1. Poultry

2. What is Poultry? Poultry includes domestic birds such as: Chicken
Geese
Ducks
Turkeys
Chicken is by far the most popular poultry food. It can be purchased frozen, fresh & in a variety of ready-to-cook options

3. Nutritional Properties of Chicken
Chicken is an excellent source of complete protein, phosphorus and niacin, but it contains slightly less iron than red meats. Chicken is also a good source of zinc & riboflavin. Chicken meat without the skin contains moderate fat.

4. Functional Properties of Poultry
Volume – main part of the meal. Can also be added to curries to add volume
Colour – different parts of the chicken can be different colours eg; the breast meat is lighter in colour than the drumstick.
Texture – depending on the different way you cook the chicken will depend on the texture eg; poaching can make meat really tender, tougher meats are used for stewing such as the drumstick
Flavour – quite bland in flavour so would generally add herbs and spices or be eaten with a sauce

5. Selection of Poultry

6. Storage of Poultry
Fresh uncooked poultry should be covered and stored in the coldest part of the refrigerator for up to two days.
Frozen chicken should be thawed in fridge for 24 hours
Chicken may be frozen for up to 6 months
Cooked chicken should be cooled quickly, wrapped and stored for up to three days in the fridge or frozen for 1 month.

7. Cooking Poultry
The flesh changes from translucent to white in colour – this occurs when heat breaks the bonds within the natural proteins of the meat fibres and they begin to unwind – denaturation. As cooking continues, the unwound proteins crash into each other and bond together in a new way – coagulation.
Some moisture is trapped within the new protein structure resulting in tender juicy chicken – if cooking continues, the water molecules are squeezed out leaving dry and tough meat.

8. Ethical Issues in Poultry Selection
We eat over 35kg of chicken per person each year – that’s at least twice a week!
95% - indoor intensive production methods
5% - free range and organic
Do you see this as an issue?
Factory Farming
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60 Minutes – Roam Free
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