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The meating place – Lamb, Veal, Pork, & Ham

It’s fitting that we’re discussing LAMB this week. A basic ingredient in many cuisines, lamb was for years the roast of choice of many American families for Easter dinner, including my own.  A staple of colonial kitchens, lamb lost ground when the West opened and beef was introduced.  The two species have incompatible grazing techniques and can’t share space. Beef is less labor intensive for a larger product yield, so it became king. Lamb suffered another setback after WWII with the expansion of suburbs at the expense of farm land. Then came the 1960s with the peace movement and the emergence of Animal Rights and “lamb” especially accompanied by “spring baby” became a menu No-No. Actually, growing American appetites and depletion of flocks had already made the slaughter of immature sheep impractical.  By then, however, development of synthetic fibers, and the high cost of labor had taken their toll on sheep herding. For a decade or so New Zealand lamb was prominent in the markets. I often bought it to vary our family menus, but I haven’t seen that in over ten years. Now, lamb is mainly in the meat counter seasonally and then limited cuts, leg, loin chops and ground. More surprising to me is the fact that two of my flyers advertized lamb this week, but only leg and ground and they’re the same price!  If you consult a meat chart, you will see there are about 40 cuts per animal.

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What’s the real beef?

I know, I know, after reading the blog for The Informed Shopper on Meat, you know what to look for in appearance and grading, but what about the cut? That information doesn’t help much when you’re standing in front of the meat counter in the supermarket staring at a vast array of different cuts. Well to get you started, there are some general facts about butchered meats that may make understanding the differences simpler. Of course, it would be great if you have a set of meat charts for reference because every discussion is easier with illustrations. Anyway, here goes—– Read more

Saint Patrick’s Day is Here

No sooner had I finished the last post, than I realized talking about a project I had underway was an ideal way to deal with St. Patrick’s Day and lead into discussing ways to use the shopping information I’ve been handing out in the past weeks.  As a holiday, this one seems to be fading. There used to be tinted carnations, everyone wore a touch of green, drank green beer and ate corned beef, whether home or out. Perhaps it’s because I’ve moved to a less cosmopolitan area, but I was used to having a choice of several different cuts of beef corned, not just the standard brisket and they were featured in fliers well in advance. Now maybe one market runs an ad, or showcases corned beef that week and it’s all brisket, but the price is right up there with steak. Read more

The Informed Shopper – Part III – Seafood – Mollusks

The term “Mollusks” covers a large variety of invertebrates, not necessarily aquatic, with soft, unsegmented bodies covered entirely or partially by a thick shell consisting of one or more parts. They breathe through gills and propel themselves with the aid of a “foot”. Some of the familiar, edible mollusks are clams, oysters, mussels, scallops, snails, abalone, conch and, a European favorite, cockles. Like other shellfish, mollusks must be alive until cooked. Whenever opening a shell is required, I prefer to ask the monger to do it, but be sure he saves the liquid, or liqueur from the shells, because that keeps the meat moist and retains flavor. The first five listed are those most often found on menus in the United States, and so, I will discuss them first. Read more