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Show ISHOPPER'Sl CORNER fiy DOROTHY BARCLAY PORK BARREL POLKA TNANCE, LADIES, dance around that pork-laden deep-freeze! For pork is going up in fact it went up 3 to 9 cents a pound the minute the new OPS ceiling regulation regu-lation was announced in the national na-tional capital. You've had f ' - -1 since January to A . follow your fa- ILH&lffl vorite butcher's iwtnitt advice, and stock STtiStUT UP before the in- FEATURE ftvitab,e came' " it comes to all meats. And while the price freeze was on, you smart, forward-looking budget-balancers budget-balancers were putting on your own freeze the deep one! So now you can both have your pork and eat it. OPS explains the ceiling on wholesale pork cuts was necessary because the prices of lean, lightweight light-weight hogs, whence come most of our roasts and chops, have gone up substantially since the general freeze of January. The packers have been in the middle between rising hog prices and frozen retail charges. So OPS relieves the packers. pack-ers. The dollar and cents ceilings in this new ruling apply first at the original seller's level, either at the slaughtering plant or the plant of the seller who cuts the loins from the dressed hog. But guess who's in the middle now! Your favorite butcher! He now has this formula to follow. He may pass on the approximate amount of the increases he is required re-quired to pay under the new ceiling, ceil-ing, in this way: he can take the average price he paid for loins between be-tween January 19 and January 25, and subtract this price from the average he paid for loins last week. Then he can add the remainder to last week's average price. And each Monday, he makes new adjustments. ad-justments. Who are we to begrudge him a little profit from all this? And who are we to do all our week's shopping on his busy Monday? So while you dance around your pork-barrel, ladies, consider the other meats that are available. And they don't have to be in the luxury class, either. Buy that rib roast, if you must, for Sunday company com-pany but for ordinary fare, don't overlook the cheaper beef cuts chuck, brisket, and stew. Sure, they need longer and more careful cooking, but they're full of nourishment, nourish-ment, and as tasty as you want to make 'em. And when you're tempted to have that succulent leg of lamb, ask your butcher about the comparative price of leg and shoulder. A rolled shoulder shoul-der roast is every bit as delicious, and you'll have more money left for trimmings. And shoulder of lamb chops make for more bites than the more expensive loin, and make a lip-smacking stew. CARE AND COOKING OF MEAT Now that you've bought your meat for the week, do you know how to care for it? Fresh meat, of course, should be stored loosely covered, or completely uncovered, in the coldest part of your refrigerator. refrig-erator. Cooked meat, on the other hand, must be closely covered for storage, and cured meat wrapped for refrigeration. As for frozen meat, store it at Zero F. or lower. When you plan to use it, it can be defrosted in the refrigerator, at room temperature, or even during the cooking. But once defrosted, cook it as soon as possible. Don't try to refreeze, or you'll be sorry! Whether you cook meat by dry or moist heat, low-temperature is your best bet. It means more meat, juicier and tastier meat, and fewer and better drippings. So keep it low, ladies and you'll get more meat for the cooking, and more food for your money. |