What are by-products and what is included in them, what categories are there

By-products are internal organs and parts of animal carcasses (except meat pulp), suitable for processing for subsequent consumption or technical needs. As a food product they are sold chilled or frozen, whole or in pieces. Unlike meat, they are rich in tryptophan, which is involved in tissue regeneration processes and improves brain function.

Interesting fact. In earlier times, people threw offal, along with various garbage, at convicted criminals as a sign of special censure.

Classification of by-products

By-products are classified according to a number of criteria. Depending on their origin, they are divided into beef, pork, veal, mutton, lamb, etc. According to the purpose of use - for food (heads, limbs, entrails, udders, and in some cases tails) and technical, not suitable for food (horns, skulls, genitals). There is also a division according to morphological characteristics: by-products are pulpy (hearts, lungs, etc.), meat-and-bone (heads without skins, tarsus, etc.), mucous (rumens, abomasum, etc.) and woolly (lips , ears, etc.).

And also these parts of carcasses are divided into categories 1 and 2 according to nutritional value indicators.

First category

This group includes parts of carcasses that are not inferior in taste to meat pulp, and often surpass it in the content of useful substances. These include tongues (beef and veal are the most valuable), meat and bone tails (beef and lamb), kidneys, brains, hearts, diaphragms, liver and beef udder.

Second category

This group includes by-products with lower nutritional value. They are low in complete proteins, vitamins and microelements. These are heads without tongues, limbs, lungs, ears, pig tails, lips, stomachs, fat mesh, calculi and esophagus.

Liver

This is one of the most useful offal with a high content of iron, choline, vitamins A and B, omega-3 and folic acid. And beef and veal liver are a valuable source of copper.

Thanks to its rich composition and excellent taste, the product is widely used in cooking. The liver is boiled, fried, baked, stewed with vegetables, simmered in sauces (sour cream, mustard, tomato), and added to minced cutlets. And also from it they prepare:

• pancakes;
• fillings for pies and pies;
• snack cakes;
• casseroles and soufflés;
• goulash;
• chops;
• stuffed rolls;
• pates;
• sausages;
• fillings for tartlets, etc.

On a note. To eliminate the characteristic bitterness, before cooking, the liver must be freed from films and soaked in milk for half an hour.

Kidneys

In cooking, beef kidneys are more often used, and pork kidneys less often due to their toughness. This product is rich in selenium, phosphorus, zinc, iron and B vitamins.

Prepared from the kidneys:

• first courses (rassolniki, solyanka);
• beef stroganoff;
• julienne;
• gravy;
• fillings for pies and pies;
• casseroles;
• gourmet canned food.

Before cooking, the kidneys are soaked in cold water for 2-3 hours and then boiled.The water is changed twice, after the first and second boils, then left to simmer over medium heat for at least an hour.

Important! It is not advisable to mix kidneys in dishes with other offal because of their specific smell.

Language

The chemical composition of tongues is similar to red meat - they saturate the body with selenium, iron, zinc, omega-9 and B vitamins.

These parts of the carcass are consumed boiled with a side dish or used to prepare the following types of dishes:

• soups;
• aspic;
• salads;
• sandwiches;
• snacks;
• canned food;
• sausages and meat delicacies.

To make the finished tongue softer and tastier, before cooking it needs to be soaked in water for an hour, then scraped with a knife to remove dirt, and rinsed thoroughly. It will take 2 to 4 hours to cook the offal. If the ichor is not visible in the cut, and the knife easily enters the tongue, you can remove it from the heat.

Heart

Hearts contain iron, zinc, B vitamins, selenium and coenzyme Q10, which have a positive effect on human cardiac activity. The product is consumed boiled, fried or stewed and added to many dishes.

From the heart you can cook:

• soups;
• salads and snacks;
• cutlets;
• goulash;
• pates;
• sausages;
• filling for pies, pies, pancakes, tartlets, etc.

Since the heart is an organ made up of dense muscles, it will take some effort to make it soft. The product must first be soaked in cold water for at least 3 hours. And then cook for an hour and a half, changing the water every 30 minutes.

Lungs

The lungs enrich the body with iron, phosphorus and collagen. In cooking, mainly beef, pork, veal and lamb offal of this type are used.They taste almost as good as meat, but have less calories and are much cheaper.

Prepare from the lungs:

• main courses (boiled, fried, stewed or baked);
• jellies and aspic;
• pates;
• canned meat;
• sausages;
• fillings for pies and pies;
• minced cutlets, etc.

Since the lungs have an elastic and rather dense structure due to the large volume of connective tissue, they require a long pre-treatment. It doesn’t matter whether the product will be fried, baked or stewed later, it must first be boiled. But before putting the lungs on the stove, they will need to be thoroughly washed in running water, cut lengthwise and large veins and vessels removed.

There is no need to soak the offal. After cutting it, just rinse it again and then boil it with salt and spices for 40-60 minutes, depending on the size. Then you need to let the lungs cool and remove the films from them. After this, you can fry, stew or bake the product.

Advice. Since the lungs are greatly deformed and float during cooking, it is better to cook them in a large saucepan, filling them with plenty of water.

Brain

This is one of the most valuable offal, considered a delicacy in the cuisines of many countries. It is rich in elastin, collagen and “good” cholesterol, and in terms of fatty acid content it is not inferior to sea fish.

Brains are often eaten in their “pure” form: boiled, stewed, baked in pots or fried in breading. Usually they are first boiled, and then proceed to the main stage of preparation, but raw brains can also be stewed or subjected to another type of processing. Only first you will need to soak them for 1-2 hours, changing the water several times. You can add a little lemon juice, then the product will retain a pleasant, delicate color.

To make the dish tasty, you must adhere to several rules regarding the heat treatment time:

• beef brains will be ready in 20 minutes;
• veal ones need half as much time;
• Pork and lamb are cooked for no more than 5-7 minutes.

Important! Under no circumstances should brains be overheated, otherwise the delicacy will lose its taste. But you only need to cook them whole, otherwise they will turn into unappetizing pieces.

Beef udder

Cow's udder is rich in vitamin A, collagen, elastin and protein with a low fat content. It can be consumed boiled, stewed in sauce, or fried in batter or breadcrumbs. The product goes well with a side dish of rice, beans, peas, potatoes, cereals, pasta or mushrooms.

Prepared from the udder:

• goulash;
• beefsteaks;
• cutlets;
• stew;
• salads;
• baking fillings.

Important! Udder is a perishable product that cannot be stored for long. You can only buy it very fresh and prepare it on the day of purchase.

Before cooking, the offal must be soaked in cold water for 2-3 hours. During this time, the water will need to be changed at least once, and preferably twice. Then cut into several pieces and boil until soft. As a rule, this takes from 2 to 4 hours, depending on the size of the organ. Moreover, after boiling, the water must be replaced, and during the cooking process, the foam must be periodically removed. When the udder is ready, you can start frying, baking or stewing.