Page:New Peterson magazine 1859 Vol. XXXVI.pdf/158

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a larger expenditure. it can be fully proved that “the best NJI J-rlaw/NlrI‘JlzWI/Jlf‘/IIt"!’lfI/JlI/rJ.lM"N-F‘/IJl_N-IfM‘/mlJ¢ift/l provisions are the cheapest.” Attendant upon coarse joints of meat are large bones. which are unproﬁtable, and the gristlo in such pieces also bears a large proportion to the meat; such joints do exceedingly well for soups and gravies, but not. for eating. “For roasting and boiling choose the prime joints, such as legs of veal and mutton. sirloin ribs, and rounds of beef.” For the benefit of ladies who are not complete adopts in marketing. we offer some rules derived from an authority of great experience relative to the choice of meats and ﬁsh. 01: Brrf, when it is young, will have a ﬁne, open grain, and a good red color: the fat should be white. The grain of cow beef is closer, and the lean scarcely so red as that of ex beef. When you see beef, of which-the fat is hard and skinny. and the lean ofa deep red, you may suppose it to be of an inferior kind; and when the meat is old. you may know it by a line of horny texture running through the meat of the ribs. Veal is generally preferred of a delicate whiteness; but it is apt to be more juicy and well ﬁarored when of a deeper color. When you choose veal. endeavor to look at the loin. which will afford you the best means of judging of the veal generally; for, if the kidney, which you will ﬁnd on the under side of one end of the loin, be deeply enveloped in

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In (Yo/l, the redness of the gills, pie whiteness, stiﬁ'ness, and ﬁrmness of the ﬂesh, and the clear freshness of the eyes, are proofs of its being good. The whole ﬁsh should be ﬁrm and thick. Salmon should have a ﬁne red ﬂesh and gills; the scales

should be bright, and the whole ﬁsh ﬁrm. Fresh water ﬁsh may be chosen by similar observations respecting the ﬁrmness of the ﬂesh, and the clear appear ance of the eyes. In a Lobstrr lately caught, you may put the claws in mo tion by pressing the eyes with your ﬁngers; but when it has been long caught, that muscular action is not orcited. The freshness of boiled lobsters may be determined by the clas ticity of the tail, which is ﬁaccid when they here lost any degree of their freshness. Their goodness. independent of freshness, is determined by their weight, the heaviest being always the best. The goodness of the C'rab is known by its weight, also; for, when it proves light. the ﬂesh is generally found to be wasted and watery. If in perfection, the joints of the legs will be stiff. and the body will have an agreeable smell. The eyes, by a. dull appearance. betray the crab has been long caught.

In fresh Og/sfcrs the shell is ﬁrmly closed; if at all opened, the oysters are not fresh.

white and ﬁl'lll-lOOklllg fat, the meat will certainly be good;

RULES FOR OHOOBING POULTRY.

and the same appearance will enable you tojudge if it has been recently killed. The kidney is the part which changes

In the choice of poultry, the age of the bird is the chief point to be attended to. A young Turkey has a smooth, black leg; in an old one, the legs are rough and reddish. In Domestic Fnwls, the combs and the legs are smooth when the bird is young; and rough when it is old.

the ﬁrst, and then the suet around it becomes soft, and the

moat ﬂabby and spotted. M‘uttmz- must be chosen by the ﬁrmness and ﬁneness of the grain. its good color, and ﬁrm, white fat. Lamb will not keep long after it is killed. The vein in the neck is bluish when the meat is fresh. but green when it is state. In the hind quarter you may discover its condi tion by examining the kidney and the knuckle, for the for mer has a slight smell, and the knuckle is not ﬁrm, when the meat has been too long killed.

The bills and the feet of Grass are yellow, and have few

Pork should have is. thin rind; and when it is fresh, the

hairs upon them when the bird is young; but they are red if it be old. The feet ofa goose are pliable when the bird is fresh killed; and dry and stiff when it has been some time killed. Geese are called green till they are two or three months old. Ducks should be chosen by the feet, which should be

meat- is smooth and cool; but when it looks ﬂabby, and is

supple; and they should, also, have a plump and hard breast.

clammy to the touch. it is not good. If you perceive many enlarged glands. or. as they are usually termed, kernels. in the fat of pork, you may conclude that the pig has been diseased, and the pork cannot be wholesome. Bacon should also have a thin rind; the fat should be ﬁrm, and inclined to a reddish color; and the lean should adhere ﬁrmly to the bone. and have no yellow streaks in it. When you are purchasing a ham. have a knife stuck in it to the bone. which, if the ham be well cured. may be drawn out again without having any of the meat adhering to it, and without your perceiving any disagreeable smell. A short barn is reckoned the best. Venison, when young. will have the fat clear and bright. and this ought also to be of a considerable thickness. When you do not wish to have it in a very high state, a knife plunged into either the haunch or the shoulder, and drawn out, will by the smell enable you to judge if the meat be sufﬁciently fresh. With regard to venison, which, as it is not an every day article of diet, it may be convenient to keep for some time after it has begun to get high or tainted.it is useful to know that animal ptttt‘efuction is checked by fresh burnt charcoal; by means of which, therefore. the venison may be prevented from getting worse, although it cannot be. restored to its original freshness. The meat should be placml in a hollow dish. and charcoal powder be strewcd over it until it cover the joint to the thickness of half an inch.

The feet of a tame duck are yellowish—those of a wild one reddish. Pigeons should always be eaten while they are fresh: when they look flabby and discolored about the under part. they have been kept too long. The feet. like those of most other poultry. show the age of the. bird: when they are sup ple. it is young; when stiff, it is old. Tame pigeons are larger than wild pigeons. Pam-{dyes have yellow legs, and a dark-colored bill when young. They are not in season till after the ﬁrst of Septem

RULss ron cnoosnto rtsn. Turbo! should have the under side of a yellowish white; for when it is very transparent, blue, or thin, it is not good: the whole ﬁsh should be thick and firm.

ber.

“Of all appeals—although I grant the power of pathos, and of gold, Of beauty, ﬂattery. threats. :1 shilling—no Method‘s more sure at moments to take hold Of the best- feelings of mankind. which grow More tender. as we every day behold,

Than that alleoftening. overpowering knell, The tocsiu of the soil—the dinner bell.” Naturally. each room should be furnished in accordance with the use for which it is intended. A “solid simplicity” should characterize the arrangement of the dining~r00m— -.» VIfI/IJI I I-'-'f l f f ~

but this should not preclude good taste. The articles of furniture should harmonize with each other. and where it is not necessary to exercise strict economy. an elegant turn

of mind may gratify itself by the introduction of exquisite carvings and ﬁne workmanship. Busts and pictures pm perly ﬁnd place in a dining~rocm, but they should be of high merit. and not inferior performances. The sideboard or buffet should be of elegant construction. and the plate and glass placed upon it be kept in the highest degree of order and brightness. Connected with the dining-room