When it comes to delicious and nutritious beef and mutton, people often think of them as a winter delicacy. Is it really true that eating beef and mutton in the summer easily causes "heatiness"? In fact, this is merely a misconception influenced by traditional dietary concepts and the common cooking methods for beef and mutton in China.
As a food that is delicious, rich in protein, and highly nutritious, beef and mutton, like other animal proteins, can be consumed in all four seasons. The key lies in mastering the right cooking methods. In the summer, it is advisable to use the popular method of stewing beef and mutton. This method involves washing fresh beef and mutton, placing them in boiling water, discarding the water after it boils, and then adding fresh, clean boiling water with only a small amount of salt, green onions, and ginger. Beef and mutton prepared this way are delicious and not greasy. Furthermore, because they do not contain pungent and "heating" seasonings, they provide nutrition and allow people to enjoy the delicious flavor without any concern about "heatiness" after eating.
How can you tell the quality of beef and mutton during the summer purchase? First, smell it. Fresh meat has a normal odor, while inferior meat has an ammonia or sour smell. Second, touch it. First, check for elasticity: fresh meat is elastic, and the indentation from pressing recovers immediately; inferior meat has poor elasticity, and the indentation recovers slowly or not at all; spoiled meat has no elasticity. Second, check for stickiness: fresh meat is slightly dry or slightly moist on the surface and does not feel sticky; inferior meat is dry or sticky on the surface, and the freshly cut surface is moist and sticky; spoiled meat is very sticky, and the surface is extremely dry. However, some heavily water-injected meat may also not be sticky, but its surface will appear wet and not firm. Third, look at it. Check the skin for red spots; no red spots indicate good meat, while red spots indicate spoiled meat. Look at the muscle: fresh meat is shiny and evenly red; inferior meat is slightly darker in color. Look at the fat: fresh meat has white or pale yellow fat; inferior meat's fat lacks luster, and spoiled meat's fat is green.