CUUL 1122 &1124

1. On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary
Fundamentals
Sixth Edition
Chapter 18
Poultry
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Learning Objectives
After studying this chapter, you will be able to:
18.1 Identify the structure and composition of poultry
18.2 Identify various kinds and classes of poultry
18.3 Explain poultry inspection and grading practices
18.4 Purchase poultry appropriate for your needs
18.5 Store poultry properly
18.6 Prepare poultry for cooking
18.7 Apply appropriate cooking methods to poultry

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Poultry Overview
• Poultry is the collective term for domesticated birds bred
for eating.
• Brillat-Savarin observed “poultry is for the cook what
canvas is for the painter” - poultry is very versatile.
• Poultry is generally the least expensive and most
versatile of all main-dish foods.

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Muscle Composition
• Muscle tissue contains approximately 72% water, 20%
protein, 7% fat and 1% minerals
• Contains no intramuscular fat
• Fat is stored under the skin and in the abdominal cavity
• Poultry fat has a lower melting point than other animal
fats

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Muscle Composition Different Cuts
• Dark meat
– Thigh and leg of flightless birds
– Full body of flight birds
– Contains more myoglobin
– Contains more fat and connective tissue
– Longer cooking time
• White meat
– Breast and wing of flightless birds
– Larger muscle mass
– Contains less fat
– Can dry out if overcooked

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Identifying Poultry
• Categories of poultry recognized by the USDA
– Chicken
– Duck
– Goose
– Guinea
– Pigeon
– Turkey

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Chicken (Fr. Poulet)
• Most popular and widely eaten poultry in the world
• Inexpensive and readily available
• Contains both light and dark meat
• Relatively lean
• Available fresh or frozen in a variety of forms
• Extremely versatile

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Chicken Classes
• Game Hen
– 5 weeks or less
• Broiler/fryer
– 10 weeks or less
• Roaster
– 8-12 weeks old
• Capon
– 4- 8 months old
• Hen/stewing
– Over 10 months old

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Game Hen
• Game hen is the young or
immature progeny of
Cornish chickens or of a
Cornish chicken and a White
Rock chicken
• It is very flavorful
• They weigh 1 to 2 lb. or less,
(Fr. poussin)
• Split and broil, grill or roast
game hens

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Broiler/fryer
• Broiler or fryers are
young with soft, smooth
textured skin
• They are relatively lean
with a flexible
breastbone
• They weigh 3 lb. 8 oz.
or less
• Cook broiler/fryers using
any cooking method

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Capon
• The capon is a surgically castrated
male
• They have tender meat with soft
smooth skin
• They are bred for well-flavored meat
• They contain a high portion of light to
dark meat and are relatively high in
fat
• They weigh 4-7 lb.
• Capons are often roasted

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Duck (Fr. Canard)
• The classes of duck:
– Broiler/fryer
– Roaster
– Mature
• Duck contains only dark meat
• Ducks have a large amount of fat
• Sucks have a high percentage of
bone and fat to meat
• Roast ducks

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Goose (Fr. Oie)
• The classes of geese:
– Young
– Mature
• Goose contains only dark
meat with very fatty skin
• Goose is popular at holidays
• Serve goose with acidic fruit-
based sauces to offset its
fattiness

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Guinea fowl (Fr. Pintade)
• The classes of guinea fowl:
– Young
– Mature
• Guinea fowl are the domesticated
descendant of a game bird
• They have both light and dark meat
• They are tender enough to sauté
but they contains little fat
• Guinea fowl are usually barded
prior to roasting

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Pigeon (Fr. Pigeon)
• Pigeon are commonly
called squab
• They contain only dark
meat
• Pigeon meat is tender
even though it contains
very little fat
• Pigeon is suited to
broiling, sautéing or
roasting

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Turkey (Fr. Dinde)
• The classes of turkey are:
– Fryer/roaster
– Young
– Yearling
– Mature
• Turkey is the second most popular
category of poultry in the U.S.
• It contains both light and dark meat
• Turkey has a relatively small amount of
fat
• Young turkey can be prepared using any
cooking method

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Ratites
• Ratites are a family of flightless birds with small wings
and flat breastbones.
• Ostrich, Emu and Rhea
• They are classified as red meat
• They are low in fat and calories
• Prepare ratites like veal

