48 THE WONDERFUL HOUSE THAT JACK HAS 



While raw meat is more readily digested than that 

 which has been cooked, civilized people cook meats 

 to improve the flavor, and to kill any harmful bacteria 

 they may contain. We found that in cooking eggs 

 heat hardens the albumen, and that the harder the 

 albumen becomes, the more difficult it is for the diges- 

 tive juices. In cooking meats to the best advantage, 

 this quality should be remembered. As albumen 

 is distributed throughout meat, if the piece being 

 cooked is subjected to great heat long enough, it will 

 become hardened all through, causing the meat to be 

 both inferior in taste and more difficult to digest. 

 When the heat is not great enough to harden the albu- 

 men on the surface of the meat, much of the water the 

 flesh contains escapes, carrying with it flavoring extracts 

 and making the meat less appetizing and nutritious. 



We should remember that whether meat is broiled, 

 roasted, boiled, or fried, it should be subjected to very 

 high heat as soon as it is placed on the stove, so that 

 the albumen on the surface may be hardened and the 

 juices kept from escaping. As soon as this is accom- 

 plished, the heat should be much reduced, and the meat 

 kept on the stove only long enough for the fibers below 

 the surface to be changed to the condition desired. 



It can be plainly seen that the less meat is cooked 

 after the albumen of the surface has become hardened, 

 the more easily the digestive juices will be able to dis- 

 solve it. On the other hand, the more thoroughly it 

 is cooked, the less the danger from harmful bacteria. 



