Have a question

[chefteldanielle]

My final exam for 101 is on Monday and I cannot seem to find out a few things.
I have kept magnificent notes and have read all the chapters.
1.When did modern food service begin?
2.What is the oven temp to be to maintain a simmer.
3. Temp of doneness of stuffed poultry and meats.
4. How do you determine tenderness in cooked meats?
Thank you in advance
Danielle

Anyone have a clue.
Thanks in advance.. Danielle

[ 02-10-2001: Message edited by: chefteldanielle ]

Danielle:

I have been looking for some answers, but I haven't found them yet. When and if I do, I will post.

In the meantime, perhaps some of the others can help you out.

I will keep trying.

"4. How do you determine tenderness in cooked meats?"

I do it by chewing.

Danielle:

here is part of it. I will keep looking.


Oct. 29, 1997
RESEARCHERS DEVELOP MEAT TENDERNESS TEST
Writer: Edith A. Chenault,(979) 845-2886, e-chenault1@tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Jimmy Keeton,(979) 845-3975, jkeeton@acs.tamu.edu


COLLEGE STATION -- No one likes to eat a tough piece of meat. However, there is no consistent and reliable way of knowing before the first bite whether that piece of meat is tender. Researchers at Texas A&M University are hoping to change that with a new test they are developing.

The test measures tenderness in raw samples of meat -- something that is not presently available, said Dr. Jimmy Keeton, professor of animal science at Texas A&M. That would enable processors to test tenderness before the meat leaves the plant.

One of Keeton's former graduate students, Dr. Victoria Spadaro, who presently is a resarcher for Frito-Lay, developed the tenderness test.

A small sample of meat -- only about 0.5 inch wide -- is placed in a texture analyzer and compressed by 3 percent for four minutes. A computer model and a series of complicated mathematical formulations are used to determine the meat's response to that stress.

The analyzer mimics a person's first bite into meat.

"It's like putting a piece in your mouth and then beginning to chew on it for the first time," Keeton said.

Meat tenderness is determined by many factors, including fat, amount of connective tissue, degree of muscle contraction, amount of moisture and muscle fiber orientation.

Present tests are either not accurate or expensive and time- consuming. Keeton feels confident A&M's test -- when better developed -- would give meat processors a tool that is rapid, accurate and could be used on about every wholesale cut coming down the line.

Retail outlets and meat processors would benefit because they could guarantee their customers a consistently tender product.

Additionally, information could be fed back to cattle producers who would know which breed lines produce the most tender cuts, he said. Presently, there are two methods of testing for tenderness. The first calculates the pounds of force required to shear through a half- inch core of cooked meat. The other is a sensory panel -- a group of trained people who actually test the cooked sample of meat. The shear force is not very accurate, Keeton said, and the latter is expensive and time-consuming.

Additionally, all tests, including the newest developed at Texas A&M, require that a piece of meat be destroyed. Therefore, even if the sample is tender, that does not guarantee that what ends up on the consumer's plate is tender as well. However, Keeton feels confident that further development will allow the new test to be used without destroying meat samples.

The test has only been tried out on a small number of meat samples, but Keeton has received a grant from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association to collect samples from a greater variety of cattle to develop the test further.

Danielle:

More:


Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
8/16/00

Contacts:
Daryl Strohbehn, Iowa Beef Center, (515) 294-0847, stroh@iastate.edu
Darrell Busby, Iowa Beef Center, (712) 769-2600, dbusby@iastate.edu
Elaine Edwards, Extension Communications Systems, (515) 294-5168, eedwards@iastate.edu

Tenderness Test Results Show Potential Genetic Differences

AMES, Iowa -- Tenderness evaluations on 119 steers entered in the Iowa Beef Tenderness and Carcass Evaluation Project were completed the first week of August, according to Daryl Strohbehn, Extension beef specialist with the Iowa Beef Center at Iowa State University.

"We are elated with the results from this year's project," Strohbehn said. "The main objective of this project is to assist Iowa producers in evaluating seedstock and finding out which sires do the best job of producing calves highly desirable in tenderness."

All cattle in the project were brought to a central test location in December for feeding and management. "This is done to equalize the differences due to feed and environment and make the genetic evaluation more exact. Then, as near as practical, the cattle are harvested at similar fat thickness, thus minimizing the influence of this variable on tenderness," Strohbehn said.

The day following harvest, one ribeye steak is obtained from each carcass. The steaks are trimmed of fat and bone, cut to one-inch thickness, sealed and allowed to age for a total of 14 days. Because the cattle were harvested on two different dates all steaks were frozen following the aging process.

To evaluate tenderness all steaks were thawed and cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F, which is equal to a chef's equivalence of medium doneness. Following cool down, the steaks were cored in six places and evaluated for tenderness using the Warner-Bratzler shear force technique.

"We certainly believe this project is succeeding in showing differences between sires," Strohbehn said. "Our best sire had five progeny tested and they averaged .82 lb. less shear force than the average. That's a 14 percent advantage in tenderness," he continued. "A lower shear value is better. A lower force value means that it takes less biting power to cut through the muscle fibers, resulting in an easier to chew and more tender product for the consumer."

The lowest sire for tenderness had four progeny that averaged 1.65 lb. more shear force or a product that is 28 percent less tender than the average.

"The important question is how much of the differences seen here are genetic," Strohbhen said. Recent reviews of research studies concluded that approximately 20 to 25 percent of this difference is genetic and the rest is due to management and environment.

