Culinary Semi-Finals

Question 1

Muscle tissue consists of three major components

Answer 1

water, protein, and fat.

Question 2

IT is about 75 percent of muscle tissue. With such a high percentage of water you can see why
shrinkage can be a big problem in cooking meat. Too much moisture loss means dry meat, loss of weight, and loss of profit.

Answer 2

WATER

Question 3

IT is an important nutrient and the most abundant solid material in meat. About 20 per- cent of muscle tissue is

Answer 3

protein

Question 4

it coagulates when it is heated. applying higher heat toughens it.

Answer 4

protein

Question 5

This means it becomes firmer and loses moisture.

Answer 5

Coagulation

Question 6

It is related to doneness. When protein has coagu- lated to the desired degree, the meat is said to be “done.”

Answer 6

Coagulation

Question 7

It accounts for up to 5 percent of muscle

tissue. Of course, more may surround the muscles.

Answer 7

FAT

Question 8

A beef carcass can be as much as

Answer 8

30% FAT

Question 9

Nevertheless, a certain amount of fat is desirable for three reasons:

Answer 9

JUICINESS
TENDERNESS
FLAVOR

Question 10

Marbling is fat deposited within the muscle tissue. The juiciness we enjoy in well- marbled beef is due more to fat than to moisture. 


Answer 10

JUICINESS

Question 11

IT protects the meat—especially roasts—from drying out during cooking as well as in storage.

Answer 11

SURFACE MEAT

Question 12

Adding surface fats where they are lacking is called . 


Answer 12

Barding

Question 13

Marbling separates muscle fibers, making them easier to chew. 


Answer 13

Tenderness

Question 14

It is perhaps the main source of flavor in meat. A well-marbled Prime (top grade) steak tastes “beefier” than the same cut of a lower grade

Answer 14

Fat

Question 15

It contains a very small amount of __ From the standpoint of nutrition, its quantity is so small that it is insignificant. I

Answer 15

Carbohydrate

Question 16

Carbs important, however, because it plays a necessary part in the complex reaction, called the that takes place when meats are browned by roasting, broiling, or sautéing. Without these carbohydrates, the desirable flavor and appearance of browned meats would not be achieved.

Answer 16

Maillard reaction

Question 17

Structure of meat

Answer 17

Muscle Fibers
Elastin
Connective tissue

Question 18

It is composed of long, thin muscle fibers bound together in bundles. These deter- mine the texture or grain of a piece of meat.

Answer 18

Lean meat

Question 19

It is composed of small fibers bound in small bundles.

Answer 19

Fine-grained meat

Question 20

It has large fibers.

Answer 20

Coarse-textured meats

Question 21

Silverskin

Answer 21

Connective tissue

Question 22

Meat are bound together in a network of proteins called . Each muscle fiber also is covered in a

Answer 22

connective tissue

Question 23

It is important for the cook to understand connective tissue for one basic reason: Connective tissue is tough. To cook meats successfully, you should know

Answer 23

• Which meats are high in connective tissue and which are low. 

• What are the best ways to make tough meats tender. 


Question 24

Meats are highest in connective tissue if

Answer 24

• They come from muscles that are more exercised. Muscles in the legs, for example, 

have more connective tissue than muscles in the back. 

• They come from older animals. Veal is more tender than meat from a young steer, which, in turn, is more tender than meat from an old bull or cow. (Young animals have connective tissue, too, but it becomes harder to break down as the animal ages.) 


Question 25

Meats high in connective tissue can be made more tender by using proper cooking techniques.

There are two kinds of connective tissue:

Answer 25

collagen, which is white in color, and elastin, which is yellow. 


Question 26

Long, slow cooking in the presence of moisture breaks down or dissolves collagen by turning it into gelatin and water. Of course, muscle tissue is about 75 percent water, so moisture is always present when meats are cooked. Except for very large roasts, however, long cooking by a dry-heat method has the danger of evaporating too much moisture and drying out the meat. Therefore, moist-heat cooking methods at low temperatures are most effective for turning a meat high in connective tissue into a tender, juicy finished product. 


Answer 26

Collagen

Question 27

Other factors also help tenderize collagen: 


Answer 27

Tenderisers
Acid
Enzymes

Question 28

It helps dissolve collagen. Marinating meat helps tenderize it. 


Answer 28

Acid

Question 29

They are naturally present in meats.

Answer 29

Enzymes

Question 30

They break down some connective tissue and other proteins as meat ages. These are inactive at freezing temperatures, slow- acting under refrigeration, active at room temperature, and destroyed by heat above 140°F (60°C). 


Answer 30

Enzymes

Question 31

They are enzymes such as papain (extracted from papaya) that are added to meats by the cook or injected into the animal before slaughter. Exercise care when using enzyme ____. Too long an exposure at room temperature can make the meat undesirably mushy. 


Answer 31

Tenderizers

Question 32

___ have a higher proportion of elastin than younger animals.

Answer 32

Older animals

Question 33

Elastin is not broken down in cooking. Tenderizing can be accomplished only by removing the elastin (cutting away any tendons) and by mechanically breaking up the fibers, as in

Answer 33

Pounding and cubing (cubed steaks)

Grinding (hamburger)

Slicing the cooked meat very thin against the grain (as in London broil)

Question 34

Cooks and food-service operators in the United States are assisted in their evaluation of meats by a ____

Answer 34

federal inspection and grading system

Question 35

It is a guarantee of wholesomeness, not of quality or tenderness. It means the animal was not diseased and the meat is clean and fit for human consumption. 


Answer 35

Inspection

Question 36

That the meat passed inspection is indicated by a

Answer 36

round stamp

Question 37

Inspection is required by . All meat must be inspected. 


Answer 37

US Federal Law

Question 38

It is a quality designation. 


Answer 38

Grading

Question 39

The grade is indicated by a

Answer 39

shield stamp

Question 40

It is not required by U.S. law. (Some packers use a private grading system and give
different brand names to different grades. Reliability of private grades depends on the integrity of the packer.) 


Answer 40

Grading

Question 41

It is based on the texture, firmness, and color of the lean meat, the age or maturity of the animal, and the marbling (the fat within the lean).

Answer 41

Quality Grading

Question 42

Soon after slaughter, an animal’s muscles stiffen due to __s in the flesh. This stiffness, called ___, gradually disappears. Softening takes ___ for beef, less time for smaller carcasses like veal, lamb, and pork. This softening is caused by enzymes in the flesh.

Answer 42

chemical changes
rigor mortis
3-4 days

Question 43

is meat that has not had enough time to soften.

Answer 43

green meat

Question 44

It is tough and relatively flavorless. Because it takes several days for meats to reach the kitchen from the slaughterhouse, green meat is seldom a problem with commercially available meats, except when meat is frozen while still green. The problem is sometimes encountered with game killed for home consumption, if the hunter cuts and freezes the meat when it is too fresh.

Answer 44

green meat

Question 45

Enzyme action continues in muscle tissue even after meat is no longer green. This tenderizes the flesh even more and develops more flavor.
Beef and lamb can be aged because high-quality carcasses have enough fat cover to protect them from bacteria and from drying. Veal has no fat cover, so it is not aged. Pork does not require aging.
Aging does not mean just storing meat in the refrigerator. There is a difference between aged meat and old meat. Conditions must be carefully controlled so the meat becomes naturally tender without spoiling.

Answer 45

Aged meat

Question 46

Holding meats in coolers under controlled conditions to provide time for this natural tenderizing is

Answer 46

aging