TEACHING COMMON COMETENCIES IN HOME ECONOMICS (SELECTING, PREPARING AND COOKING MEAT)

1. SELECTING, PREPARING
AND COOKING MEAT

2. SELECTING MEAT
MEAT
- refers to animal parts that are used as food. Edible organs
and glands of animal meats include tongue, liver, kidney,
sweetbread, heart, brain, lungs, tripe, and small intestines. -
Meats should be loosely wrapped and stored under
refrigeration. They should be in a separate unit

3. Tips on Buying the Right Kind of Meat
1. Buy meat where proper hygiene and sanitation is observed by the handler. For instance,
check the meal stall’s cutting table.
2. Look for the inspected-and –passed stamped marks, especially in big cuts of meat. It pays
to go to your favorite suki in the market while the butcher is still cutting the beef carcass
into retail cuts.
3. Know the different meat cuts that are needed in your menu. Select meat for specific use.
For example, shank and brisket for stew. The tender portion is the tender cuts that lie
along the back. The less tender cuts are those involved in the excessive movements of the
animal such as the leg, shoulder and neck.
4. Check if the beef is fine, bright red in color with yellow fat and free from slime and off-
odor. Avoid brightly off-colored meat as this indicates the use of artificial coloring like
achuete. 5. When buying ground meat of good quality, select from a big cut and have it
ground by the butcher in your presence.

4. 6. Buy refrigerated meat in places where refrigeration facilities are available.
7. Meat should not be wrapped in newspaper, use plastic bags or other vapor resistant wrapping
materials.
8. Thawed meat must be cooked immediately.
9. When storing meat to be frozen, package in convenient family size units and identify properly as to
the kind of meat cuts and date of purchase.
10.Store packages correctly in the refrigerator. Refrain from overloading the freezer and provide space for
the air to circulate inside the freezer.
11.Freeze quickly at zero or lower temperature. Beef should not be kept frozen for more that 12 months,
while pork should not over 6 months. Frozen meat is just as good as fresh meat provided it is properly
handled.
12.The use of pressure cooker, if available, shortens cooking time thereby saving fuel and improves the
tenderness of the meat.

7. Market Forms of Meat
1. Fresh meat - meat taken immediately after slaughter without undergoing chilling. It is the common
form of meat sold in public markets.
2. Chilled meat –meat that has been kept to a temperature just above freezing at 1-3°C within 24
hours after slaughter. This is available in supermarkets and specially meat shops.
3. Frozen meat - meat cuts frozen to a temperature of -2°C. Imported meat is sold in this form, and
texture is stone hard.
4. Cured meat - are meat products that have been treated with curing agent. Examples of this form
are ham, bacon, tapa, tocino and sausage.
5. Processed meat - may include not only the processed canned meat, but also preparations that are
frozen such as frozen meat pies, rolled meats and others in the convenience food shelves.

8. Types of meat cuts and their characteristics
1. Tender cuts of meat - taken from the parts of the animal where the muscles are not well-
exercised
and are fleshy. Example: sirloin, porterhouse, t-bone, prime ribs, tenderloin.
2. Less tender - meat cuts which come from the most exercised muscle parts of a live animal.
Example: chuck, flank, rumps, hock, neck feet and shoulder.
3. Tough cuts –meat that requires a longer cooking period over low heat.
Nutritive Content and Food Values of Meat
- Lean meat supplies great amount of high quality protein with an average of 18% of the
meat. It
contains all the essential amino acids. It is also a good source of phosphorous, iron, and
vitamins A, B and B2. Unsaturated fatty acids are also present in meat. The amount of energy
(calories) supplied by
meat varies with the fat content of animal species.

9. Handling of Meat
- Fresh meat spoils quickly, so it must be stored immediately. If the animal
is slaughtered and handled in a sanitary manner, there is no need to wash
its meat before storing, wipe the surface with a damp cloth to remove dirt
on surface. Make sure it is dry before wrapping. It is a good idea to
portion meat needed for one cooking into individual wrap. This way, you
avoid refreezing portions that will be cooked at a later time and avoid
bacteria to grow.

10. Waste Minimization of Meat
The correct way of purchasing or buying meat is important to minimize waste. Here
are some guidelines to consider:
1. Know the desirable characteristics of each type of meat.
2. Look for the stamp of BAI which indicates that it was inspected.
3. Consider the form or cut you need.
4. Check the thickness and distribution of fat inside and outside of meat.
5. Make sure it does not have foul odor.
6. Choose young animals for more tender meats.
7. Check whether the flesh of beef is red in color and pork is pink

11. PREPARING AND PORTIONING MEAT
Cutting Tools, Their Uses and Characteristics
1. Butcher’s knife – is used to section raw meat.. It can be used as a cleaver to separate small
joints
or to cut bones.
2. French knife – is used to chop, dice, or mince food. Heavy knives will have a saber or flat
grind.
3. Roast beef slicer – is used to slice roasts, ham, and thick, solid cuts of meats. The thin, light
blade
will have a concave or hollow grind.
4. Boning knife – is used to fillet fish and to remove raw meat from the bone. It will have a
concave
grind on a thin, light blade.

12. Cooking Methods Suitable to Different Meat Cuts
1. For Tender cuts of meat, sirloin, porterhouse, T-bone, tenderloin and
prime rib roast, the cooking method is dry heat method.
a. Roasting – the meat is cooked over live coal or oven.
b. Pan broiling – the meat is placed in a hot frying pan over the sources
of heat instead of under it.
c. Broiling – Cooking by radiant heat. Food is placed on a rack either
below or between the gas or electric heat source.
d. Pan frying – Cooking in a moderate amount of fat in a pan over
moderate heat.

13. 2. Less tender cuts of meat. Chuck, flank, rump, hock, neck, leg, feet
and shoulder can be cooked
through the dry heat method such as the following.
a. Boiling – Cooking food in a liquid that is bubbling rapidly.
b. Braising – a method of cooking that combines cooking in fat with
the addition of moisture. Food is
browned in a small quantity of fat, and then cooked slowly in liquid
in a covered utensil.
c. Stewing – cooking in a small amount of water, either by boiling or
simmering.