"If you look at other economically important traits like calving ease, growth rate or carcass quality grade, you will see similar heritabilities," Strohbehn said. "Our challenge with tenderness improvement is the difficulty of measurement. That's why our scientific community is seeking out gene markers and chemical assays which will allow for easier, faster and less expensive methods of evaluation."

The Iowa Beef Center has plans to continue this tenderness evaluation project and invites Iowa producers to consign progeny by known sires in the 2000-2001 project.

Results of this year's test and information on next year's test can be obtained by visiting the Iowa Beef Center Web page at www.iowabeefcenter.org or contact the Iowa Beef Center at (515) 294-BEEF.

-30-
ml: isufarm


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extension programs are available to all without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability.
News Menu | ISU Extension

Simmer: To cook foods in water or other liquids in a temperature of 180 - 210°F, or just below the boiling point.


Thus, I would say that 210 would be a good answer assuming at sea level. Stuff boils sooner at altitude, so I guess you would have to use the lower numbers depending upon the altitude at which you were cooking.

here's another answer:

Food Safety and Inspection Service
United States Department of Agriculture
Washington, D.C. 20250-3700

Consumer Education and Information
November 1998
Hot Tips on Stuffing From the Hotline
Make sure you cook both your turkey and stuffing completely. If you don’t, bacteria that can make you sick may still be alive.

* Many food safety professionals recommend that you cook the stuffing separately – it’s MUCH safer!

* However, if you prefer to cook the stuffing in the turkey, use a thermometer to make sure the stuffing reaches a temperature of 165 °F and the turkey reaches a temperature of 180 °F in the innermost part of the thigh. Measure the temperature of both the turkey and stuffing! A pop-up indicator doesn’t measure stuffing temperature!

As an alternative, you can buy a turkey that’s been stuffed and frozen under USDA inspection procedures. If you cook these turkeys according to the producer’s directions, they should be safe.

Handle Raw Turkeys Safely

As soon as you buy the turkey, take it home and refrigerate or freeze it.

Cook a fresh turkey within 2 days or freeze it.

Defrost frozen turkeys in the refrigerator, allowing 24 hours for each 5 pounds.

To thaw more quickly, put the turkey in cold water, allowing about 30 minutes per pound. Change the water every 30 minutes.

If you thaw the turkey in your microwave, cook it IMMEDIATELY!

Prepare Stuffing Safely

Mix stuffing just before it goes into the turkey.

Mix ingredients just before placing the stuffing inside the turkey or into a casserole.

You can prepare the wet and dry ingredients ahead of time, but keep them chilled.

Stuff Properly

Put the stuffing in loosely, don’t pack it in -- about 3/4 cup of stuffing per pound of turkey. Make sure the stuffing is moist because moist heat destroys bacteria more rapidly than dry heat.

Use a Thermometer

Place the turkey immediately after you stuff it into a 325 ° oven. Use a regular meat thermometer and test in several places, including the innermost part of the thigh and the center of the stuffing. Cook it until the thermometer temperature reaches at least 180 °F in the thigh and 165 °F in the stuffing. Juices should run clear. Let the turkey stand for 20 minutes before you remove the stuffing and carve the meat.

Store Leftovers Safely

Cut the turkey off the bones within 2 hours of cooking it. Refrigerate the stuffing and the turkey separately in shallow containers. Use leftover turkey and stuffing within 4 days.

For Further Information Contact:
FSIS Food Safety Education Staff
Meat and Poultry Hotline:

1-800-535-4555 (Tollfree Nationwide)
(202) 720-3333 (Washington, DC area)
1-800-256-7072 (TDD/TTY)
Other Turkey Basics Titles | Consumer Publications List | FSIS Home Page | USDA Home Page


stuffing reaches a temperature of 165 degrees F

[ 02-10-2001: Message edited by: Crudeau ]

Danielle:

an addition to my earlier post regarding cooking at altitude:

The boiling point of water changes with altitude. As you go higher, the boiling temperature decreases. At sealevel the boiling point of water is 212 degrees F (100 degrees C). As a general rule, the temperature decreases by 1 degree F for every 540 feet of altitude. On top of Pike's Peak, at 14,000 feet, the boiling point of water is 187 degrees F (86 degrees C). So pasta or potatoes cooked at sealevel are seeing 25 degrees more heat than pasta or potatoes cooked on Pike's Peak. The lower heat means a longer cooking time is needed.
Pressure cookers work in the opposite direction. A pressure cooker raises the pressure, so water boils at a higher temperature. A typical pressure cooker applies 15 pounds of pressure, so the boiling point of water rises to 250 degrees F (121 degrees C) at sealevel. The higher temperature means that foods take less time to cook.

[Dlee]

Danielle,

1.
2. 180- 185
3. 165
4. Looks and touch

Sorry about the first one.

D.Lee

[momoreg]

Also, don't forget there's a huge difference if it's cut with or against the grain.

"1.When did modern food service begin?"

On Cooking by Sarah Labensky (Prentice Hall) discusses the French assertion that the first modern restaurant was opened by Boulanger in 1765 in gay Paree. However, I don't know if that is the answer you are seeking. If you can get hold of this book, you might want to read her first chapter on Professionalism which briefly discusses this history from then to the present. I hope this helps, but, again, I am not sure this is the answer your instructor is looking for.

Crudeau

well every one has helped you do your homework. The first question is a little vague so many people helped out but I believe the answer is Auguste Escoffier.