Put your tongue to the larger end; if it feel warm, the egg is fresh. Or put the egg into a pan of cold water; if perfectly fresh, it will sink immediately, and so in proportion to its freshness; a rotten egg will float on the top of the water.

Of ordinary meats mutton is at once the most nutritious and the easiest of digestion. Beef is usually considered more strengthening, but demands more vigorous digestive powers. Veal and lamb, though tender, are less digestible than the flesh of mature animals, this being especially the case with veal. Of all meats, however, pork stands first in the rank of the indigestible.

When meat comes from the market it should be wiped at once with a fresh, damp cloth, covered, and put in a cool place. Never wash fresh meat, as cold water draws out the juice. Remove from mutton all the pink skin attached to the meat; if left it will give it an unpleasant taste when cooked. The organs of animals, as the heart and kidneys, should be washed thoroughly; salted meats need washing to remove the salt.