “ “ | “ “ 3. Chuck | 515 | Low | “ “ | Roast—steak 4. Flank | 820 | “ | “ “ | Steak—Casserole | | | quickly| 5. Leg | 755 | Reasonable| “ “ | Roast—steaks | | | slowly | 6. Loin | 690 | “ | “ “ | Steaks—roast 7. Rib | 480 | “ | “ “ | Roast—chops | | | quickly| 8. Rump | 735 | Medium | “ “ | Roast—pot | | | slowly | roast—steak 9. Shank | 580 | Low | “ “ | Soup—stew -------------+------------+-----------+----------+-----------------

[Illustration]

LAMB AND MUTTON

---------------+------------+-----------+----------+----------------- |Calories per|Comparative| Cooking | How Used Name of Cuts |lb. uncooked| Cost | Helps | ---------------+------------+-----------+----------+----------------- 1. Leg (hind) | 1105 | Reasonable|Sear, cook| Roasts | | | slowly | 2. Loin | 1795 | “ | “ “ | Chops, roasts 3. Rack | 1350 | “ | “ “ | Chops, crown (Corresponds| | | | roasts with Rib | | | | Chops) | | | | 4. Shoulder | 910 | Medium | “ “ | Stews or Chuck | | | | 5. Neck | 985 | Low | “ “ | Stews, casserole 6. Plate | 1560 | Low | “ “ | Roasts, stews 7. Flank | | | | ---------------+------------+-----------+----------+-----------------

[Illustration]

PORK

-------------+----------+-----------+--------------+----------------- | Calories | | | Name of Cuts | per lb. |Comparative| Cooking | How Used | uncooked | Cost | Helps | -------------+----------+-----------+--------------+----------------- 1 and 8. Foot| 365 | Low | Long, slow | Stewed, pickled, | | | cooking | boiled or fried 2. Ham | 1345 | Reasonable| Long, slow | Smoked, then | | | cooking | boiled or baked | | | | whole; | | | | steaks—sautéed, | | | | broiled 3. Belly | 1455 | Reasonable| Slow cooking | Smoked—broiled (bacon) | | | | 4. Fat Back | 3860 | Medium | Slow cooking | Boiled with (salt | | | | vegetables pork) | | | | 5. Pork Loin | 1270 | Reasonable| Moderate heat| Chops and roasts 6. Boston | 1340 | Low | Sear, cook | Cheaper steaks Butt | | | slowly | and roasts 7. Green | 1480 | Medium | “ “ | Steaks, roasts, Picnic | | | | boiling 6 and 7. | | | | Shoulder | | | | 9. Neck | 3435 | Low | “ “ | Stewed, baked | | | | or braised 10. Spare | | | | Ribs | | Low | “ “ | Baked or boiled -------------+----------+-----------+--------------+-----------------

_Ask your dealer for Armour Meats—they are U. S. Inspected_

U.S. GOVERNMENT MEAT INSPECTION

Every home manager should have a thorough understanding of what U. S. Government Inspection of meat is—its significance and importance in her selection of meats. Practically everyone who has ever purchased meat has noticed a round purple stamp, the size of a half dollar, bearing the words “U. S. Inspected and Passed,” in the center of the commercial cuts displayed.

The government stamp on the meat you purchase is your absolute guarantee that the meat you are buying is wholesome. It signifies that the animal from which that piece of meat was cut had passed four separate inspections, and that the meat was found to be free from all disease and in perfect condition when it left the packing house.

Government meat inspection is one of the greatest protections to the American table. Only concerns doing interstate business offer this protection.

All meats have four inspections. The ante-mortem inspection is termed “on the hoof.” The three post-mortem inspections are made upon the glands of the neck, on the viscera and on the dressed carcass.

Only about 60 per cent of the meat consumed in the United States is United States Government inspected. When the public shall demand that all meats be inspected, we will have the much-needed nation-wide inspection, which will insure wholesome meats for all. Women’s organizations should make this movement a definite part of their regular programs and consider it a duty to buy only U. S. Government inspected meats.

The products of each packing house are identified by the letter and number and the U. S. Gov’t Inspection mark on each commercial cut.

COLD STORAGE HELPS SOLVE THE NATION’S FOOD PROBLEMS

Cold storage is a great factor in the present solution of the nation’s food problems. It is a means of holding certain foods over from the season of plenty to the season of scarcity. Since the first mechanical refrigeration was installed in the late eighties, Government investigators have been continually studying various methods of preserving food, without canning, and all insist that there is no modern method which equals cold storage. Understanding is fast eliminating the prejudice against use of supplies from cold storage plants of reputable houses.

