1. Veal is similar to beef in the sense that it comes
from cattle. The difference though is the age of the
cattle. Beef comes from mature cattle that are two
years of age. Veal is taken from a young calf
(about six months old) weighing about 150
pounds. Young cattle weighing about 700 pounds
and raised mainly on milk and grass produces “baby beef’ or “calf” meat, according to the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA). Veal differs from calf meat based on the color of the meat caused by their
diet. “Veal is pale pink and contains more cholesterol than beef,” says the USDA.
A specialty kind of meat, veal embodies a refined meat. As defined in the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the “meat
of calves slaughtered between 3 and 14 weeks, [is] delicate in flavour, pale grayish white in colour, firm and
fine-grained, with velvety texture. It has no marbling, and the small amount of fat covering is firm and white.”
Meat cuts of veal include the leg, sirloin, loin, rib, shoulder, foreshank and breast. In Britain, which produces
the rosé veal product (from humanely treated calves), popular cuts include the mince, escalopes, rib chops, T-
bone and shoulder, according to the BBC.
The safety cooking temperatures of veal is the same as that of beef and lamb. Ground veal must have a
minimum internal temperature of 160 °F on the meat thermometer while raw veal steaks, chops, and roasts
must measure 145 °F internally. The USDA outlines two ways of cooking veal meat. One is through dry heat
such as roasting, broiling, pan broiling, grilling or stir frying. These are for tender cuts of meat such as the leg,
cutlets, veal patties, rib and loin chops. These can also be braised.
Meanwhile, less tender cuts of veal cooks better in moist heat, such as braising and simmering. Cross cut
shanks, stew meat, round steak, and breast of veal are parts that need a bit more tenderizing. These cuts may
also be roasted or grilled as long as they are marinated and then pounded with a metal tenderizer or pounder.
Dishes that can be made from veal include the classic osso buco, schnitzel, veal scaloppini, and breaded veal
cutlets, a restaurant favorite. In the site, we have several veal recipes. First is the milk fed veal chop with
vegetables, which is cooked in an oven then served with asparagus and herbs. Next is the pan fried veal cutlets
served with mushrooms, veal filet mignon which is browned in a pan with butter, and finally, veal shank with
garlic and rosemary. The shank is braised in white and dark meat stocks, then broiled to give it a crisp, roasted
crust.