Good plain cookery Author:Mary Hooper Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER V. BEEF. ROAST BEEF. The prime cuts of beef are the middle cut of the sirloin and the ribs. The first cut of the ribs, known as " the wing rib," i... more »s the most economical, though perhaps not so fine as the next cut. The chump end of the sirloin is sometimes preferred, because it has the most under-cut; it is, however, an extravagant joint if roasted as sent in from the butcher; but if the inferior end is cut off and stewed, it will come less expensive. The other end-cut of the sirloin, which butchers sometimes call " wing rib of the sirloin," is also extravagant because it has so much bone. The long ribs of beef are more economical if boned and rolled than if roasted whole. As a family roast, the "top side" is much used, If the meat is fine, this is a good cut, and economical, because without bone. It is, however, somewhat close in the grain, and more suitable for stewing than for roasting. In choosing beef, observe the kidney fat or suet; if this is firm, of a yellowish white, full and handsome-looking, it is a good sign. An old writer says, " Beef speaks for itself; the fat must be white and pure, the lean smooth- grained, and of a healthy crimson." There is no safer test of the quality of beef than the touch; it should be soft, and yield to the pressure of the finger. The time for roasting beef is usually given as a quarter of an hour to the pound; much, however, will depend on the thickness of the meat and the state of the fire. Thus, some cooks remove the under-cut from a sirloin in order to make a choice little dish with it, and then the joint will be done through more quickly. We refer our readers to the general remarks on roasting. BOILED BEEF. To be wholesome, beef should be only lightly salted, but in any case it is not an article of diet to be recom...« less