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Show HOUSEKEEPER MAY DETERMINE WHETHER SHE IS GETTING MEAT OF DESIRABLE QUALITY . ii- KwPBMMaaAiftMafcM7A - "jfflSwSa B sH LLm - r" ''' -. i Three Grades of Beef Note Percentage of Meat to Bone Between "Prime" on Left and "Medium" on Right (A) Front Ribs; (B) Back Ribs. i Prepared by the Vnlted Btntes Department Depart-ment of Agriculture ) When the retail meat dealer buys from the wholesaler, he does not depend de-pend altogether on the wholesale firm's honesty and good faith to secure the grade of meat he wants for his trade. Instead, keeping In mind certain points and characteristics which determine grades of beef, the retailer, before he buys and poys for It, decides for himself him-self whether he has been given what he ordered. The housekeeper should be quite as familiar as the butcher with the various vari-ous grades of beef. Few housekeepers, housekeep-ers, however, have this knowledge. Even those women who pride themselves them-selves that "cotton mixed" Is not sold thorn for linen, buy beef, week after v.eek, year after year, and depend altogether al-together on their butcher's honesty. Not until It is cooked and served do they know whether they have been given the "choice" meat they asked ond paid the price for, or only that of "medium" or "common" quality. Linen buying is only occasional, but meat buying Is dolly, and every woman should be familiar with the different grades of meat. Toward this end the bureau of markets, United States department de-partment of agriculture, has defined the four grades of beef. How Beef Is Usually Graded. The "choice" grade of beef denotes de-notes the best quality usually found In the markets. Only a limited amount of what Is known as "prime" beef Is offered in most markets. This grade Is usually offered In limited quantities during the Christmas or holiday seasons, sea-sons, and lmmedlotely following livestock live-stock shows. "Choice" beef has a moderately mod-erately even covering of fat on the outer surfaces. This fat Is smooth In appearance and white In color, but Is not In excessive amounts. The color of the lean meat Is light red. with traces of fat distributed through the lean on all cuts, which are taken from the loins, ribs and some parts of the round. Choice meat Is firm to the tOMh and of fine grain. There must be no watery appearance on the fresh-ly fresh-ly cut surfaces. The "good" grade of beef is next In quality to "choice" and may differ slightly in all points or correspond In some points to "choice" and differ ma- ' terially In others. The covering of fat i Is not so smooth and uniform, but must be white In color and dry In appearance. ap-pearance. The color of the lean meat In this grade also varies slightly and iiiny be of dorker hue than the "choice" : grade, but It Is not dark. "Good" beef ' Is of smooth grain and has traces of fat, which Is white or creamy In color, ' distributed through the lean. Most Beef is "Medium." The bulk of the beef offered for sale j In most markets Is of "medium" grade. I In this there Is usually very little and often no covering of outside fat except j on the loin ond rib cuts. The fat IS not evenly distributed. During the summer sum-mer and fall months "medium" grodp bosf has a wiitery appearance and the color of the lean meat varies con- i sldernhly. but Is usually dark, even frhSfl freshly cut. "Medium" beef hns a tendency to turn still darker very quickly after being cut. The grain Is coarse ond not uniform, and there are no truces of fat distributed through the lean. The "common" grade Is the lowest quality of beef offered for sale In n fresh condition to the trade. One of Its prominent features Is the hleh per centoge of bone In proportion to tin meat. There Is only a slight coverlm of outside fat on the rib ond loll-cuts. loll-cuts. "Common" beef hns a flabby op pearance, Is dark In color, ond coarse In grain. A few traces of fot may be discerned, but they usually are of a yellow color and are unevenly dls-I dls-I trlhuted. |