Meat, Fish, and Poultry

Foods I
Objective 2.05
Meat, Fish, and Poultry
 Types
 Red meat
 Beef
 Pork

 Poultry
 Chicken
 Turkey

 Fish
 Shellfish
 Finfish
Meat
 Meat
 The edible portion of mammals
 Includes muscle, fat, bone, connective tissue, and water
 Elastin
 Very tough, elastic, and yellowish connective tissue

 Found in ligaments and blood vessel walls

 Cannot be softened by heat

 To tenderize—cut, pound, or grind it

 Major meat-producing animals are cattle,

swine,and sheep
 Cattle provide beef and veal
 Swine provide pork
 Sheep provide lamb and mutton
Meat
 Nutritional Value
 Need 5 ½ oz of protein each day
 High in protein
 Contain proteins essential for tissue building and repair
 Good sources of iron, phosphorus, copper,
thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin
 Fat content depends type and quality of the meat
 Fat means flavor
 Marbling
 Small white flecks of fat
 Red meat is higher in saturated fat
 Fish and chicken low in fat
Meat
 Beef
 Comes from cattle
over 12 months of
age
 Distinct flavor and
firm texture
 Usually bright, cherry
red in color with
creamy white fat
 Meat
 Cuts of Meat (p. 511)
 Muscles receiving little
exercise are most tender
 Rib and loin muscles
 Tender cuts use dry heat
cooking methods
 Sirloin, porterhouse, loin
chops
 Grill, roast, broiling, etc.

 Muscles receiving more

exercise are less tender
 Leg and shoulder muscles
 Less tender cuts use moist
heat cooking methods
 Round steak, rump roast,
shoulder steak
 Stewing or braising
 Meat
 Beef carcasses are classified according to age
and sex
 Cuts of beef (p. 511)
 Sides of beef
 Carcass is cut lengthwise through the backbone into 2
halves
 Quarters of beef
 Sides of beef are cut in half
 Wholesale cuts
 Quarters are cut into smaller pieces
 Retail cuts
 Wholesale cuts are cut into smaller pieces for the grocery
store
 Cut of beef worksheet
Meat
 Pork
 The meat of swine
 Meat is grayish pink to light
rose in color
 Comes from animals that
are 7-12 months of age
 Typically tender meat due
to age
Meat
 Pork Products
 Lard
 Pig fat
 Great for baked products
 Ham
 Comes from pork leg
 Cured and usually smoked
 Bacon
 Smoked pork belly fat
 Canadian bacon is made from boneless pork
loins
Meat
 Storage
 Must be refrigerated
 Fresh meats should
be used within 3-5
days
 Ground meats should
be used within 2
days.
 For longer storage,
freeze the meat.
Meat
 Cooking
 Properly cooked
 Becomes firm
 Fat melts
 Connective tissue
softens
 Checking for doneness
 Point at which meat has
cooked enough to make
it flavorful and safe to
eat
 Use of meat
thermometer
 Reduce risk of

food-borne
illness
Meat
 Cooking Methods  Braising
 Broiling  Large, less tender cuts
 Tender cuts  Pot roast
 Grilling  Pressure Cooking
 Tender cuts  Large, less tender cuts
 Kabobs  Slow-Cooking
 Roasting  Less tender cuts
 Large tender cuts  Microwaving
 Loin, rib, leg roasts  Moist heat method
 Frying  Uniform in shape
 Tender meat  Will not have crisp,
 Ground meats, bacon, brown crust
ham
 Pan broiling
 Tender cuts to thin to
broil
Poultry
 Any bird raised for
food
 Most common types
 Chicken
 Turkey
 Duck
 Goose
 Older birds have
more fat than young
birds
 Young birds have
more tender meat.
Poultry
 Nutritional Value
 Good source of protein
 Provides niacin, Vitamins B6,
B12, calcium, phosphorus,
iron, and other trace minerals
 Lower in fat and calories than
red meat
 Remove skin for lower fat
poultry
 Dark vs. White meat
 Dark meat
 Contains more fat
 More flavorful
 Dark due to the fact the
animal uses it more
Poultry
 Storage
 Refrigerate or freeze immediately after
purchase
 Watch for juices
 Use fresh poultry within 1-2 days

 How to thaw poultry

Poultry
 Cooking
 Checking for doneness
 Placement of
thermometer
 Use an instant-read
thermometer for thin
pieces
 Thickest part of meat
closest to body
 Don’t touch bone