The first cold-storage house was cooled by the use of a mixture of crushed ice and salt. The modern process is the ammonia brine method. As the liquid ammonia enters the pipes that carry the refrigeration through the cooler, it expands and is forced through the pipes as an ammonia gas. An absorption method is also frequently in use. Ammonia brine is by far the best method of cooling. It is cleanly, absolutely odorless and, through use, has proved its efficiency.

The establishment of scientific refrigeration plants has made possible a variety and abundance of food at any season on the American table.

Coolers are kept at an average temperature of 38° F. for foods kept a short time. The temperature of the freezer is normally ten above zero to ten below. Fresh meats are not allowed to stay in the coolers longer than one to two weeks. If they must be held longer, they are sent to the freezer. When meat is to be thawed, it is taken from the freezer and sent to the coolers. Once taken from the freezer and defrosted, neither meat nor any other food should ever go back. There are time limiting cold-storage laws in twenty states. Twelve months is the limit of time allowed in nineteen states.

BUTTER AND EGGS

Butter in cold storage is kept at a temperature of zero to five below. Its sweetness and delicate flavor is the same when taken from storage as when put in.

Eggs that are absolutely fresh and in perfect condition when placed in cold storage, will keep perfectly at a temperature between 29° F. and 31° F. for six to nine months. Eggs laid in April and May are kept for midwinter use, and the June pack is used in autumn and early winter when the supply is scarce and prices high.

POULTRY

The box of frozen poultry your dealer displays fresh from cold storage is most attractive and appetizing. A Nationally known name on the box guarantees the quality. Such poultry was especially selected and carefully fed some time before killing. It is fine-flavored and dainty. Always buy your frozen poultry in the frozen state and thaw it out at home. Directions for thawing are on page 13.

_Cold storage makes possible a full variety of foods at all seasons_

GREAT VARIETY OF MEAT CUTS

The great importance of meat as food lies in its high protein content. Protein is body building material. It forms one-fifth of our food requirements. Half of the protein requirement is furnished by meat. In lean meat the solid protein is very nearly in the pure form.

Meat is delicately constructed with small cells of tissue holding the flavory juices. These cells are held together by a connective tissue. In the cheaper cuts of meat, the cells or fibers holding the juices are long and the connective tissue thick. In the structure of the expensive steaks and loin cuts, the cells are short and the connective tissue thin. It is this difference in structure that makes it necessary to use entirely different methods of cooking for the tender cuts and for the cheaper ones. The same result—a tender, flavory, nutritious cut of meat—may be obtained with the cheaper cut as with the expensive loin cuts, if the proper method of cooking is employed.

EQUALIZING YOUR MEAT BUYING

One so often hears the remark, “I wish someone would invent a new animal.” The housewife is tired of ordering beef, mutton, pork or veal day after day. Too often she orders only the roasts, steaks or chops from these typical animals and then complains because her meat bill is high. This idea of lack of variety in fresh meats is all because of the unsound and uninteresting habit of buying the same cuts over and over again.

For every loin of beef there are several other cuts besides the extra portions, such as heart, liver, kidney, brain, etc. In these lie possibilities for many distinctive dishes and interesting flavors.

While there are not so many cuts of pork and lamb, there are great possibilities for variety in the preparation.

Nine out of ten home managers have believed for years, as do some even now, that the more expensive and most tender cuts of meat must naturally be most nutritious and that the cheaper, long fibered cuts are to be discarded or left for the butcher to dispose of, not realizing that their purchase of the tender cuts only, forces prices of these cuts high enough to cover the cost of the carcass. We are grateful that our leading dietitians of today are teaching women the truth: that the cheaper cuts of meat are exactly as nutritious as the tenderer cuts, if not more so, because the blood is drawn to the parts in which the muscles are constantly used, thus continually rebuilding the tissue.

In a dressed beef carcass of 700 pounds there are about 200 pounds of prime meat. The loin of the hind quarter, composed of sirloin, porterhouse, and club steaks, and the prime ribs of the fore quarter, are the commercial cuts most tender and easily prepared, and so are most in demand. Your butcher orders the cuts you demand. If you neglect the cheaper cuts and extra meat portions, he will not order them, and the expense of their production will be distributed over the cuts in demand.

An economically sound buying campaign would be a resolution by the housewives to use in its regular order every cut on a side of meat before reordering a cut. One of the extra meat portions could well be every third meat purchase.

In order to secure the most satisfactory cuts of meat, marketing should be done in person. Before this can be done with any degree of satisfaction, the buyer should be familiar with the various cuts of beef, pork and mutton.

