Page:Meat for Thrifty Meals.djvu/6



Roast or broil a tender, well-fatted cut in an uncovered pan. Add no water. Water in a covered pan makes steam which forces out juice and causes the meat to lose flavor and weight. Tender, well-fatted meat holds its juices, cooks perfectly in an open pan if moderate heat is used.

Tough meat, on the other hand, requires long, slow cooking in a covered pan with water or steam. So turn the less tender cuts into pot roast, stew, or some other braised dish. Or, grind them and cook the same as tender meat. Meat cooked in water or steamed is juicier if cooled in the broth for an hour or longer.

Regardless of cut, add fat to very lean beef, lamb, and most veal for richness and good flavor. Then cook as braised steaks and chops, oven-braised meat, pot roast, or stew.

Moderate heat cooks meat evenly and makes it tender. Moderate heat also keeps losses through cooking low, so there is more meat left to serve for each pound purchased. Browning meat develops the rich flavor; however, it may increase the cooking losses somewhat.

To make the most of food value and flavor, cook meat until it is tender, but don't overcook. Cook stuffed roasts and braised or stewed cuts until the meat is tender when speared with a fork or a skewer. Be sure to cook pork well done as a health safeguard. It sometimes contains the trichina parasite, which must be destroyed by thorough cooking or by special methods of processing; otherwise it may cause illness,

When to season meat with salt and pepper and whether to flour or not are questions on which the opinions of cooks differ. Really it does not matter whether salt and pepper are added to meat just before, after, or during cooking. Likewise, it does not matter greatly whether meat is floured or not. Salt draws out juice from meat, so in any case do not add it until ready to cook, unless the meat is sprinkled with flour.

Try new flavors in meat dishes. That is the way the expert chefs invent their specialties. Garden herbs and other seasonings add zest to many a homely dish at little cost. The following are particularly good with meat: Onions, tomatoes, sage, thyme, sweet, basil, leaf savory, bay leaf, mint leaves, parsley (fresh or dried), celery tops (fresh or dried), celery seed, caraway seed, cloves, pepper, paprika, green peppers, curry, grated horseradish, garlic, and many others.

In wartime, you may not find all these spices and seasonings on the grocer's shelf. However, some of the condiment plants can be grown in 4