Meat is the most important food for the human body.

It contains animal proteins, fats and so-called extractives that enhance the secretion of digestive juices for better absorption of food.

The most important are muscle proteins.

The rest of the proteins that are found in cartilage, in the nervous and connective tissue are less valuable for the human body..

In addition, meat contains a large amount of vitamins, which are mainly represented by group B and are found mainly in the liver, and minerals: phosphorus, potassium, iron, sodium, zinc, copper, iodine, etc.. Well-balanced meat composition of a well-fed animal. In lean and emaciated animals, the nutritional value of meat is significantly reduced. It is very important to choose the right and good fresh meat when buying..

Main indicators of meat freshness:.

1) color;

2) smell;

3) consistency.

Sometimes these signs are not enough (for example, a frozen piece of spoiled meat may have absolutely no smell). Test cooking is often used to identify stale meat.. Rotting of raw meat can start from the inner layers, and the surface odor remains normal. In this case, a piece of meat is pierced with a heated knife and a putrid smell of spoiled meat is found.. Good quality meat in cuts does not stick to fingers.

Its color is uniform:.

1) red (in cattle);

2) light pink (veal);

3) red with a brown tint (in lamb);

4) pinkish red (in pork).

Avoid buying dark meat (old or thawed). Its edges should be clear (windy and blurred edges speak of vinegar processing of meat in order to hide its staleness). The smell of good meat is attractive, without foreign odors.

The consistency is dense, the meat is elastic, when you press on it with your finger, the formed fossa quickly disappears. The juice is clear, there should not be a lot of it: a piece with a lot of liquid, most likely, either stale or thawed several times. A large amount of blood secreted from the meat indicates that it is inconsistent or that the animal was improperly slaughtered..

Heat treatment.

Boiling meat is the most optimal culinary treatment. After it, almost all proteins are preserved, only a small part of them passes into the broth, forming a foam. Meat products should be cooked in such a way as to preserve their taste as much as possible..

For this, pieces of meat must be poured with boiling water, which should slightly cover them.. Cold water is used only when preparing salty tongues and corned beef, which must first be soaked for 7 hours (during this period, the water is changed 3 times). Salty meat dishes can be cooked without soaking, but a lot of water is used for this.

Each dish is prepared from a specific meat portion:.

1) veal or beef brisket - for soup;

2) tenderloin, loin, back - for frying (lamb has a hind leg);

3) any part of lamb - for pilaf.

Pork loin and back should be bought (the neck is used to cook barbecue).

Milk and dairy products.

Milk is almost the main food product..

It contains:.

1) animal proteins;

2) animal fats;

3) vitamins of group A, B1, B2, D, E;

4) iron;

5) calcium;

6) phosphorus and other essential elements.

Most often, cow's milk is consumed, which consists of:.

1) 87.5% water;

2) 3.7% fat;

3) 3.4% protein;

4) 0.7% minerals.

All these substances are absorbed in the human body almost completely (by 97%). Skimmed milk, due to the presence of calcium in it, serves as a good prevention of osteoporosis (destruction of bone tissue). Milk is a favorable environment for the development of microorganisms, which can be both harmful and beneficial.

The former can cause intestinal upset and poisoning of the whole body (food poisoning). The latter cause lactic acid fermentation and take part in the formation of yogurt, kefir, fermented baked milk and other fermented milk products. Eating raw milk threatens a person with infectious diseases. It is necessary to boil the purchased milk and only then eat it.

Milk from other animals is used in cooking: sheep's milk has more protein and fat compared to cow's; goat milk contains more albumin and vitamin C; both goat and sheep milk are used in the mixture for making cheese; mare's milk has bactericidal properties; reindeer milk is thick and requires dilution.

Choosing the right cow's milk, which is on the shelves, requires a serious approach.. Milk must be free of sediment and a homogeneous liquid. If it has a high fat content, then it should not have cream sludge. It is unacceptable that foreign unpleasant tastes and odors are mixed with the smell and taste. The color is white (a slight yellowish tint is allowed), baked milk has a creamy tint, and a bluish tint is found in low-fat milk. Sour taste indicates the penetration of bacteria into milk.

Storage.

With prolonged storage, putrefactive microflora actively develops and a bitter taste appears.. The putrefactive flora subsequently, releasing alkaline reagents, causes saponification of fat, and the milk has a soapy taste. Animal feed (sedge, fresh nettle, garlic, turnip, etc.. ) contributes to the appearance of unpleasant tastes in milk. Diseases of the cow's udder give milk a salty taste. Smells can be mixed in the process of storing milk in an open container, which is unacceptable (especially if the container is placed together with pungently smelling products).

The reason for the change in consistency is the presence of microorganisms in milk. Lactic acid bacteria make the consistency thick. The activity of mucus-forming bacteria leads to a sticky consistency of milk. Foam is created by yeast, Escherichia coli and butyric acid bacteria. In frozen milk, its colloidal state is disturbed, stratification occurs - fat floats to the surface, and protein settles down.

Defrosting leads to the formation of numerous lumps and flakes. The color can change due to the admixture of animal blood (in various diseases) or under the influence of bacteria that produce multi-colored pigments.

Sour milk products are obtained from milk as a result of the addition of lactic acid bacteria to it (addition of yeast or acetic acid bacteria is also possible).

The range of these products is very wide:.

1) curdled milk;

2) acidophilic milk;

3) kefir;

4) fermented baked milk;

5) yogurt;

6) kumis, etc..

Some of them are prepared with lactic acid fermentation, and others with mixed (alcohol and lactic acid). Fermented milk products are very useful for the human body. Special bacteria added to them are involved in digestion processes, produce B vitamins, suppress the growth of pathogens and putrefactive microorganisms. For example, kefir is obtained as a result of mixed fermentation (alcoholic and lactic acid).

Properties and consistency of dairy products.

Possessing beneficial and medicinal properties, it is able to quench thirst and tastes good.. The consistency of kefir should be uniform, smell and taste - fermented milk, without all kinds of impurities. Milky white color (cream shade is allowed) kefir is evenly distributed throughout the mass. Fat content should not exceed 6%. The shelf life of the product should not exceed 2-3 days, since bacterial cultures die very quickly (this applies mainly to yoghurts).

It is not recommended to use imported or domestic yoghurts for food, as they all contain preservatives and dead bacteria. If a product has a shelf life of more than 3 days on the packaging, it does not contain any beneficial bacteria and is a conglomerate of artificial ingredients. Cottage cheese is also a natural fermented milk product and is obtained by adding rennet to milk or removing part of the whey.

The curd contains:.

1) 14-17% protein;

2) 18% fat;

3) 2.4-2.8% carbohydrates;

4) calcium;

5) iron;

6) phosphorus;

7) magnesium and other trace elements.

When lactic acid is added to milk, it coagulates and produces cottage cheese - an acidic cooking method (as a result, low-fat cottage cheese is obtained). There is also a separate method in which the obtained fat-free cottage cheese is mixed with cream having 50% fat content. To bring the fat-free cottage cheese to a uniform consistency, it is crushed. Using this method, it is possible to obtain cottage cheese with any fat content..

The smell and taste of cottage cheese should be fermented milk without admixture of foreign odors and tastes. Soft consistency and white color with a creamy shade indicate the freshness of the product. Curd is stored for no more than 5 days at zero temperature. If it needs to be stored for a longer period, then freeze the curd.

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