Foods, their selection and preparation

To test for doneness, cut into the thick muscle of the drumstick to the bone. The meat should cut easily and no pink should be visible. Also, if the bird is done, the joint between the drumstick and the thigh yields easily when it is pressed with a fork. Serve broiled poultry at once, skin side up, with the pan drippings or melted fat poured over it. There are many variations of broiled poultry. If more convenient, cook the birds partly in the broiler and finish in the Preparing a Chicken for Broiling • Brush with fat; adjust broiler pan so that chicken is four to five inches from heat Poultry and Egg National Board U.S.D.A. Frying Chicken • ( Upper left ) Rub seasoned flour into pieces of chicken. ( Upper right ) Place in hot fat ; turn for even browning. ( Lower right) If on the tough side, add carefully a small amount of water. Replace cover to hold in the steam oven at 300° to 350° F., or start in a mod¬ erate oven and finish in the broiler. When nearly done, the birds may be turned skin side down and the cup-shaped sides filled with stuffing. They are then returned to the broiler or oven to finish cooking and brown the stuffing. Barbecued poultry may be prepared by basting with a barbecue sauce while broiling. Frying. Young chickens of any size may be fried. The usual frying size is two and one-half to three and one-half pounds. A two-and-one-half-pound frying chicken may be cut into fourths or disjointed. Smaller birds may be cut into quarters or halves. Larger fryers should be disjointed. The number of pieces depends upon the weight of the bird and the method of cutting. Chicken is more often fried than other poultry, but other young birds can be fried in the same ways as chicken. There are two ways of frying poultry: in shallow fat (pan-frying) and in deep fat (sometimes called French frying). In the home, fried chicken is most often cooked in shallow fat. Before frying, wipe the pieces dry, sea¬ Poultry and Egg National Board son with salt and pepper, and roll in flour. Or for a heavier coating, leave the pieces wet or dip them in milk or water before rolling in flour. If preferred, dip the chicken in slightly beaten egg diluted with 1 to 2 tablespoons water or milk and then roll in corn meal or fine crumbs. A heavy frying pan should be used for frying in shallow fat. Use at least a half inch of fat in the pan and have it only moderately hot, never smoking-hot. Place the coated chicken, largest pieces first, in the fat. Do not crowd the pieces in the pan; leave enough space for the fat to come up around each piece. Cook slowly, at no more than moderate heat, turning the pieces occasionally to insure even cooking and browning. To avoid piercing the muscle fibers of the chicken and permitting the juice to escape, the pieces may be handled with tongs or two spoons. When more than one chicken is fried, two frying pans may be used, the larger meaty pieces being cooked in one and the thin less meaty pieces in the other. The thickest pieces of a two-and-one-half-pound bird will require about 25 minutes to cook well-done to the bone. Lower the heat if the chicken is browning too fast or it will become hard and dry.