Chapter 6

Meat, Poultry, and Seafood

© Copyright 2011 by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) and published by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Grades of Meat

Meat inspection is mandatory in the United States. It ensures that meat is wholesome and that the processing facilities and equipment meet food safety standards. Grading is voluntary.



Grading

refers to the meat’s quality. The quality of meat is based primarily on its overall flavor characteristics and tenderness.



Quality grade

measures the flavor characteristics of meat products. The USDA evaluates meat for traits that indicate its tenderness, juiciness, and flavor.



Yield grade

measures the proportion of edible or usable meat after it has been trimmed of bones or fat.

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Cuts of Meat (Cont.)



Retail cuts

of meat are those cuts that are ready for sale.

 Foodservice purchasers can purchase large retail cuts (

primal cuts

) and then

fabricate

them (make them into smaller cuts) 

Game meat

is meat from animals that are not raised domestically.



Kosher meat

is slaughtered to comply with Jewish dietary laws.

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Purchasing and Storing Meat

  Consider the following general guidelines when purchasing meat:  

Cost:

Fabrication is a way to reduce meat costs.

Freshness:

Often, high-quality frozen meats do not appear that different from fresh-meat products. 

Fat Content:

The fat content of meat products often influences the cooking method used.



Equipment:

Consider the types of equipment an operation has before deciding what types of meat products to purchase.



Vendors:

It is always a good idea for an operation to shop around to ensure getting the best price for its needs.

After purchasing the product and accepting it for delivery, properly store it.

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Cooking Techniques

The chef ’s goal while cooking meat is to maximize flavor and tenderness while minimizing the loss of moisture.

    In

dry-heat methods

, such as broiling, grilling, and roasting, meats cook quickly. They are best for naturally tender cuts. Another way to prepare meat is to use dry-heat cooking methods with fat and oil. These methods include sautéing, stir-frying, pan-frying, and deep-frying.

Moist-heat cooking

techniques produce food that is delicately flavored and moist with a rich broth. The

combination cooking methods

, braising and stewing, use both dry and moist heat to cook food that is not very tender.

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Determining Doneness

    A beef roast is rare when the internal temperature is 130 °F. The meat appears red inside with a thin layer of brown on the outside.

At an internal temperature of 145 °F, the roast is medium. The meat is pink inside with a well-browned surface. The surface of meat cooked to medium is firmer than rare meat.

Well-done meat is completely cooked, leaving little or no juice. The cooked surface of the meat is firm and dry, and the internal temperature is 160 °F.

In general, as meat cooks, the exterior should develop a deep brown color.

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Grades of Poultry

     U.S. poultry grades apply to chicken, turkey, duck, geese, guinea, and pigeon.

Poultry receives a Grade of A, B, or C (A being the highest).

Use Grade A poultry as is, meaning cook the bird and its parts and consume them in their entirety, without processing.

Use Grades B and C poultry in processed products where the poultry meat is cut up, chopped, or ground. The class of poultry is defined mostly by the age of the bird. A bird’s age generally affects the tenderness, look, and feel of the bird.

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Two Forms of Poultry: White and Dark

   The two distinct differences in poultry forms are white meat and dark meat. Each type of meat holds different nutrition values.

White meat

is from the areas of the fowl where little muscle use takes place, such as the breast:  White meat is low in calories and fat content and cooks faster

Dark meat

is from areas where the bird’s muscles are used more heavily, such as the leg and thigh region:   Dark meat is higher in calories and fat.

Dark meat also tends to be the richer, more flavorful meat.

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Purchasing, Fabricating, and Storing Poultry

  Guidelines for poultry purchasing include: 

Freshness:



Form:

The operation determines whether dark meat or white meat is preferable and makes purchases accordingly.

  

Equipment: Vendors: Cost:

As with meat purchases, in-house fabrication is a way to reduce costs.

Store fresh, raw poultry at an internal temperature of 41 °F or lower. Store frozen poultry at a temperature that keeps it frozen.

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Cooking Techniques for Poultry

    Poultry is especially suited to the dry-heat cooking techniques of grilling, broiling, and roasting.