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Giblets
• Poultry livers, gizzards, hearts and necks are commonly
referred to as giblets
• Livers are often sautéed, broiled or used in pâtés
• Gizzard are the bird’s second stomach. They are often
deep-fried
– Hearts are sometimes served sautéed or creamed
• Necks can be used to add flavor to stock

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Nutrition
• Poultry is an economical source of high-quality protein
• The nutritional profile is similar to that of other meats
• Chicken and turkey breast are lower in fat and higher in
niacin than other lean meats
• Generally, dark meat contains more niacin and riboflavin
than white meat

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Inspection
• All poultry produced for
public consumption is
inspected by the USDA
• It must be processed
under strict sanitary
guidelines
• It must be wholesome and
fit for human consumption

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Grading
• USDA Grades for poultry are A, B, C
• Grade A poultry is:
– free of deformities, pinfeathers
– free of cuts, tears and broken
bones
– free of pinfeathers
– It has thick flesh with well-
developed fat layer
• Grades B & C are used primarily for
processed poultry products

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Purchasing Poultry
• Poultry is available in many forms:
• Fresh or frozen
• Whole or cut up
• Bone-in or boneless
• Portion control (P.C.)
• Individually quick-frozen (IQF)
• Ground
• Prepared and convenience items

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Storing Poultry
• Poultry is a potentially hazardous food
• It is highly perishable
• Poultry is particularly susceptible to contamination by
salmonella bacteria
• Store it on ice or at 32°Fahrenheit - 34°Fahrenheit
• Thaw it under refrigeration

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Safety Alert - Sanitation and Cross-
Contamination
• Be sure that all equipment used in the preparation of
poultry is sanitized before and after coming in contact
with poultry
• Be careful that juices and trimmings from poultry do not
come into contact with other foods
• Rinse poultry in cold running water and dry before
cooking to remove collected juices

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Cutting a Bird in Half (1 of 3)
• Square up the bird by placing it on its back and pressing on the legs and
breast to create a more uniform appearance (below left)
• Place the bird on its breast and hold its tail tightly with the thumb and
forefinger of one hand
• Using a rigid boning knife and in a single swift movement, cut alongside the
backbone form the bird’s tail to the head (below center)
• Lay the bird flat on the cutting board and remove the backbone by cutting
through the ribs connecting it to the breast (below right)

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Cutting a Bird in Half (2 of 3)
• Bend the bird back, breaking the breastbone free (below left)
• Run your fingers along the bone to separate the meat from it; pull the bone
completely free. Be sure to remove the flexible cartilage completely (below
center)
• Cut through the skin to separate the bird into two halves. The halves are
ready to be cooked; for a more attractive presentation, follow the steps on
the next slide (below right)

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Cutting a Bird in Half (3 of 3)
• Trim off the wing tips and the ends of the leg bone (below
left)
• Make a slit in the skin below the leg and tuck the leg
bone into the slit (below right)

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Procedure for Cutting a Bird into
Pieces (1 of 2)
• Remove the leg by pulling the leg and thigh away from the breast and cutting
through the skin and flesh toward the thigh joint (below left)
• Cut down to the thigh joint, twist the leg to break the joint and cut the thigh
and leg from the carcass. Be careful to trim around the oyster meat (the
tender morsel of meat located next to the backbone); leave it attached to the
thigh. Repeat with the other leg (below center)
• To split the breast, follow steps for cutting a bird in half
• Cut the breast into two halves (below right)

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Procedure for Cutting a Bird into
Pieces (2 of 2)
• The bird is now cut into four quarters (below left)
• To cut the bird into six pieces, separate the thigh from the leg by
making a cut guided by the line of fat on the inside of the thigh and
leg (below center)
• To cut the bird into eight pieces, separate the wing form the breast by
cutting the joint, or split the breast, leaving a portion of the breast
meat attached to the wing (below right)

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Classic Poultry Flavors
• Versatile chicken can be flavored with:
– Delicate herbs
– Robust, fiery spices
– Light sauces made from pan juices or velouté
– Wet or dry rubs from adobo to garum masala

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Safety Alert - Handling Stuffed
Poultry
• Stuffing requires time and temperature control for safety
(TCS)
• All ingredients for stuffing must be cold and stay below
45ºFahrenheit (7ºCentigrade). when mixing and stuffing.
• Stuff bird as close to cooking time as possible.
• Roast until bird and stuffing reaches 165ºFahrenheit.
• Remove stuffing promptly.

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