These salts assist in the building of hard
tissues and have a decided effect on the blood. They are lost from the
tissues of meat by certain methods of cookery, but as they are in
solution in the water in which the meat is cooked, they need not be lost
to the diet if use is made of this water for soups, sauces, and gravies.
15. EXTRACTIVES IN MEAT.--The appetizing flavor of meat is due to
substances called _extractives_. The typical flavor that serves to
distinguish pork from beef or mutton is due to the difference in the
extractives. Although necessary for flavoring, these have no nutritive
value; in fact, the body throws them off as waste material when they are
taken with the food. In some methods of cookery, such as broiling and
roasting, the extractives are retained, while in others, such as those
employed for making stews and soups, they are drawn out.
Extractives occur in the greatest quantity in the muscles that the
animal exercises a great deal and that in reality have become tough.
Likewise, a certain part of an old animal contains more extractives than
the same part of a young one. For these reasons a very young chicken is
broiled while an old one is used for stew, and ribs of beef are roasted
while the shins are used for soup.
Meat that is allowed to hang and ripen develops compounds that are
similar to extractives and that impart additional flavor.
Pages:
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77