Milk 31 Rice 34 * Potato 38 54 76 Corn 102 The value of meat as a food is also enhanced by its content of organic extractives. These substances are among the water-soluble con stituents of meat and give to meat its charac teristic flavor. Thus, it may be shown that the greater palatability of the higher priced cuts of beef is associated with a higher percentage of organic extractives in the lean meat. While the organic extractives have practically no food value, as the term is ordinarily used, yielding but little energy or structural material to the body, they are known to be potent in stimulating the digestive glands, especially the gastric glands, and thus probably play an important role in digestion.
From one-tenth to one-third the cost of food in the average family is paid out for meats. Some facts are given therefore which throw some light on the question as to the desirable qualities of beef. Beef is used to illustrate the matter of quality because it is pre-eminently the most popular flesh food and because means more in beef than in mutton or pork, especially the latter. If all the desirable quali ties of beef could be secured in one cut it would be palatable, nutritious and economical. This is practically impossible, however ; there are wider differences in cuts of meat as to palatability and cost than as to food value, while the less ex pensive cuts may be rendered more palatable by proper methods of cooking. Palatability of beef depends upon tenderness, juiciness, quality and flavor. Tenderness, juiciness, quality and flavor depend upon the age of the animal, the location of the cut, the condition of the animal as to ripeness, the degree of ripeness of the meat and the method of cooking. As a rule the younger the animal the more tender the meat. Perhaps nothing, however has more influence upon ten derness than cooking, different cuts requiring different treatment. The flesh of young animals invariably lacks that fine marbled appearance, or distribution of fat throughout the muscular tissue that is so characteristic of beef of high quality taken from mature bullocks that are in a finished or well-fatted condition. The beef of young cattle is also more or less lacking in flavor. Satisfactory flavor in beef is of course largely a matter of individual preference, but a reasonable state of maturity and development is required to give beef its most characteristic flavor. It is significant that the more tender cuts of beef, such as the tenderloin, lack notice ably in flavor. Good judges agree that the best flavored beef comes from muscles which are frequently used during the life of the animal. This exercise renders these muscles tougher, but of distinctly higher flavor. Beef cut from cattle of rather advanced age, or for that matter from cattle of any age, is rendered relatively more tender by the ripening process.
Fresh beef that has not hung in the cooler for 10 days to two weeks lacks both in tenderness and flavor. Even a 'anger time in cold storage is desirable with the highest grade of beef. The beef cut from well-fattened steers of good quality or containing a high percentage of beef blood can be much more satisfactorily ripened in cold storage than that cut from mongrel bred steers which have been slaughtered in an indif ferent condition. Carcasses of prime steers pos sess a characteristic coating of surface fat which protects the lean beef from too much exposure and gives it an opportunity to fully ripen. In the case of the carcass from the medium and common grades the beef frequently lacks that surface fat which seems to serve such a useful office during the ripening process. Low grade beef will literally rot before it will ripen. Juici ness in beef is largely dependent upon the percentage and distribution of fat, and the method of cooking. While an abundance of fat anywhere on a cut of beef adds materially to its apparent juiciness, an even distribution of fat throughout the muscular tissue, a condition which gives to the meat when carved (espe cially when cold) that beautifully marbled ap pearance, is the leading factor in contributing ideal juiciness to the beef. Juiciness may be easily destroyed by too prolonged roasting or broiling. The marbled quality in beef is seldom seen except in reasonably mature well-fatted cattle.
Prime condition in the live animal is essen tial for producing high quality in beef and other meats as well. In order to secure the highest quality in meats the consumer must pay a rela tively high price for the cuts of meat or buy considerably more fat than can be agreeably eaten along with the lean of the cut, thus mak ing it necessary to utilize the superfluous fat for other purposes or consider it as waste or refuse. In either instance it renders the edible meat of high quality relatively high priced as compared with low grade meat. On the other hand, meat of high quality need not necessarily be the most expensive for the consumer to pur chase, for, when properly cooked, it is so de lightfully tender and juicy that all of it is edible, save possibly a small amount of superfluous fat. However, this extra fat is of such quality that it can be readily rendered and used for cooking purposes to supplement or in some instances satisfactorily take the place of more expensive shortening. Another fact which should not be overlooked is that the cheaper, and as generally considered, less palatable cuts taken from a carcass of beef possessing high quality are often fully as desirable as the best cuts from low grade carcasses.