Birds of a Feather – Poultry
As I stated in the posting on The Informed Shopper, Feb. 9, 2013, the poultry industry has done a remarkable job of reinventing itself in the past several decades. Actually, many of the changes were necessary to assure the supply would meet the demand. In the United States alone in 2010 we consumed more than double the amount of chicken per capita, than in we did 1970. It’s the most consumed meat in the U.S. and second in the world, just slightly behind pork.
The ball started rolling with the publics’ increased awareness of healthy eating and focus on fats. Roughly speaking, a serving of chicken contains a much protein, and up to half the fat of the other popular meats. In a move to keep up with the trend and maintain interest, new ways were introduced to cook chicken substituting it in traditional recipes for other meats. This, in turn, meant developing new ways to produce and present it to facilitate these different uses. I think the first was the introduction of the boneless breast but with it came the exit of one of my favorite parts, the breast quarter, hastened by the growing popularity of wings.
Chickens in the U.S. today are raised either by the intensive method or free range. The intensive method follows set systems. The food, both in amount and content, is controlled as are the temperature and lighting of the housing. Certain F.D.A. approved antibiotics and supplements are administered, growth is monitored and the result is the bins of uniformly sized birds we see in the supermarkets.
Free range means the chicken is allowed to forage for its own food, hopefully though, in a barnyard or other restricted area, where the safety of the food source is assured. This is where the organic bird differs from the free range. Organic birds are free range but their environment should not be treated with pesticides, chemical fertilizers or other possible pollutants. If you’re interested in buying organic, be sure you’re getting what you want. Ask the butcher, or look up the brand name. Remember, though, that this is a more expensive method of farming and the fact will be reflected in the price.
However, no matter how a chicken is raised, they are all presented for sale in the same ways. After all, there are only so many parts to a bird. The full or double breast, usually sold “split” in two, is the meatiest piece. All white meat it’s the choice as a featured entrée. 1 whole breast or two halves normally weigh on average 12ozs. serves 2 and yields about 2 ½ cups of meat. 1lb. thighs or drumsticks serves 2. 1 lb. split wings or “drumettes” serves 4 as an appetizer.
The tough stewing chicken and the plump capon are gone, replaced by the broiler-fryer and the oven roaster. A 3 lb bird yields 2 ½ cups of meat. A 3-4 lb. bird serves 4-5 and a 5-7 lb bird serves 6-8. Even though chickens are now so regimented according to size in a bin, it’s still wise to hold them back bone down, in palm of your hand when choosing one. If you distinctly feel the bones, go on to another. Poke the breast too. It should feel plump and firm. The bird that passes both tests will be the meatiest.
We discussed color and texture of the meat in the Feb. 9th posting, but also be aware of the packaging. The wrap should be intact without tears or loose corners, clean and clear. The blotting paper underneath the meat should be clean, and there should be no bloody, watery fluid in the bottom of the container. This usually means the meat has been over chilled to the point of partially freezing and should be used promptly. All pieces of poultry should be rinsed, dried, trimmed of fat and individually wrapped for storage or for freezing, if not to be used that night. Never re-freeze poultry. Always remember to clean any utensils or areas touched by raw, frozen or fresh, chicken with soap. Salmonella bacteria spreads on contact, is not killed by freezing, only by cooking to 140 degrees.
Chicken’s popularity soared once the new boneless cuts hit the markets. They cooked quickly for the busy cook, fitting our increasingly crowded schedules, and for the novice, made many recipes incredibly easy, helped by the fact that compared to most meats, chicken is very forgiving. Suddenly people were turning out all sorts of “gourmet” dishes they wouldn’t have tried before. The very fact they were trying these recipes was amazing, and America’s taste buds evolved spurring the home cooks on. The best aspect was that all the while chicken has remained affordable.
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When it comes to chicken, or turkey, for that matter, I feel much the same as I do about ham. I don’t mind cooking a larger bird than needed because there are so many ways to use the leftovers. The meat can be sliced into sandwiches, used in casseroles, served over pasta or rice, or in salads. One of my favorites is to toss lettuce, chopped nuts, pecans or walnuts, craisons and Feta cheese with raspberry vinaigrette and serve left over drums or wings on the side. This salad is also great with diced meat mixed in. There are endless ways to use leftovers.
Turkey too, has come out of the holiday closet since the 1970s. The hotel breast was around before, but never sold in halves, nor were legs sold separately, especially not smoked. Add to this there are now turkey tenderloins, turkey cutlets or scallopine, ground turkey, turkey franks, turkey sausage, turkey bacon, smoked turkey loins and turkey ham and a whole new world opens, particularly for those on restrictive diets. So many ways to try new things.
Unlike chicken, whole turkeys are sold fresh and frozen. They’re too heavy to test by hefting but feel them for plumpness on the breast and thigh. The buying guide is 1 lb. per portion of a whole bird, but 12-14oz. serves 2 of any other cut. Although turkey is a good substitute for both veal and pork in many recipes, the tenderloins and cutlets are still good in their own traditional presentations, just roasted or broiled with a simple sauce, pan juice or basic gravy. Remember that fresh or once thawed, turkey must be kept refrigerated and cooked within a few hours. I like to brine mine in salted water for one hour, then soak it in cold water for 45-60 mins. to make sure the salt is rinsed out, then pop it in the oven.
I love Cornish Hens. They have a nice amount of meat and it’s all white. The standard serving is one per person, but I’ve seen large ones halved to serve two. They’re best roasted, often glazed, sometimes stuffed. My own favorite recipe is to stuff them using a prepared brown and wild rice mix, and make gravy from the pan juices and chicken broth. I accompany them with warm seedless grapes and a tossed salad. It’s simple, elegant, easy and just enough to satisfy. They come frozen, wrapped in a package of two, and there’s no way to judge them, except to examine the package and make sure the skin is unblemished and an even pale beige. There are no recipes except for the whole bird. It’s too small for leftovers.
Squab is the opposite of game hen. It’s all dark meat and the taste can be a bit gamey or more wild than domesticated. Truthfully, squab is pidgin, and they run pretty uniform in size—one per person, at most halved to serve two. They are best roasted and if stuffed toasted white bread with orange zest and juice to moisten and fresh parsley is good. Usually they’re sold frozen, singly, but again check for plumpness and make sure the package undamaged. The skin is usually the color of dark meat.
Domestic Duckling is usually halved to make two servings. A very large one can stretch to four. Another bird with all dark meat, it has more fat than any of the above. For this reason, stuffing is not recommended except for a few vegetables; onions, celery, or fruits; lemons, oranges in the cavity. I have made It with those items plus apples and a slice or two of raison bread, but the duck was very well trimmed and the skin pricked from the start to drain the fat, rather than later. Even so a little stuffing went a long way. It’s important to roast duck on a rack for about 2 ½ hours at 350 degrees, to let the fat drip out or the skin won’t crisp then to prick the skin all over with a fork, and increase the heat to 500 degrees 15 mins. before serving to release any remaining fat and really crisp it. Like squabs, ducks are sold singly, usually frozen. Again test the bird for plumpness and make sure the packaging is intact and the skin unblemished.
Geese are so rarely sold commercially in this country that I’m not going to include them. The hunters who bag them and people who order them from specialty butchers seek them out and so have their own preferred ways of preparing them. Some recipes I like, some I don’t, but honestly, I’ve only cooked a goose once. It was good but very fatty, and I just never got around to repeating the experience. But hey! I have friends whose husbands hunt and they cook geese all the time. So if you have a chance to cook one, give it a go.
