Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)/Beef

BEEF, the flesh of the ox or the cow, used either fresh or salted. It is the most nutritious of all kinds of meat, and is well adapted to the most delicate constitutions. It should be well cooked, as it has been proved that underdone beef frequently produces tapeworm. Good beef is known by its having a clear, uniform fat, a firm texture, a fine open grain, and a rich reddish color. Meat which feels damp and clammy should be avoided, as it is generally unwholesome. Fresh beef loses in boiling 30 per cent. of its weight; in roasting it loses about 20 per cent. The amount of nitrogenous matter found to be present in one pound of good beef is about four ounces. In the raw state it contains 50 per cent, of water.