People seem to have a prodigious appetite for poultry and beef. Others are lamb gourmets. Most prime pork comes for young pigs. Fish and seafood’s are most nutritious. They are rich in protein and vitamins. Vegetables are at their best when fresh. Good cook makes fabulous dishes from all the perfection of flavors which is a part of a traditional cuisine. Recipes from well known cook are tasty and exotic and one succumbs to its exciting flavors again and again.
Delicious foods start with fresh ingredients like fresh chicken. Look for chicken with firm flesh. The color of the skin is not a good gauge of freshness. It varies from breed to breed and according to the chicken’s diet. In supermarkets, avoid packages that are limp or that contain pinkish ice which are signs that the chicken was defrosted and re frosted. If you are looking for a young chicken, check the beak and tip of the breastbone for flexibility. The skin should look smooth with no visible hairs. Fresh chicken will keep up to 6 months in a freezer. The giblets (the neck, liver, hearts and gizzard) should be packed separately and be used within 3 months. A favorite main dish is chicken, duck, turkey, or other poultry. Like meat, poultry has protein of high quality and is also a good source of iron, phosphorus, and B vitamins. In retail markets poultry may be purchased alive, dressed or eviscerated, or cut in pieces for serving. Dressed weight means the bird has been bled and picked but not drawn.
It may be drawn and cut up while you wait, but the price you pay is computed on the basis of weight with head, feet, and viscera included. Eviscerated or fully drawn weight means the bird has been bled and picked and that the head, feet, and all the viscera have been removed. An eviscerated chicken weighs about 20 percent less than the dressed weight. Chickens are marketed in four classes based primarily on their weight and age: Broilers, fryers, rosters, and stewing hens. Broilers are approximately 8 to 12 weeks old- dressed weight not over 2-1/2 to pounds, eviscerated weight not over 1-3/4 pounds. Fryers are 13 to 20 weeks old – dressed weight from 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 pounds, eviscerated weight 1-3/4 to 2-1/2 pounds. Roasters are 5 to 9 months old – dressed weight over 3-1/2 pounds, eviscerated weight over 2-1/2 pounds. Stewing chickens – sometimes called “stewers” or “fowl” are mature hens, old enough that the tip of the breastbone has hardened. Young poultry need not be cooked with added water to be juicy and tender. For mature birds, however, long slow cooking in steam or water is needed to make the meat tender.
These are just some tips on how to check out your chicken meat.