Foods, their selection and preparation

Place the bird to be roasted, breast side down, on a rack in a shallow open pan. Add no water to the pan. The rack keeps the bird out of the drippings and permits the hot air to circulate around it. A tender bird needs no moisture; therefore, use no water and no cover on the pan. Roast the bird in a slow to moderate oven — 250° to 350° F., depending upon the size: the larger the bird, the lower the tem¬ perature. No searing is ever necessary. When the bird is about half done, turn it breast side up. With a V-shaped rack in the roasting pan, a bird may be roasted the whole time with the breast down. If a cloth dipped in melted fat is used over the bird, keep it on the top and spoon the fat from the pan onto the cloth, to remoisten it if necessary, during cooking. Groom a half turkey in the same way as a whole turkey. When cleaned and dried, fasten the tail piece and leg together, using a large needle and clean white cord. Keeping the cavity side up, sew the neck and breast skin together. Salt the body cavity formed, and pack loosely with stuffing. This will re¬ quire approximately one half as much stuff¬ ing as a whole turkey. Cover the stuffing with heavy greased pa¬ per — preferably parchment paper — that has been cut to fit the opening. The paper is fastened in place by catching the white cord [illustration: Roasting a Half Turkey • (Lower left) Cover stuffing with heavy paper and fasten paper in securely. (Upper right) Place skin side up for roasting. (Lower right) Ready to serve] in the skin, first on one side then the other, and at the same time pulling the skin over the paper, to form a lacing that holds the paper snugly against the stuffing. Place the half turkey paper side down on the rack in an uncovered roaster and cook in the same way as a whole turkey, except that it must not be turned. When done, lift to the platter, leaving the paper in place. Follow carving directions for whole turkey. The stuffing can be removed from the open¬ ing left when the thigh is removed. A quarter turkey is handled in the same way, except that the paper must cover one end as well as the top of the cavity. Table XLIV gives the oven temperature and the approximate total time and minutes per pound for roasting different kinds and weights of poultry. The time required for roasting depends upon the weight of the bird and the oven temperature. The times given in the table are only approximate. The bird must be roasted until it is tender and done to the bone, but it should not be overcooked. When it is done, the flesh is slightly shrunken under the skin, and the drumstick-thigh joints move easily when the legs are picked up by Table XLIV • Timetable for Roasting Young Poultry 1 BIRD MARKET- DRESSED OVEN COOKING TIME WEIGHT TURE Total Per Pound Pounds °F. Hours Minutes Chicken . 3% to 4 2 to 2f 40 to 45 4 to 5 2\ to 3 35 to 40 5 to 6 3 to 3^ 30 to 35 Duck . . 5 to 6 2 to 2\ Goose . . 10 to 12 3 to 4 18 to 20 Guinea 2 to about 1^ 35 to 45 Turkey . 10 to 13 3\ to 4^ 20 to 21 14 to 17 5 to 6 18 to 23 250 to 275 6\ to 20 to 22 ■) 24 to 30 8 to 9 18 to 20