Poultry is also well suited to dry-heat cooking with fat and oil. These techniques —sautéing, stir-frying, pan frying, and deep-frying —require tender, portion-size pieces. Moist-heat cooking methods such as steaming are a healthy way to prepare poultry because nutrients are not washed away or drawn out of the food during cooking.

Chicken is a natural ingredient for the combination cooking methods of stewing and braising.

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Seafood Inspections and Grades

   The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) monitors interstate fish shipments and also requires fish processors to adopt a HACCP program.

Many processors participate in a voluntary seafood inspection program conducted by the U.S. Department of Commerce (USDC). Products that have been inspected under this program carry a Processed Under Federal Inspection (PUFI) mark.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) publishes grades for seafood that has been inspected. Items are typically graded as A, B, C, or Below Standard.

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Forms of Seafood: Fin Fish



Fin fish

have a backbone and can live in fresh water or in the ocean. They are classified according to their shape, either round or flat: 

Round fish

have a round body shape and one eye on each side of the head, and they swim upright in salt water or fresh water.



Flatfish

are oval and flat in shape and have two eyes on the front part of the head.

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Forms of Seafood: Shellfish



Shellfish

have an outer shell but no backbone and live primarily in salt water:  

Cephalopods

have a single internal shell and tentacles.

Examples:  Squid * Octopus

Shellfish: Crustaceans

  Crustaceans-are covered by firm shells and have segmented (divided into sections) bodies. Examples -Lobster  Shrimp  Crabs

Shellfish: Mollusks

  Mollusks have soft bodies that are partially or fully covered by hard shells. Examples: Oysters -Clams  Scallops-

Purchasing Seafood

  The guidelines for purchasing fresh seafood include: 

Market form:

Vendors can supply seafood to an operation in a number of ways.



Storage capabilities:

Fresh seafood is highly perishable; therefore, adequate storage facilities are a must for seafood items to ensure as long a shelf life as possible.



Vendor selection:

Processed seafood might be an appropriate choice for an operation if it does not market menu items as “fresh caught.” The market forms of fin fish include whole or round, drawn, dressed, butterfly fillet, fish fillet, and steak.

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Fabricating and Storing Seafood

      Fin fish fabrication techniques consist of scaling, trimming, gutting, and filleting the fish.

Though shellfish do not have bones or a skeletal system, they still need to be fabricated.

Shucking

is the opening or removing of a mollusk’s shell.

Shrimp are cleaned by removing the shell and deveining them.

Deveining

is the process of removing a shrimp’s digestive tract.

Fresh fish is very sensitive to time-temperature abuse and can spoil quickly if it isn’t handled correctly.

Fish items are highly perishable, and so proper storage is very important.

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Cooking Techniques for Seafood

    

6.3

The best way to pair a fish with a cooking technique is to consider the flesh of the fish.

Fatty fish cut into fillets or steaks are the best cooked by baking, broiling, and grilling.

Lean fin fish and shellfish are best when using dry-heat cooking with fat and oil, such as sautéing, stir-frying, pan frying, and deep-frying.

When deep-frying, the fish should be very fresh; the fat used to deep-fry should be of high quality; and the item should be served immediately after cooking.

Moist-heat cooking techniques —poaching, simmering, and steaming —are excellent ways to cook fish, especially the lean varieties.

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Determining Doneness

  Guidelines for determining seafood doneness include: 

Flesh turns from translucent to opaque:

fish is translucent. When the flesh turns a denser, more opaque shade, the fish is done.

Raw flesh of most 

Flesh becomes firm:

As flesh cooks, it becomes firmer and springs back to the touch when done.



Flesh pulls easily away from bone:

As fish cooks, flesh loosens and can be effortlessly separated from bone when done. 

Flesh begins to flake:

As fish cooks, connective tissue breaks down and muscle fibers begin to separate from each other, or flake. Fish is done as soon as flaking starts to occur. It is better to undercook the fish slightly and allow carryover cooking to bring it to doneness.

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