To free the intestines, one may cut around
the vent with scissors. Then remove the
lungs, which lie tight against the backbone
near the neck of the bird, and the kidneys,
which lie in the hollows, one on each side,
near the end of the backbone, and the oil
sack which lies on top of the tail piece.
Discard the viscera except the heart,
liver, and gizzard. These are the giblets.
The fat, membranes, arteries, veins, and
clotted blood should be removed from the
giblets, and the gall bladder cut carefully
from the liver, with any of the liver which
appears green. The bile, which is the green
fluid in the gall bladder, will give a bitter
flavor to anything it touches. The gizzard is
cleaned by first cutting through the thickest
part just to the tough, whitish, inner lining,
taking care not to cut this lining. The inner
[228]
sack then can be pulled loose, intact, and
discarded.
The entire bird, inside and out, and the
giblets should be washed in running cold
water, drained, and wiped dry with paper
toweling. The bird is now ready for stuffing
and cooking whole; or it may be cut up as
desired for the particular method of cooking
which is to be used.
When a bird is disjointed for frying,
braising, or stewing, the disjointing may be
done before the viscera are removed.
For Broiling. Split each bird in half
lengthwise, through the backbone and the
breastbone; or remove the backbone and
split the bird in halves or quarters.
Very small birds may be split down the
back only, flattened and broiled whole.
For Frying. 1. Fourths. Prepare as for
broiling. Then cut each half into two serv¬
ings.
2. Disjointed pieces. Bend each leg from
the body and separate it by cutting the skin
free and bending the leg back at the hip
joint until the joint breaks. Then cut the leg
loose from the body and separate the drum¬
stick from the thigh at the joint. To do this,
bend the joint and cut on the bend.
Cut wings free at the joint next to the
body.
Cut the neck free from the body if this
has not been done previously. Then, starting
at the body opening, cut upward toward the
neck through the small rib joints, thus
separating the back from the breast. Sepa¬
rate the lower breast from the "wishbone,”
and divide the back into two pieces by cut¬
ting crosswise. Remove the oil sack if this
was not done earlier.
For Roasting. Leave the bird whole.
Stuff, if desired.
For Braising. To prepare individual
servings for braising, such as a fricassee of
chicken, disjoint as for frying.
When a mature bird is to be stuffed and
browned to resemble roast poultry, after
tendering by moist-heat cookery, it is left
whole.
For Stewing. Leave whole if stewing for
creamed poultry or for salad. Disjoint for
serving as stewed chicken.
Defrosting Poultry. Complete de¬
frosting of frozen poultry before cooking is
best. It is then cooked in the same ways and
for the same lengths of time as fresh chilled
poultry. In the refrigerator, in original mois¬
ture-proof wrappings, frozen chicken will
require from overnight to one and one-half
days to defrost. At room temperature,
wrapped in original moisture-proof wrapping,
it will require from two to six hours.
Other frozen poultry may be defrosted
in the same way as frozen chickens. Turkeys,
being larger, require longer defrosting time.
Page 204
Presented as published in 1935. 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 free the intestines, one may cut around the vent with scissors. Then remove the lungs, which lie tight against the backbone near the neck of the bird, and the kidneys, which lie in the hollows, one on each side, near the end of the backbone, and the oil sack which lies on top of the tail piece.
Discard the viscera except the heart, liver, and gizzard. These are the giblets. The fat, membranes, arteries, veins, and clotted blood should be removed from the giblets, and the gall bladder cut carefully from the liver, with any of the liver which appears green. The bile, which is the green fluid in the gall bladder, will give a bitter flavor to anything it touches. The gizzard is cleaned by first cutting through the thickest part just to the tough, whitish, inner lining, taking care not to cut this lining. The inner
[228]
sack then can be pulled loose, intact, and discarded.
The entire bird, inside and out, and the giblets should be washed in running cold water, drained, and wiped dry with paper toweling. The bird is now ready for stuffing and cooking whole; or it may be cut up as desired for the particular method of cooking which is to be used.
When a bird is disjointed for frying, braising, or stewing, the disjointing may be done before the viscera are removed.
For Broiling. Split each bird in half lengthwise, through the backbone and the breastbone; or remove the backbone and split the bird in halves or quarters.
Very small birds may be split down the back only, flattened and broiled whole.
For Frying. 1. Fourths. Prepare as for broiling. Then cut each half into two serv¬ ings.
2. Disjointed pieces. Bend each leg from the body and separate it by cutting the skin free and bending the leg back at the hip joint until the joint breaks. Then cut the leg loose from the body and separate the drum¬ stick from the thigh at the joint. To do this, bend the joint and cut on the bend.
Cut wings free at the joint next to the body.
Cut the neck free from the body if this has not been done previously. Then, starting at the body opening, cut upward toward the neck through the small rib joints, thus separating the back from the breast. Sepa¬ rate the lower breast from the "wishbone,” and divide the back into two pieces by cut¬ ting crosswise. Remove the oil sack if this was not done earlier.
For Roasting. Leave the bird whole. Stuff, if desired.
For Braising. To prepare individual servings for braising, such as a fricassee of chicken, disjoint as for frying.
When a mature bird is to be stuffed and
browned to resemble roast poultry, after tendering by moist-heat cookery, it is left whole.
For Stewing. Leave whole if stewing for creamed poultry or for salad. Disjoint for serving as stewed chicken.
Defrosting Poultry. Complete de¬ frosting of frozen poultry before cooking is best. It is then cooked in the same ways and for the same lengths of time as fresh chilled poultry. In the refrigerator, in original mois¬ ture-proof wrappings, frozen chicken will require from overnight to one and one-half days to defrost. At room temperature, wrapped in original moisture-proof wrapping, it will require from two to six hours.
Other frozen poultry may be defrosted in the same way as frozen chickens. Turkeys, being larger, require longer defrosting time.