Poultry Culinary Arts I

What is Poultry  Poultry – birds that are raised for human consumption  Usually less expensive than other meat products  USDA categorizes poultry according to species – kind  Chicken, turkey, goose, duck, pigeon, and guinea

Maturity and Tenderness  Birds age commonly called maturity  Older poultry is tough, younger birds are tender  Tenderness affected by amount of exercise the bird gets  More exercise = more connective tissue (holds muscle fiber together)  More connective tissue = tough  Birds that rarely fly (turkey and chicken) have lighter-colored wings and breast – light meat  Less fat and cooks faster  Parts of the bird that have muscle and connective tissue, such as legs abd thighs, are darker – dark meat  More fat and takes longer to cook  Duck and goose mostly dark meat  All poultry has giblets- edible internal organs

Eights Factors for making the right choice  Kind  Market form  Class  Style  Color  Odor  Inspection  grading

Poultry Classification Type of PoultryDescrition Chicken Turkey Goose Duck Pigeon Guinea

Evaluating Poultry  Market forms – form of poultry when it is purchased  Fresh poultry needs to be cooked in 1 to 2 days  Frozen poultry may be kept for up to six months  Two classes of poultry  Maturity – already discussed  Gender - males are tougher than female  Style – state of the bird when received at foodservice  Whole or in parts, bone in or boneless, ground  Ready-to-cook (RTC poultry) – poultry prepared and packaged

Judging Quality  Two main ways to judge quality  Color  Should vary from cream to yellow  Not be purple or green  Dark wing tips sign of spoilage  Do not used poultry that is spoiled  Odor  Should not have a strong odor  Should not feel sticky under the wing or around joints

Inspection and Grading  must be federally inspected by USDA to see if process is sanitary and safe to eat  Free from visible signs of disease  Passes inspection earns USDA Inspection Stamp of Approval  Grading is optional  Uses letters to show level of quality  Highest grade is A  Be plump and meaty  Clean skin with no blemishes  No broken bones  all feathers plucked and removes  Not met standards, get B or C  Used to make processed poultry products

Handling and Storage  Handle carefully to avoid illness or spoilage  Fresh poultry highly perishable  Store in cold storage or pack in ice  Use in one to two days  Store frozen for up to six months  At or below 0*F  Keep in original container  Never refreeze  Preparing and serving whole bird, truss it  Trussing – tying the legs and wings against the birds body  Allows for even cooking