Foods and home making

In selecting poultry, it is well to learn how to distinguish a chicken from a fowl. The following points should be observed : 1. Size — A fowl weighs from 4 to 6 pounds. Full-grown chickens may weigh this much. However, very young chickens, commonly called broilers, do not weigh so much. The size or weight may indicate the difference between a broiler and a fowl, but not between an older chicken and a fowl. 2. Pinfeathers and hairs — A chicken’s skin is usually covered with pinfeathers and a fowl’s skin with ham, 3. Feet — A chicken has smoother feet than a fowl. There are usually scales on the feet of the more mature bird. 4. Breast bone — A young bird has a flexible breast bone. This is because there is cartilage on the end of the immature bone. In feeling of the end of the breast bone one should determine whether the bone can be easily bent because of the cartilage. What makes some chickens taste better than others ? Even though two chickens are of the same age and cooked in the 394 Dinner same way, one may taste much better than the other. There are several reasons why one chicken may have a better flavor than another. 1. Time of keeping after killing — Some chickens are sold as soon as killed. Others are kept in cold storage for some time. The fresh-killed chicken has a better taste. To be sure, a cold-storage chicken properly kept may be as wholesome as a fresh-killed bird. Its chief drawback is its flavor. 2. Kind of food — The kind of food fed to a chicken affects the flavor of the meat. A chicken which has been fed buttermilk, cornmeal, and wheat has a fine flavor. At market chickens fed on these foods are known as milk-fed chickens. If one wants to buy a chicken of especially fine taste, it is well to inquire whether or not the chicken is milk-fed. Why do some chickens keep better than others? Another point to consider in buying chicken is the way the feathers were picked. Feathers may be removed by pouring boiling hot water over the chicken, then picking the feathers. Feathers may be removed also by picking without first scalding. Scald- ing a chicken makes the skin more easily broken. When this happens, the chicken does not keep so well. Chickens picked without scalding are known as dry-picked. The internal organs of a chicken must be removed before cook- ing. All organs are then discarded except the liver, heart, and gizzard. Removing the internal organs is known as drawing a chicken. The question arises, when should a chicken be drawn — immediately after killing or shortly before cooking? It has been found that chickens keep better when they are drawn just before they are to be cooked. If chickens are drawn at the market, they should not be drawn until just before they are delivered to a customer. How should chicken or turkey be dressed and roasted? Since poultry is a kind of meat, it is cooked very much like other meats. The methods of cooking tender cuts of beef can be used in cooking broilers and older chickens. The methods of cooking tough cuts may be applied to fowl. Chicken and Fish for Dinner 395 Before poultry is cooked, it must be carefully cleaned and pre- pared for cooking. Directions for cleaning follow :