86 COOKING AND ITS EFFECT ON FOOD 



fire, because it is desirable to prevent not only the escape of 

 juices from the meat, but also the entrance of fat into it. 



Only young and tender meats should be roasted, broiled, or 

 fried ; in young animals such as spring chicken and spring 

 lamb, the tissues are soft and tender and do not need long 

 heat for softening the fibrin. In older animals the tissues are 

 thicker and harder and must be greatly loosened and softened 

 before they are ready for the digestive juices, and they are 

 best prepared by the slower method of stewing and boiling. 



Boiling and stewing. Meat that is to be cooked by boiling 

 should be plunged into boiling water for a few minutes, or until 

 the surface protein has coagulated into a crust through which 

 juices and extractives cannot escape. The pot should then be 

 pushed to a cooler part of the stove where it can be left for 

 hours, the albumin slowly coagulating, the gelatin gradually 

 softening, the fibers slowly loosening, and all being made ready 

 for the body. Meat that is to be boiled should never be put 

 into cold water and heated gradually, because cold or lukewarm 

 water draws out extractives, juices, and soluble protein, and 

 leaves the meat tasteless and poor in nourishment. 



In a stew the meat must be tender and juicy and the broth 

 must be rich, for both are to be eaten. In order to get some of 

 the nourishing and flavoring matter in the broth the meat is 

 chopped and soaked in cold water and then heated gradually. 

 With prolonged moderate heat of about 1 80 F. the connec- 

 tive tissue softens, the fibers loosen up, and the protein coagu- 

 lates into a soft tender mass. In stewing, as in boiling, long, 

 slow cooking at moderate temperature is better than rapid 

 cooking at the boiling point. 



Soups. In soup we want a rich, well-flavored broth. Since 

 cold and lukewarm water draws out extractives and soluble 

 proteins, meat for soup should be chopped up and then placed 

 in cold water and slowly heated. The temperature should not 



