Culinary Semi-Finals Flashcards
Muscle tissue consists of three major components
water, protein, and fat.
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.
WATER
IT is an important nutrient and the most abundant solid material in meat. About 20 per- cent of muscle tissue is
protein
it coagulates when it is heated. applying higher heat toughens it.
protein
This means it becomes firmer and loses moisture.
Coagulation
It is related to doneness. When protein has coagu- lated to the desired degree, the meat is said to be “done.”
Coagulation
It accounts for up to 5 percent of muscle
tissue. Of course, more may surround the muscles.
FAT
A beef carcass can be as much as
30% FAT
Nevertheless, a certain amount of fat is desirable for three reasons:
JUICINESS
TENDERNESS
FLAVOR
Marbling is fat deposited within the muscle tissue. The juiciness we enjoy in well- marbled beef is due more to fat than to moisture.
JUICINESS
IT protects the meat—especially roasts—from drying out during cooking as well as in storage.
SURFACE MEAT
Adding surface fats where they are lacking is called .
Barding
Marbling separates muscle fibers, making them easier to chew.
Tenderness
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
Fat
It contains a very small amount of __ From the standpoint of nutrition, its quantity is so small that it is insignificant. I
Carbohydrate
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.
Maillard reaction
Structure of meat
Muscle Fibers
Elastin
Connective tissue
It is composed of long, thin muscle fibers bound together in bundles. These deter- mine the texture or grain of a piece of meat.
Lean meat
It is composed of small fibers bound in small bundles.
Fine-grained meat
It has large fibers.
Coarse-textured meats
Silverskin
Connective tissue
Meat are bound together in a network of proteins called . Each muscle fiber also is covered in a
connective tissue
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
- Which meats are high in connective tissue and which are low.
- What are the best ways to make tough meats tender.
Meats are highest in connective tissue if
• 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.)
Meats high in connective tissue can be made more tender by using proper cooking techniques.
There are two kinds of connective tissue:
collagen, which is white in color, and elastin, which is yellow.
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.
Collagen
Other factors also help tenderize collagen:
Tenderisers
Acid
Enzymes
It helps dissolve collagen. Marinating meat helps tenderize it.
Acid
They are naturally present in meats.
Enzymes
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).
Enzymes
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.
Tenderizers
___ have a higher proportion of elastin than younger animals.
Older animals
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
Pounding and cubing (cubed steaks)
Grinding (hamburger)
Slicing the cooked meat very thin against the grain (as in London broil)
Cooks and food-service operators in the United States are assisted in their evaluation of meats by a ____
federal inspection and grading system
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.
Inspection
That the meat passed inspection is indicated by a
round stamp
Inspection is required by . All meat must be inspected.
US Federal Law
It is a quality designation.
Grading
The grade is indicated by a
shield stamp
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.)
Grading
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).
Quality Grading
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.
chemical changes
rigor mortis
3-4 days
is meat that has not had enough time to soften.
green meat
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.
green meat
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.
Aged meat
Holding meats in coolers under controlled conditions to provide time for this natural tenderizing is
aging
