Poultry Cookery

Poultry Basics

What is Poultry

• Chicken • Duck• Goose• Turkey• Pigeon• There are different classes of poultry• These are usually based on the birds age

and gender.

Maturity and Tenderness

• The older the bird the tougher the meat

• We want to select birds that are younger and less mature.

• The older the bird the more muscle they will have built. This causes the meat to be tough.

Dark vs. Light Meat

• Birds that rarely fly have light colored wing and breast meat. (Chickens and Turkey)

• Light meat has less fat and cooks faster than dark meat.

• Parts of the bird that has more muscle (connective tissue) are darker in color.

• The thighs and legs have more muscle. (Dark Meat)

• These parts take longer to cook.• Duck and Goose are composed mostly of dark

meat.

Purchasing Poultry

• Poultry can be purchased in different forms.

• You can buy fresh, frozen, or fully cooked.

• When poultry is prepared and ready to cook it is called ready to cook or RTC.

• Class depends on age and gender.

Purchasing Continued….

• Male birds have tougher meat than female birds.

• Judging Quality: • Check color: should be cream to yellow,

Avoid birds with purple or green bruising, dark wing tips, these are indications of spoilage.

• Check odor: Uncooked poultry should not have a strong odor or feel sticky.

Inspection and Grading

• All poultry must be inspected by the USDA!

• Inspectors check to see if it has been processed in sanitary conditions.

• If it passes inspection it will receive USDA stamp of approval.

• All poultry should be graded. • The highest grade poultry can receive is

an A.

Grading Continued

• Using grade A poultry allows foodservice establishments to provide better quality and a more consistent product.

• In order for a bird to receive an A:– Must be plump and meaty– Have clean skin– No broken bones– Fully plucked

When we use grades B and C

• Birds that do not meet the above standards receive lower grades.

• Lower quality birds are processed to make poultry products such as chicken fingers and turkey pot pie!

Handling and Storage

• Fresh and Frozen poultry must be handled very carefully.

• Poultry should be frozen immediately if it is not going to be used right away.

• Fresh poultry should be used within 2-3 days.

• Store frozen poultry below 0 degrees F• Thawing poultry should be done in the

refrigerator.