To Clean and Truss Poultry and Game, — The practice
of sending poultry to market undressed is one that de-
mands as earnest opposition from housekeepers as that of
the adulteration of food. The meat is rendered unfit to
eat, is sometimes infected with poison ; and the increase in
weight makes poultr}^ a verj^ expensive food. All poultry
should be dressed as soon as killed. The feathers come
out more easily when the fowl is warm, and when stripped
off toward the head. If the skin be ver}- tender, pull the
feathers out the opposite wa^^ Use a knife to remove the
pin feathers. Singe the hairs and down by holding the
fowl over a gas jet, or over a roll of lighted paper held
over the fire. Cut ofl" the head, and if the fowl is to be
roasted, slip the skin back from the neck and cut the neck
off" close to the body, leaving skin enough to fold over on
the back. Remove the windpipe ; pull the crop away
from the skin on the neck and breast, and cut off* close to
the opening into the ho^y. Be careful not to tear the skin.
Alwa3^s pull the crop out from the end of the neck, rather
than through a cut in the skin, which if made has to be
sewed together. Cut through the skin about two inches
below the leg joint ; bend the leg at the cut by pressing it
on the edge of the table, and break off* the bone. Then
pull, not cut, out the tendons. If care be taken to cut
only through the skin, these cords may be pulled out easily,
The Boston Cook Book,
253
one at a time, with the fingers. Or take them all out at
once, by putting the foot of the fowl against the casing of
a door, then shut the door tightly and pull on the leg.
The tendons w^ill come out with the foot ; but if once cut
thQj cannot, be removed. The drumstick of a roast chicken
or turkey is greatly improved by removing the tendons,
which alwaj^s become hard and bony in baking. There is
a special advantage in cutting the leg below the joint, as
the ends of the bones afford more length for tying, and
after roasting this is easily broken off, leaving a clean, un-
burned joint for the table. Cut out the oil bag in the tail.
It is better to dress a fowl for a fricassee first. Then you
learn the position of the internal organs, and can tell bet-
ter how to remove them when dressing" for roasting, as
with the whole fowl you v^^ork by feeling and not by sight.
To Gut up a Fowl for a Fricassee. — Cut through the
loose skin between the legs and body, bend the leg over,
and cut off at the joint ; then cut off the w4ngs. Make an
incision in the skin near the vent, and cut the membrane
lying between the breastbone and the tail, down to the
backbone, on each side. Then jou have the intestines,
gizzard, livft*, and heart exposed, and can easil}^ remove
them. Do not forget the kidneys, lying in the hollow of
the backbone, and the lungs in the ribs. Cut the ribs
through the cartilage, separate the collar bone, and break
the backbone just below the ribs. Divide at the joints
in the wings and legs ; separate the side bones from the
back, and remove the bone from the breast. Never chop
the bones, but divide smoothly at the joints.
Page 150
Presented as published in 1884. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
To Clean and Truss Poultry and Game, — The practice of sending poultry to market undressed is one that demands as earnest opposition from housekeepers as that of the adulteration of food. The meat is rendered unfit to eat, is sometimes infected with poison ; and the increase in weight makes poultry a very expensive food. All poultry should be dressed as soon as killed. The feathers come out more easily when the fowl is warm, and when stripped off toward the head. If the skin be very tender, pull the feathers out the opposite way Use a knife to remove the pin feathers. Singe the hairs and down by holding the fowl over a gas jet, or over a roll of lighted paper held over the fire. Cut ofl" the head, and if the fowl is to be roasted, slip the skin back from the neck and cut the neck off" close to the body, leaving skin enough to fold over on the back. Remove the windpipe ; pull the crop away from the skin on the neck and breast, and cut off* close to the opening into the body. Be careful not to tear the skin. Always pull the crop out from the end of the neck, rather than through a cut in the skin, which if made has to be sewed together. Cut through the skin about two inches below the leg joint ; bend the leg at the cut by pressing it on the edge of the table, and break off* the bone. Then pull, not cut, out the tendons. If care be taken to cut only through the skin, these cords may be pulled out easily,
The Boston Cook Book,
one at a time, with the fingers. Or take them all out at once, by putting the foot of the fowl against the casing of a door, then shut the door tightly and pull on the leg. The tendons w^ill come out with the foot ; but if once cut they cannot, be removed. The drumstick of a roast chicken or turkey is greatly improved by removing the tendons, which always become hard and bony in baking. There is a special advantage in cutting the leg below the joint, as the ends of the bones afford more length for tying, and after roasting this is easily broken off, leaving a clean, unburned joint for the table. Cut out the oil bag in the tail. It is better to dress a fowl for a fricassee first. Then you learn the position of the internal organs, and can tell better how to remove them when dressing for roasting, as with the whole fowl you work by feeling and not by sight.
To Gut up a Fowl for a Fricassee. — Cut through the loose skin between the legs and body, bend the leg over, and cut off at the joint ; then cut off the w4ngs. Make an incision in the skin near the vent, and cut the membrane lying between the breastbone and the tail, down to the backbone, on each side. Then jou have the intestines, gizzard, liver, and heart exposed, and can easily remove them. Do not forget the kidneys, lying in the hollow of the backbone, and the lungs in the ribs. Cut the ribs through the cartilage, separate the collar bone, and break the backbone just below the ribs. Divide at the joints in the wings and legs ; separate the side bones from the back, and remove the bone from the breast. Never chop the bones, but divide smoothly at the joints.