Interior temperatures for cooking poultry. The insertion of thermometers
into muscles of chicken in early tests was not satisfactory, as the ther-
mometer and bulbs were too large. However, it was found that the larger
thermometers could be used successfully by inserting them into the stuffing,
either through the front or rear cavities of the fowl. For turkeys and geese
the thicker part of the stuffing is towards the rear of the carcass; hence it
was preferable to insert the thermometer at the rear.
Lowe and Keltner used in their study a small light thermometer with a
very short, small bulb. Placing the bulb of the thermometer into the thickest
portion of the thigh muscles and cooking the chicken until a temperature
of 85 °C. was reached proved satisfactory. The most desirable temperature
to which the breast muscles should be cooked has not been determined.
Since the breast muscles tended to separate when half of a bird was cooked,
thermometers were not used successfully in the breast. However, in the
preliminary studies the temperature of the breast was usually 2° to 4°
higher than that of the thigh.
Evidently the meat of large fowls is juicier if the interior temperature
of the stuffing is lower than for small fowls. This is probably due to their
size, the large quantity of stuffing that they hold increasing the distance
to the middle of the stuffing.
When chickens were roasted until the interior temperature of the stuffing
reached 80° to 83°C., the meat was desirable; but, when cooked to 85°C.,
the breast of some birds was dry, the drippings and particularly their
moisture content increasing rapidly in the last few minutes of cooking.
This might indicate that for some birds, depending somewhat upon degree
of ripening and other factors, this is a critical temperature. As this point
is reached or exceeded, the tendency for the meat of the chicken is to
become dry and the drippings loss to increase.
For turkeys weighing 16 to 20 pounds after stuffing, an interior tempera-
ture of 75° to 82°C. of the stuffing resulted in juicy meat. But for turkeys
weighing 25 to 30 pounds after stuffing a lower temperature gives better
results. The type of stuffing used may make some difference in the juiciness
of the meat and the cooking losses. Lowe and Keltner found that stuffing
made from 1 -day-old bread, 100 grams, butter 50 grams, and salt 2 grams,
but without the addition of liquid, absorbed an average moisture content
of 41.5 per cent. The amount of moisture absorbed varied from 14.6 to
78.1 per cent.
The above results and observations in cooking of poultry suggest that
poultry may lose moisture rapidly after a certain temperature is reached,
ROASTING OF POULTRY
249
with the result that the meat becomes quite dry. This loss of moisture
seems to occur most rapidly at a temperature around 83° to 85°C. Some
meats may become dry more readily within a short range of temperature
than others. Ostwald states that *Tork can be distinguished from other
meats by the fact that its water holding capacity suffers the least change
when cooked or dried." The kind of food the bird has received may in-
fluence the juiciness to a certain degree.
Page 200
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Interior temperatures for cooking poultry. The insertion of thermometers
into muscles of chicken in early tests was not satisfactory, as the ther-
mometer and bulbs were too large. However, it was found that the larger
thermometers could be used successfully by inserting them into the stuffing,
either through the front or rear cavities of the fowl. For turkeys and geese
the thicker part of the stuffing is towards the rear of the carcass; hence it
was preferable to insert the thermometer at the rear.
Lowe and Keltner used in their study a small light thermometer with a
very short, small bulb. Placing the bulb of the thermometer into the thickest
portion of the thigh muscles and cooking the chicken until a temperature
of 85 °C. was reached proved satisfactory. The most desirable temperature
to which the breast muscles should be cooked has not been determined.
Since the breast muscles tended to separate when half of a bird was cooked,
thermometers were not used successfully in the breast. However, in the
preliminary studies the temperature of the breast was usually 2° to 4°
higher than that of the thigh.
Evidently the meat of large fowls is juicier if the interior temperature
of the stuffing is lower than for small fowls. This is probably due to their
size, the large quantity of stuffing that they hold increasing the distance
to the middle of the stuffing.
When chickens were roasted until the interior temperature of the stuffing
reached 80° to 83°C., the meat was desirable; but, when cooked to 85°C.,
the breast of some birds was dry, the drippings and particularly their
moisture content increasing rapidly in the last few minutes of cooking.
This might indicate that for some birds, depending somewhat upon degree
of ripening and other factors, this is a critical temperature. As this point
is reached or exceeded, the tendency for the meat of the chicken is to
become dry and the drippings loss to increase.
For turkeys weighing 16 to 20 pounds after stuffing, an interior tempera-
ture of 75° to 82°C. of the stuffing resulted in juicy meat. But for turkeys
weighing 25 to 30 pounds after stuffing a lower temperature gives better
results. The type of stuffing used may make some difference in the juiciness
of the meat and the cooking losses. Lowe and Keltner found that stuffing
made from 1 -day-old bread, 100 grams, butter 50 grams, and salt 2 grams,
but without the addition of liquid, absorbed an average moisture content
of 41.5 per cent. The amount of moisture absorbed varied from 14.6 to
78.1 per cent.
The above results and observations in cooking of poultry suggest that
poultry may lose moisture rapidly after a certain temperature is reached,
ROASTING OF POULTRY
249
with the result that the meat becomes quite dry. This loss of moisture
seems to occur most rapidly at a temperature around 83° to 85°C. Some
meats may become dry more readily within a short range of temperature
than others. Ostwald states that *Tork can be distinguished from other
meats by the fact that its water holding capacity suffers the least change
when cooked or dried." The kind of food the bird has received may in-
fluence the juiciness to a certain degree.