With tomatoes, potatoes, and other foods rich in vitamin C to increase your body’s
absorption of iron from the meat.
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: Lamb that is pink to light red, with a smooth, firm texture and little fat. The color
of the fat, which may vary with the breed and what the animal was fed, is not a reliable
guide to quality. Meat labeled baby lamb or spring lamb comes from animals less than five
months old; lamb comes from an animal less than a year old; mutton comes from an animal
older than a year. The older the animal, the tougher and more sinewy the meat.
Storing This Food
Refrigerate fresh lamb immediately, carefully wrapped to prevent its drippings from contam-
inating other foods. Refrigeration prolongs freshness by slowing the natural multiplication
of bacteria on the surface of the meat. Left on their own, these bacteria convert proteins and
other substances on the surface of the meat to a slimy film and change the meat’s sulfur-
containing amino acids methionine and cystine into smelly chemicals called mercaptans.
When the mercaptans combine with pigments in meat, they produce the greenish pigment
that gives spoiled meat its characteristic unpleasant appearance.
Preparing This Food
Trim the meat carefully. By judiciously cutting away all visible fat, you can significantly
reduce the amount of fat and cholesterol in each serving. Lamb and mutton are covered with
a thin paperlike white membrane called a “fell.” Generally, the fell is left on roasts because it
acts as a natural basting envelope that makes the lamb juicier.
Do not salt lamb before you cook it; the salt will draw moisture out of the meat, mak-
ing it stringy and less tender. Add salt when the meat is nearly done.
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
ultimate safety in preventing the transfer of microorganisms from the meat to other foods,
keep one cutting board exclusively for raw meat, fish, or poultry, and a second one for every-
thing else. Don’t forget to wash your hands.
Lamb