THE CHOICE OF FOOD.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2071, 13 October 1880, Page 4

THE CHOICE OF FOOD.

■[From the “ Q.ueen.”]

The old days of marketing are now a thing of the past in England, and everything is left at one’s door—from a pennyworth of provisions to the same amount of literature. Yet, for all that, the young housekeeper’s trials in the choice of meat, &0., have not vanished with her marketing basket; and a careful inspection of the articles which the tradesmen send is as necessary now as it was in the good old days when the housewife’s sharp eyes selected her own commodities before taking them home. A few words of advice as to how to select is what we propose to give. First, os regards butcher’s meat, attention to the following simple directions will aid the housewife in deciding upon that all-important point —dts freshness. All loan meat, when freSh, shows a deep purplish red tint with a bloom over it on the outside of the muscle, and a paler Vermillion red with just a shade of purple in the cut surface. Mutton lean should ha quite even in hue, and have no flavor whatever of tallow; beef lean may be a little marbled with fat, bat it must have no flavor of suet. The surface of the meat must be quite dry, even a cut scarcely wetting the finger, and the substance moderately soft, but at the same time so elastic that no mark is left after a pressure from the finger. Keeping the meat for a day or two in the larder should make no difference as regards this. Then, there should bo very little odour in a single joint of meat; it should not waste much in cooking, and when brought to table roasted should retain its gravy well, until the knife causes it to gush out in a rich appetising stream, full of inviting scent and flavor. This is particularly the case with mutton, and for ascertaining its value is the easiest test we know of. But, generally, for all meat, a good test is to push a clean knife up to the hilt into its substance. In good fresh meat the resistance is uniform, but when some parts are softer than others we may be quite sure that putrefaction has set in. The smell of the knife is also a good aid—and this, by the way, is always useful in choosing a ham ; for, by pushing a knife deep in, withdrawing it, and smelling it, one can toll whether the flavor is very salt or the contrary. As regards fat. The raw fat of beef should be of a slightly yellow color, like fresh butter; that of mutton should bo very white. Lamb and veal should also have very white and translucent fat, whilst the lean of both should be pale, but perfectly evenly tinted. The various internal parts of an animal are more difficult to choose, and great care is necessary in seeing that they are perfectly fresh, as they decompose quicker than the outer parts, and when decomposed they are very unwholesome. Generally speaking, liver, kidneys, &c., may be safely eaten when in their uncooked condition they show _ a bright even color throughout, and are quite free from marks of congestions or bruises. But a special word of advice is needed as to the selection of sweetbread, which is the thymus gland of the calf, for will sometimes send the pancreas or stomach bread instead. This may be recognised, however, even when cooked and chopped up, by its largo veins and arteries; and, as it is very inferior in digestibility to the more delicate gland, it is as well to be quite sure about the real article before buying it. A young and therefore tender fowl may be known before plucking by the largeness of the feet and the leg joints ; and after plucking, a thin neck and violet thighs may he taken as invariable signs of age and toughness, especially ia turkeys and fowls. The age ef ducks and geese is tested in a different manner— i.e., by their beaks, the lower part of which breaks away quite easily when they are young. One of the chief and most objectionable drawbacks to an old fowl, duck, or goose is the rank and disagreeable savour. Young birds of the gallinacoous tribe may be known by their undeveloped spurs, and young partridges by the pointed long wing feathers, which grow rounded at the tip with age. In the case of fish, many people trust to the sense of smell; but this is not always to be depended upon, as it may be deceived by the use of ice. The best tests of freshness are the fulnestjof the eyeballs and the bright pink hue of the gills when raw, and when cooked the firmness of the flesh, which in the case of stale fish is flabby and stringy, even if preserved by cold from visible putrefaction. The cheapest sort of fish are the best to buy, for when any kind is cheapest it is sure to be most plentiful, in fullest season, and therefore most wholesome. Great care is necessary in purchasing caviare—the roe of the sturgeon—which should always be obtained straight from a fishmonger, and as fresh as possible. Fresh caviare ia soft, pale in colour, and exhibits the ova quite distinctly; but when it is old and out of season it is black, homogeneous in texture, and is very indigestible—in fact, none but the very freshest is to be recommended for digestibility. The preserved sorts ore to be avoided, for very often they are extremely unwholesome—indeed, almost unfit for human consumption.

As regards the freshness of vegetables, it is as well to be most particular, as many disagrsaeable and even dangerous results are occasionally produced from eating stale cabbages, &c. But, whilst most people think about the desirability of their freshness, few give a thought as to the quantity of green food really needed. Tomatoes and all salad materials are valuable as anti-scorbutics ; but' cabbage is the most effective. This, however, must be quite fresh, or, like other stale vegetables, it will ferment in the stomach and produce indigestion. Fresh cabbage is soft, but crisp, before cooking, and should show no signs of having been wetted. Freshness in vegetables is of the utmost importance, as every minute they are kept after actual death Tenders them less digestible. Many may know, from experience, that town asparagus often disagrees with people ; this ia simply because gardeners frequently cut it a day before it is required, and put it in a damp warm frame to swell and look fine. Cucumbers are often spoilt in the same way, whereas both encumbers and asparagus should bo eaten as scon as possible after cutting, for then they are most wholesome and digestible. Some vegetables are best when they are most green, others when they are most white. Asparagus, savoys, Brussels sprouts, and all winter gxeena should be as green as possible, but cauliflower and seakale should be as whrje os possible. Seakale to be good should be perfectly blanched, for when colored it is indigestible with some people, and leaves an unpleasant after taste in the mouth. Celery, again, should be os white as can be got, and when fresh should break off quite clean. If it leaves stringy ends, it has either been warmed to make it swell, or else kept too long. Good potatoes should bo firm, cut with some resistance, and present no evidence of disease or fungi. These also should be eaten as fresh as possible, for if kept long they will become dry and shrivelled, and lose much of their nutriment. With carrots the the thickness of the dark outer rind in proportion to the pale core is a test of goodness, and their freshness is beat indicated by their crispness. One of the staple articles of household consumption, ia wheaten flour. This should be examined by four out of the five senses, viz., sight, touch, taste, and smell. To the sight, when fresh, flour should be quite white, or with the slightest tinge of yellow; any decided yellow indicates commencing changes. There should be no lumps when tested by the touch, or, it there are, they should easily break, for when there is grittiness it shows that the starch grains are changing. There should also be a certain amount of adhesion, so that if a handful of flour were compressed and thrown against a wall or board, some of it should adhere. When mixed with water, if good, the dough will be coherent, and draw out easily into strings. When tasted it must not be too acid, and if tested by smell there should be no odour of fermentation or mouldiness. Now a few words in conclusion as to some tests for the nnrity of eggs and milk. Good milk, placed in a narrow glass, should look quite opaque, and of a full white colour. It should leave no deposit, and have no peculiar smell or taste, and these characteristics ought to hold good after it has been boiled. Egga may also be roughly tested by sight, for if held up to the light fresh egga look more transparent in the centre, and old ones at either end. But for a certain tost, where there is any doubt, before breaking the shell, dissolve one ounce of salt in ten ounces of water, and drop the egg in. A good egg will sink, on indifferent one swim, and a bad egg will float, oven if the water be perfectly pure.

An “Association for the removal of the Bishops from the House of Lords ” has been formed, in consequence of the action of the majority of the bishops on the Burials Bill. The Kev. W. J. B. Bennett, of Frome has been elected chairman.

It is a mean man who, knowing that his neighbor expects company, will get out a fardon hose and create a mud puddle whore is neighbor's child will be sure to find it.