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What Happens When You Cook This Food
Cooking changes the lamb’s flavor and appearance, lowers its fat and cholesterol content,
and makes it safer by killing the bacteria that live naturally on the surface of raw meat.
Browning lamb before you cook it won’t seal in the juices, but it will change the flavor
by caramelizing proteins and sugars on the surface of the meat. Because the only sugars in
lamb are the small amounts of glycogen in its muscles, we often add sugar in the form of
marinades or basting liquids that may also contain acids (lemon juice, vinegar, wine, yogurt)
to break down muscle fibers and tenderize the meat. (Note that browning has one minor
nutritional drawback. It breaks amino acids on the surface of the meat into smaller com-
pounds that are no longer useful proteins.)
When lamb is heated, it loses water and shrinks. Its pigments, which combine with
oxygen, are denatured by the heat. They break into smaller fragments and turn brown, the
natural color of well-done meat. The pigments also release iron, which accelerates the oxida-
tion of the lamb’s fat. Oxidized fat is what gives cooked meat its characteristic warmed-over
flavor. Cooking and storing meat under a blanket of antioxidants—catsup or a gravy made
of tomatoes, peppers, and other vitamin C-rich vegetables—reduces the oxidation of fats and
the intensity of warmed-over flavor. So will reheating the meat in a microwave rather than
a conventional oven.How Other Kinds of Processing Affect This Food
Canning. Canned lamb does not develop a warmed-over flavor because the high temperatures
used in canning food and alter the structure of the proteins in the meat so that the proteins act
as antioxidants. Once the can is open, however, lamb fat may begin to oxidize again.
Freezing. Defrosted frozen lamb may be less tender than fresh lamb. It may also be lower
in B vitamins. When you freeze lamb, the water inside its cells freezes into sharp ice crys-
tals that can puncture cell membranes. When the lamb thaws, moisture (and some of the
B vitamins) will leak out through these torn cell walls. Freezing may also cause freezer
burn—dry spots left when moisture evaporates from the lamb’s surface. Waxed freezer paper
is designed specifically to protect the moisture in meat; plastic wrap and aluminum foil may
be less effective.Medical Uses and/or Benefits
Treating and/or preventing iron deficiency. Without meat it is virtually impossible for a woman of
childbearing age to get the 18 mg iron/day she requires unless she takes an iron supplement.Adverse Effects Associated with This Food
Increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Like other foods from animals, lamb is a significant
source of cholesterol and saturated fats, which increase the amount of cholesterol circulating