 Pink coloration
 Chemical reaction
occurs between the
poultry and gases in the
oven
Poultry  Frying
 Usually floured or
 Cooking Methods breaded first to keep
 Broiling from drying out
 Quickest cooking  Deep fry, pan fry, or
method oven fry
 Grilling  Braising
 Should be grilled until  Any bird too tough to
brown but not charred cook with a dry heat
and the inside is well method
done  Pressure-Cooking
 Roasting  Used for tough, mature
 Recommended for birds
duck, turkey, and goose  Slow-Cooking
 Stuffing  Flavors have time to
 Recommend develop and blend
cooking stuffing  Microwaving
separately
 Won’t brown
 Usually cooked in a
sauce for favor and
color
Fish and Shellfish
 Fish aka Finfish
 Have fins and a center
spine with bones
 Shellfish or Crustaceans
 Have a shell but no spine or
bones
 Found in…
 Freshwater
 Water is not salty
 Lakes, rivers, streams,
and ponds
 Saltwater
 Comes from oceans and
seas
Fish and Shellfish
 Types of …
 Fish
 Low-fat fish
 Have less than 5 g of fat per 3 ½ oz
 Flesh is white with delicate texture and mild flavor
 Bass, carp, catfish, cod, haddock, pike, perch,
whiting
 Fatty fish
 Have more than 5 g of fat per 3 ½ oz
 Flesh is firm with a deeper color and stronger flavor
than low-fat fish
 Higher in calories
 Herring, mackerel, salmon, tuna, rainbow trout
Fish

Herring
Halibut

Carp

Salmon

Pike Tuna
Fish and Shellfish
 Types of…
 Shellfish
 Crustaceans
 Have long bodies and
jointed limbs
 Covered with a shell
 Crabs, crayfish,
lobsters, and
shrimp
 Mollusks
 Have soft bodies
covered by rigid shell
 Clams, mussels,
oysters, scallops,
and squid
Shellfish
Oyster

Shrimp
Lobster Scallops

Crab Squid
Crayfish
Fish and Shellfish
 Mercury in fish
 Absorbed by plankton and passed from fish to
predatory fish
 Harmful to pregnant women and children
 Eat no more than 12 oz per week
 Largest amounts in the largest fish
 Shark, swordfish, king mackerel
 Safe to eat fish
 Chunk light tuna, salmon, pollock, catfish, sardines,
herring
Fish and Shellfish
 Buying Fish and
Shellfish
 Judge appearance,
aroma, and touch
 Fish
 Shiny skin and
glistening color
 Clear full eyes
 Bright red or pink
gills
 Mild, fresh aroma
like the ocean or
seaweed
 Skin should spring
back when pressed
Fish and Shellfish
 Buying Fish and Shellfish
 Live clams, oysters, and
mussels
 Shells tightly closed, moist,
and intact
 Tap and should close
 Scallops
 Look moist but not liquid
 Fresh ocean smell
 Live lobsters and crabs
 Dark bluish-green until
cooked and then turn red
 Live active with legs
moving
 Tail curls under when
picked up
 Shrimp
 Deveined
 Sold without intestinal tract
Fish and Shellfish
 Cuts of Fish p. 536  Dressed
 Drawn fish with head,
 Whole tail, and fins removed
 Fish sold as caught  Fillets
 Most perishable  Sides of fish
 Scales and internal  Usually boneless
organs must be  Cut lengthwise away
removed from bones and
backbone
 Drawn
 Steaks
 Whole fish with
 Cross sections cut from
scales, gills, and large, dressed fish
internal organs
 May contain backbone
removed and ribs
Fish and Shellfish
Fish and Shellfish
 Storage
 Highly perishable
 Fish
 Refrigerate or freeze
immediately
 Use within 1-2
days of purchase
 Watch out for
juices
 Cross
contamination

 Shellfish
 Refrigerate in
containers covered
with clean, damp cloth
 Can live for a
few days in
these conditions
Fish and Shellfish
 Cooking Methods  Poaching
 Whole or dressed fish
 Broiling  Delicate way of
 At least 1 inch thick preparing fish
 Grilling  Steaming
 Must be turned during  Whole or dressed fish
cooking  Braising
 Should be able to  Adds flavor and color
hold shape  Careful not to
 Tuna and salmon overcook
 Baking  Frying
 Whole or dressed fish  Fry in pan
 Deep fry
 Breaded or batter
dipped