Meat, fish and minced dishes

Semi-finished meat products are meat that has been processed in preparation for cooking. They are divided into large pieces (for plov, pot roast), portioned pieces (beefsteak, langet, lahm), small pieces (kebab, stroganoff, goulash), minced products (chuchvara, manti, samsa, meatballs) and cutlet-mass items (cutlet, roulade). Beefsteak is cut across the grain from the thick part of the beef tenderloin, the softest cut, and is 2–3 cm thick. Semi-finished products are made of chilled meat and stored at 0–6 °C, with a short shelf time on sale (about a day). At home too, do not keep raw meat long in the fridge: use it quickly or freeze it. Thawing frozen meat slowly at 0–4 °C keeps quality: if it thaws quickly the juice runs out. For stewed chicken the bird is cleaned and rubbed with a sauce (mayonnaise or cream with salt, spice and chopped garlic); medium-cut vegetables go inside, and it is baked in foil on low heat for 40 minutes, then 20–30 minutes uncovered to brown. Chicken must be fully cooked: juices clear, no pink inside, internal temperature about 74 °C. The oven reaches about 200 °C: only an adult opens it, while pupils do the preparation. Hold hot dishes only with oven gloves or a holder. Ask beforehand about allergy to mayonnaise, cream, garlic or lemon.