Preparing Meat, Poultry, and Fish

Lesson Objectives Improve the quality of meats, poultry, and fish served. Improved the variety of meats, poultry, and fish served. Improve the appeal of meats, poultry, and fish served. 2

Preparing Meat, Poultry, and Fish: Important Terms Braise Culinary Culinary Technique* Dry Heat Just – in – Time Preparation* Marinate Meat Moist Heat *Discussed in a prior lesson 3

Mirepoix (miro-poy) Mise en Place (meez-un-plahss)* Potentially Hazardous Food Poultry Roast Saute’ Sear Simmer *Discussed in a prior lesson 4 Important Terms (cont.)

Mise en place Cutting boards Appropriate cooking equipment and pans Meat thermometers Ingredients pre-prepped (thawed, chopped, etc.) Measuring utensils 5 Food contact surfaces should be washed, rinsed, sanitized, and allowed to air-dry.

Thermometers/Temperatures Meat, Poultry, and Fish: Cooked to Internal Temperature of 165 ˚ F Meat, Poultry, Fish, and Potentially Hazardous Foods: Held at minimum 135 ˚ F 6

Activity Demonstration: Take internal temperature of chicken breast and a stack of hamburger patties. Demonstration: Cleaning and sanitizing stem- type thermometer. 7

Thaw Meats Properly In refrigerator at 41 ˚ F or less. Allow plenty of time for thawing. Never thaw any food by leaving it at room temperature or placing food in warm water. 8

Menu Planning Tips Plan more scratch-cooked items. Choose low-fat, low-sodium products. Use lower fat meats, poultry, and fish. 9

Menu Planning Tips (cont.) Purchase meats with no more than 3 grams of fat per ounce. Purchase water packed tuna. Purchase polyunsaturated and/or monounsaturated oils. 10

Lard should never be purchased. Avoid hydrogenated oils/fats which contain trans-fats. 11 Menu Planning Tips (cont.)

Cooking Meats Cooking meat changes its texture, flavor, and color. Change in yield; known as cooking loss. Kills bacteria. Reduces fat content. 12

Tenderizing Meats To make meat or poultry more tender: Cook by moist heat (add liquid and cook slowly). Break up the connective tissue by grinding, chopping, or tenderizing (such as ground beef). Add a tenderizer; marinate. 13

Cook ground beef until done and then drain using a colander; don’t rinse. Cook ground beef patties in the oven on a rack so the fat can drain off or cook on a pan liner. Trim off visible fat on any solid meat product before cooking. 14 Ways to Reduce Fat Content

Ways to Reduce Fat Content (cont.) Drain off any fat and liquid from cooked meat before it is placed in the warmer or on the serving line. Cool cooking liquids to be used for a sauce in the refrigerator to harden fat; then remove. Cook chicken without the skin. 15

Cooking Methods Dry Heat Roast or bake Sauté Broil Grill Fry or pan-grill *Uses dry heat method first Moist Heat Braise* Stew* Poach 16

Roasting and Baking Dry heat cooking method in oven without liquid and without cover. Remove all visible fat. Add seasonings and flavorings according to recipe. Place meat on a rack. Remove from oven and serve. Let large pieces of meat rest for 15 minutes before cutting. 17

Activity Review and discuss the cooking method of USDA Baked Cajun Fish recipe in the participant’s workbook. – What are the preparation steps? 18

Video: Roasting and Baking 19

Activity Review USDA Chicken Fajitas recipe in the participant’s workbook. – What are the preparation steps? 20

Dry cooking method using high heat and small amount of fat. Searing and stir-frying are forms of sautéing. Meat or poultry should be dry. Add oil to hot pan; add meat or poultry. Cook to safe internal temperature. Serve immediately. 21 Sautéing

Video: Sautéing 22

Activity Review USDA Chili con Carne with Beans recipe found in the Participant’s Workbook – What are the preparation steps? Video: Braising and Stewing (2:38 minutes). 23

Braising and Stewing Combination of dry-heat and moist-heat cooking Used for less tender cuts of meat – Braising – large cuts of meat – Stewing – bite-sized pieces Trim fat Sear meat on all sides Cover tightly 24

Video: Braising and Stewing 25

Activity Review the Quality Score Card for Meat, Poultry, and Fish in the Participant’s Workbook. 26

National Food Service Management Institute Thank You!