Meat is one of the chief sources of tissue building (protein) food. Its food value is high, and so unfortunately is the price. The average American housewife serves meat at least once a day. If the amount of meat is reduced, other food equally nutritive must be substituted. The problem with most housekeepers at present is how to keep the meat bill down and still serve palatable meals. This requires careful study and should include a knowledge of the different cuts of meat, the amount of waste and quality. If these points are not understood, it is not possible to purchase to the best advantage. And most important, the marketing should be "personally conducted," if the best results are to be obtained. To order by telephone often adds to the cost due to lack of details, such as thickness, exact weight or choice cuts, etc., which the dealer will not observe as carefully as the purchaser. Then again, the market man will probably take a personal interest in holding your trade if he finds you know what you want, that you are familiar with the different cuts of meat and understand their qualities.

The best method of cooking meat depends entirely upon the tenderness, texture and flavor. The tenderness will depend upon the connective tissue; tender, fine grained meats are taken from the least muscular parts of the animal and tough, coarse fibered sections come from portions which are most used. One-fourth of the weight of a dressed beef consists of the tender meat, and all of these cuts are expensive. The less tender cuts are just as nutritious; in fact, many of the cheaper cuts have more food value than the tender meat, but require more attention in their preparation. If cooked properly, these cheaper cuts will be found juicy and palatable.

The value of any cut of meat depends upon the quantity of waste, bone, gristle, etc. For example, the prime ribs are even higher than they seem, because the purchaser has to pay for so much bone; while some of the cheaper meats have so much waste in gristle, fat and bone that they would be equal in price to more tender cuts.

All meat cookery is governed by two general principles. For tender, fine grained meats there should be intense heat, no liquid, and the meat should be seasoned after cooking. The high temperature sears the surface and keeps the juice from escaping. The meat is cooked quickly because, being tender, it would harden and become dry if it were allowed to remain in too great a heat for a long period. It is seasoned after cooking because the salt would tend to draw out the juices, which with tender meats is not desirable. Water is not added because it would cause steam, which would affect the brown, crisp surface of the meat. Plenty of fat instead of liquid should be used for basting.

Coarse, tough meats require quick surface searing, long, slow cooking and a small amount of water. The meat is seared in order to retain the greater part of the juices, and then cooked slowly in a small amount of water and closely covered; it may be seasoned during the cooking process. The meat when cooked should be juicy, due to searing, and tender because of the slow cooking.

To understand which method to use is the secret of economy in meat cookery. The best and most expensive cuts of meat are selected for roasting, broiling or pan broiling. The cheaper or coarser portions are made into stews, soups, pot roast, braised or boiled. The cheaper cuts of meat are just as high in food value as the more tender ones, thus offering the housewife the necessary variety.

Meat which is dry and lean is much improved by the addition of pork fat, either salt or fresh. This may be added by placing thin strips over the upper surface of the meat, or strips of fat about half an inch thick can be inserted through cuts made with a sharp pointed knife and extended clear through if possible. Or a larding needle may be used and strips of pork drawn through in stitches about an inch long. These stitches are taken at regular intervals over the entire surface of the meat. Take the strips of pork as near the rind as possible and cut lengthwise with the rind.

Red meats, such as beef and mutton, are more stimulating than the white meat of poultry or veal. Beef is the most nutritious, mutton being second. Lamb and veal are less nutritious than the flesh of full-grown animals. Dried or smoked beef contains as much nutriment as the fresh meat, while corned beef loses in food value, the brine drawing out some of the juices. Meat is too expensive a food to be thoughtlessly purchased or carelessly cooked, and the meat bill may be reduced by making more use of the less expensive cuts.