Excerpt from the Modern Priscilla Cook Book, 1924

MEAT
The preparation of any meat in such a way as to emphasize its good points requires not only a knowledge of underlying principles but care in applying them as well. It is just as possible to ruin a choice piece of meat through careless cooking as to make an inferior cut palatable by adopting the proper method.
Roasting and Broiling. — By roasting and broiling a delicious flavor is developed in meats but this method is suitable only for meats that are short-fibred, fine-grained and which do not contain tough connective tissue. These cuts come from the parts of the animal where the muscles are least used.
The less choice cuts of meats require a more moist atmosphere to make them tender. Pot roasting, stewing and braising can be used successfully.
Roasts should first be subjected to intense heat, which will quickly sear over the surface and prevent the escape of juices. A little flour rubbed over the meat helps to keep in the juices and facilitates brown¬ing. After the surface is seared the heat should be reduced, otherwise the outer portion will become dry and hard before the heat has pene-trated to the centre. The larger the roast the lower the temperature should be. A roast of pork may be cooked in a moderate oven for the entire period because the surface is so much protected by fat. Unless a covered roaster is used the meat should be basted frequently with the liquid in the pan.
The principle involved in broiling is the same as in roasting. It is used for small pieces of meat instead of large. Intense heat is applied to sear the surface and then the cooking is completed at a lower temperature.
The result obtained by broiling may be approximated in a pan. The meat is seared on both sides in a very hot pan without fat and then cooked more slowly until done.
Pot-Roasting.— In pot-roasting the meat is seared over quickly in a hot kettle and then cooked slowly with a very little water.
Braising.—Braising is similar to pot-roasting. The meat is cooked in the oven in a tightly covered pan with a small amount of water. It is best to sear the surface of the meat first. Vegetables are usually added for flavor.
Stewing.— In stewing the meat is simmered in a relatively large amount of water. Browning the meat for stews before cooking adds color and flavor.
Tough meats can be made somewhat more tender by pounding the back of a knife or some other blunt tool so as to break the fibre by rubbing the surface with an acid or by cooking in slightly acidulated water.

BEEF
Facts to Remember about Beef
Good beef is firm and fine-grained in texture. The surface of a freshly cut piece should be bright red in color. Even when it has been cut for some time it should be a clear red, though darker. The fat is firm, with a clear yellowish tinge.
In purchasing beef the amount of bone and cartilage in proportion to the meat should be considered. One cut may be a few cents lower in price than another but the amount of waste may make the real cost higher.
It should be remembered that beef comes from a large animal and it is not always possible to purchase a small piece advantageously.
Many of the beef organs can be utilized to good advantage and should not be overlooked in menu making. They offer variety and are relatively inexpensive.

LAMB AND MUTTON
Lamb is the flesh of sheep under a year old. Above that age it is called mutton. Spring lamb is six weeks to three months old. It comes into the market in March to July. The best mutton is cut from sheep about three years old. Under that age it lacks flavor and is likely to be tough. Lamb may be Judged by the leg joint. This Joint is jagged in the young animal but becomes smooth and round in mutton.
Lamb should be of fine, firm fiber, light pink in color. The bones are pink or slightly streaked with red. It contains only a small amount of fat.
Mutton is deeper red in color and the bones are white. It contains a considerable amount of fat which should be firm, white and flaky.
A leg of lamb makes the best roast. It is relatively high in price but except for the single bone is practically all solid meat. The fore-quarter is often used for stews and soup but it also makes a good roast. It is most satisfactory for this purpose if boned and rolled.
Rib chops are cut from the forequarter, loin chops from the hind quarter. The edible portion is greater in the latter but the price is higher.
Rib chops in which the bone has been scraped clean nearly to the lean meat are called French chops.
A crown roast of lamb consists of pieces of loin from each side, each containing the same number of ribs. They are carefully trimmed and fastened together in the form of a circle.
A saddle of mutton consists of the two sides of the loin cut off before the backbone is split.

ROAST BEEF
Put meat in a roasting pan, dredge with flour, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put into a very hot oven (500°) to sear the surface quickly. As soon as the roast is browned reduce the heat to moderate (350°). For rare beef allow fifteen minutes to the pound, counting the time after the meat is seared. For a well-done roast allow twenty minutes to the pound. If an uncovered roaster is used baste the meat frequently with the liquid in the pan.
To make gravy, remove the meat from the pan and pour off the superfluous fat, leaving about two tablespoonfuls for each cup of gravy to be made. Add one and one-half to two table-spoons flour for each cup, and blend thoroughly. Add the desired amount of water gradually, and cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper. For a six pound roast make three cups of gravy.

POT ROAST OF BEEF
Wipe the meat with a cloth. Heat kettle or large frying-pan, put in meat and sear entire surface. Rub with salt and pepper. Add a cup of water, cover, and keep just below boiling point. Do not let kettle get dry, but keep only a little water in it. Cook until meat is tender,—about four hours. Thicken liquid for gravy by adding flour mixed to a paste with cold water. Use one and one-half to two table-spoons flour to each cup of liquid.

PORK
When pork is in proper condition the skin and fat are white and clear, except the kidney or leaf lard which is slightly pinkish in hue. The flesh is composed of fine-grained tissues and is pink in color.
The thicker the skin of pork the older the animal from which it, was cut.
Pork contains a larger proportion of fat than any other meat.
Consequently its food value is higher and special care should be in selecting other foods to combine with it.
Pork should always be thoroughly cooked. It is not only distastefull but even dangerous to health when underdone.
Ham that is very salt should be freshened before cooking. A slice is freshened by being covered with cold water and brought slowly to the simmering point. A whole ham should stand in cold water over night or at least for several
hours.

VEAL
Veal is the meat from a young calf. It is at its best when the animal is from six weeks to three months old. “Bob veal,” meat from a calf younger than six weeks, is unfit for food.
Good veal is pink in color and contains a small proportion of white fat. Bob veal may be distinguished from the mean of an older animal by its lack of color.
The keeping quality of veal is poor. The meat should be used soon after it is dressed.
Veal should always be thoroughly cooked. Long cooking at a low temperature is best to soften the connective tissue and make the meat tender and palatable. As with other meats the surface should first be seared to prevent the escape of juices.
Fat should be added during the cooking to supply the deficiency in the composition of the meat. Salt pork and butter give the best flavor.
Veal is bland in flavor and should be served with a well-seasoned sauce or cooked with a stuffing.
The tissues of veal contain a large proportion of gelatin which makes the meat excellent for soup stock. White stock for which many recipes call is made from veal.
The edible organs of the calf are more tender and more delicate in flavor than those of any other animal.

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