The meal is planned around the meat dish, as a rule; so it is most important to select the main meat dish with greatest care.

HOW TO SELECT MEAT

When buying beef, see that it is bright red in color, streaked with fat—and firm. The streaks of fat add to the food value and make a more flavory steak or roast. Veal is pink in color, but less firm. Mutton flesh is firm and dull red in color, the fat hard and white or slightly yellow. Pork is dark pink in color and the fat is less firm than beef or mutton.

SUPPLYING YOUR DEALER WITH FRESH MEAT

The modern system of refrigeration has made world-wide distribution of fresh meat possible. Refrigerator cars, iced en route in such a manner that the contents are kept always in a current of cold air, make it possible to carry the products of the packing house to remote parts of the country and deliver them in sound condition.

The housewife in turn may have such products by being discriminating in her marketing, skillful in her cooking and careful in her serving.

By a knowledge of all the cuts of meat, the housewife can keep down her meat expenditures. She should also have her recipe file well stocked with tested recipes for the wide variety of popular meat dishes to be made with the less expensive cuts.

For those who do not include meat in their diet, there is a wide variety of non-meat protein foods to choose from. Eggs, cheese, milk, and beans will give the necessary protein for a complete diet.

_Buy U. S. Government Inspected Meats_

BEEF THE FAVORITE MEAT

Much of the vigor and force of Americans is attributed to the beef which is so generously included in the American diet. It is the favorite meat of a large percentage of people of every nation because it is easy to secure, is delicious of flavor and, properly cooked, is easily assimilated. The best cuts of beef for broiling are porterhouse, sirloin, and tenderloin steaks. For roasting, the prime ribs are preferred, while for the pot roast the rump, round, chuck, shoulder clod and brisket result in a tender piece of meat of delicious flavor when subject to slow, moist cooking.

WAYS TO SERVE BEEF

DISH CUT Beef à la mode { Round, rump, chuck, and { brisket

Beef roast { Prime ribs, short ribs, { sirloin, Spencer roll, { sirloin strip, regular roll

Boiled beef Flank, brisket, short ribs, neck Corned beef Flank, short ribs, brisket, rump Spiced beef Flank Braised brisket with vegetables Lean brisket (boned) English style flank Lean flank Glazed ribs with macaroni Lean short ribs Braised beef with ravioli Top sirloin Braised sirloin with truffles or rice } Top sirloin larded croquettes } Tenderloin with mushrooms Tenderloin Tenderloin steak, Parisian potatoes Tenderloin steak Porterhouse steak Porterhouse steak Minute steak Club steak Tenderloin steak sautéed with peppers Tenderloin steak Filet of beef with string beans Larded tenderloin Hamburg steak Neck, round, rump, clod (ground) Salisbury steak Neck, round, rump, clod (ground) English beef soup Shank, neck Beef soup stock Shank, neck Beef croquettes or loaf Left-over beef Beef collops Left-over beef Beef rissoles Left-over beef Beefsteak and mushroom pie Flank steak, round steak Tournedos of beef with olives Tenderloin Ragout of beef, creole sauce { Neck, chuck, shoulder clod, { plate Beef Stew { Neck, chuck, shoulder clod, { plate Pot roast of beef { Chuck, brisket, round, Spencer { roll, neck, shoulder clod Baked stuffed hanging tenderloin Hanging tenderloin Baked stuffed flank Flank steak

SAUCES AND GARNISHES FOR BEEF

_Eliminate all possible waste of effort or materials_

POULTRY

Poultry is one of the most popular meats found upon the American table. Dry-picked poultry is the most sanitary and desirable. It is no simple matter to provide fresh poultry to our thickly populated cities. But with improved breeding, scientific feeding and the modern cold-storage houses and refrigerator cars, Armour and Company supply a large clientele with either fresh or cold-storage poultry of the highest quality. “Spring chickens,” so called because before the days of storage they could be obtained only in the spring—are from three to six months old. The older members of the chicken family are known as “fowl.”

[Illustration: Roast Fowl]

HOW TO SELECT

A chicken’s feet are soft and smooth and the end of the breastbone is flexible. Poultry that is to be carried over from the season of plenty is carefully selected and specially fed and prepared. Only the choicest corn and milk fed poultry is worthy of the skill and science displayed in modern cold storage. Scientific methods of packing fresh poultry, and shipment in the refrigerator cars originated by the packers, assures the most select fresh poultry in season. The undrawn poultry is preferred to the drawn poultry in the market.

To thaw frozen poultry, submerge it in a pan of cold water and leave in the water until thawed—about four hours for a four-pound hen. Cook as soon as thawed.

