All about Veal > From the market to your table

Nutritionally speaking
Include veal as part of a balanced, varied and tasty diet. It's a relatively lean meat and what's more, it provides a high percentage of unsaturated fatty acids, some of which must be obtained from our food since they cannot be synthesized by the body. And the protein from veal, like all animal protein, is an excellent source of amino acids necessary for cell-building. Veal is also a good source of zinc, a mineral essential to our body's development. And finally, we shouldn't overlook veal's contribution of vitamins B12 and PP.

Storing Veal
Fresh or pre-packaged, veal will keep, wrapped, for 2 to 3 days in the coldest part of the refrigerator (0 to 3° C).

In the freezer, veal will keep for 6 to 9 months at -18° C. Thawing time is 5 to 6 hours in the refrigerator for small cuts and 12 hours for larger ones. If you thaw the meat in the microwave, always let it rest afterward for 5 to 15 minutes at room temperature so that it finishes thawing evenly and thoroughly.

Cooking methods for veal should be like the meat itself: gentle and refined.
For it to stay juicy and tender, veal should be seared over high heat, then cooked at low heat until perfectly done: neither rare nor pink, much less overdone. Remember to take the meat out of the refrigerator at least a half hour before cooking - overly cold meat cooks badly.

Veal comes from a young animal. It is tender but has a high water content, thus cooking will result in some weight loss.

To preserve the veal's pale colour, rub it with lemon juice before cooking. Some cuts like rump roast benefit from being marinated in a mixture of white wine, olive oil and a bouquet garni.

To obtain a dish with a richer texture and flavour, combine various cuts. For instance, in a blanquette - a traditional French white veal stew - you could mix boneless and bone-in pieces, shoulder and flank, breast or plate.

To obtain lots of jus that is not fatty and that has a good consistency, add some lean gelatinous cuts to your cooking pot, such as a calf's foot.

A roast will be even more tender if, once it's finished cooking, you let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes wrapped in aluminum foil on the door of your still-warm oven.