will kill the bacteria and leave the meat edible
for three months. However, it will still be
adulterated meat. Many consumers set a
higher standard than the absence of living
pathogens and months of shelf life for the
food from which they take daily nourishment
and pleasure. People who care about food
quality will seek out meat produced locally,
carefully, and recently, and for enjoyment
within a few days, when it’s at its best.
Cooking Fresh Meat:
The Principles
We cook meat for four basic reasons: to make
it safe to eat, easier to chew and to digest
(denatured proteins are more vulnerable to our
digestive enzymes), and to make it more
flavorful. The issue of safety is detailed
beginning on p. 124. Here I’ll describe the
physical and chemical transformations of
meat during cooking, their effects on flavor