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Diets That May Restrict or Exclude This Food
Controlled-fat, low-cholesterol diet
Low-protein diet (for some forms of kidney disease)Buying This Food
Look for: The cut of veal that fits your recipe. Thick cuts, such as roasts, need long, slow
cooking to gelatinize their connective tissue and keep the veal from drying out. A breast
with bones, however, has more fat than a solid roast. Veal scallops and cutlets are the only
kinds of veal that can be sauteed or broiled quickly.Storing This Food
Refrigerate raw veal immediately, carefully wrapped to prevent its drippings from contami-
nating the refrigerator shelves or other foods. Refrigeration prolongs the freshness of veal
by slowing the natural multiplication of bacteria on the surface of meat. Unchecked, these
bacteria will convert proteins and other substances on the surface of the meat to a slimy film.
Eventually, they will also convert the meat’s sulfur-containing amino acids methionine and
cystine into smelly chemicals called mercaptans that interact with myoglobin to create the
greenish pigment that gives spoiled meat its characteristic unpleasant appearance.
Fresh veal will keep for three to five days in the refrigerator. As a general rule, large
cuts of veal will keep a little longer than small ones. Ground veal, which has many surfaces
where bacteria can live and work, should be used within 48 hours.Preparing This Food
To lighten the color of veal, marinate the meat in lemon juice or milk overnight in the refrig-
erator. Or marinate it in lemon juice. Trim the meat carefully. By judiciously cutting away all
visible fat you can significantly reduce the amount of fat and cholesterol in each serving.
Do not salt the veal before you cook it. The salt dissolves in water on the surface of
the meat to form a liquid denser than the moisture inside the veal’s cells. As a result the
water inside the cells will flow out across the cell toward the denser solution, a phenomenon
known as osmosis. The loss of moisture will make the veal less tender and stringy.
When you are done, clean all utensils thoroughly with soap and hot water. Wash your
cutting board, wood or plastic, with hot water, soap, and a bleach-and-water solution. For ulti-
mate safety in preventing the transfer of microorganisms from the meat to other foods, keep
one cutting board exclusively for meat, fish, or poultry, and a second one for everything else.What Happens When You Cook This Food
Cooking changes the way veal looks and tastes, alters its nutritional value, makes it safer,
and extends its shelf life.