To “draw,” it is only necessary to make an incision below the breastbone just large enough to insert the hand and remove the entire viscera at once. Separate the giblets, remove the gall bladder without breaking it, and clean the gizzard by cutting through the flesh and removing the inside sack intact; peel the fleshy part off the sack. Insert two fingers under the skin of the breast and draw out and discard crop and windpipe. Wash the inside of the bird by allowing clean cold water to run through it. Wipe inside and out. From this point the chicken is treated according to the method to be used in cooking. If it is to be “fried,” it is split in half lengthwise, if very young, or in smaller pieces if it is a fowl. For a roast, the chicken is left whole; for stewing, the fowl is entirely disjointed.

REFERENCES

U. S. Dept, of Ag. Bulletins. Circulars 61-64. “Studies of Poultry from the Farm to the Consumer.” “How to Kill and Market Poultry” by M. E. Pennington. “Poultry as Food.”

WAYS OF SERVING CHICKEN (_also see pages 32 and 40_)

-----------------------+---------------------------------------- CHICKEN | ACCOMPANIMENTS -----------------------+---------------------------------------- Roast | Mashed Potatoes—Creamed Onions Fricasseed | Steamed Potatoes, Parsnips Smothered | Corn Fritters, Peas Fried | Mashed Potatoes, Jelly Baked Stuffed | Glazed Sweet Potatoes Broiled | Shoe String Potatoes, Combination Salad Chicken à la King | Potato Chips, Tomato and Lettuce Salad Chicken Patties | Mashed Potatoes, Jelly Curried | Steamed Rice with Parsley Cold Sliced | Au Gratin Potatoes, Jelly Croquettes | Creamed Potatoes and Sweetbreads Chicken Hash | Steamed Rice, Jelly Chicken en Casserole | Carrots, Baked Onions and Potato Balls Chicken Pie | Potatoes—Stewed Tomatoes Chicken in Aspic Jelly | Potato Croquettes Creamed | Baked Potatoes—Sliced Cucumbers -----------------------+----------------------------------------

_Extend the meat flavor of left-over dishes with Armour’s Extract of Beef_

MAIN DISHES FOR MANY MEALS

LAMB

Lamb and mutton afford welcome meat dishes. Lamb is most easily digested and very nutritious.

From a standpoint of economics, the increased use of lamb and mutton results in greater production of wool.

In the menu, lamb and mutton should hold a permanent place because of the number of attractive and wholesome dishes they afford. The crown roast of lamb is a decorative and delicious dish. The leg of lamb and shoulder roll are just of the right size to be convenient for the average family. With a sauce of tart jelly accompanying, they make an excellent special or company dinner dish. There are the loin chops; “French” and “American” rib chops, delicious morsels when broiled; the shoulder, which may be made into a mock duck that would deceive the most observant; the neck and other cuts, which make delicious stews, ragouts and broth. Twice a week is not too often to have lamb in the menu.

VARIETY OF LAMB DISHES

DISH CUT Roast Lamb with Mint Sauce Leg—shoulder roll—crown ribs Braised Lamb with Currant Jelly Shoulder Boiled Lamb with Caper Sauce Shoulder—leg Sauté of Lamb Shoulder Epigramme of Lamb Breast Curried Lamb Left-over Ragout of Lamb Left-over—chuck—neck Irish Stew Neck—breast Roast Saddle of Mutton Saddle Broiled Chops Loin or rib chops Breaded Lamb Chops Loin or rib chops Lamb Steak Steaks cut from leg Lamb Croquettes Left-over lamb or mutton Barbecue of Lamb Leg—Loin—Shoulder Casserole of Lamb Neck—shoulder—chuck

PORK

The story of pork in the menu takes us back to the days when the Chinese people discovered the goodness of roast pork when the house burned and accidentally resulted in the first “burnt pig.” Every house in the village was soon in ashes to supply every inhabitant with the delicacy, and its popularity has steadily increased.

Like all meat, pork is classed among the protein foods and builds body tissue. Because of its high percentage of fat, it also supplies heat and energy to the body.

The U. S. Government Inspection stamp guarantees the wholesomeness of the pork you buy.

The digestibility of pork depends largely upon proper cooking—it should be thoroughly cooked in a slow oven. Smoked pork, in the form of ham and bacon, is very easily digested, this being due to the curing and smoking.

In planning the menu including pork, include vegetables containing considerable water, such as cabbage or greens, and tart fruit and spicy dessert. Such a combination will complete a meal rich in food value and satisfying to the appetite.

PORK DISHES