Chapter 22 Poultry Cooking
Reading Guide
22.1 Poultry Basics
1. Birds that are raised for human consumption are called _____________________.
2. The USDA categorizes poultry according to _____________________, or kind. The kinds of poultry
include ______________________, ____________________________, _______________________,
_____________________, ___________________________, and _______________________.
3. Poultry is similar to meat in structure. Poultry flesh is made up of ______________________,
______________, and ______________________. The fat in all kinds of poultry is found just underneath
the ______________________.
4. A bird’s age is commonly called its _________________________. Older poultry is tough. Tenderness
is also affected by the amount of exercise a bird gets. The more a bird exercises, the more connective
tissue is created. _______________________ ___________________ holds muscle fiber together.
5. Birds that rarely fly, such as ______________________ and __________________________, have
lighter-colored wing and breast meat, commonly called ____________________ __________________.
The parts of a bird that have more muscle and connective tissue, such as the thighs and legs, are darker
in color. This is commonly called _____________________ _____________________.
6. Light meat has less fat and cooks faster. Dark meat has more fat and generally takes longer to cook.
Duck and goose are composed mostly of _________________ meat. All poultry has
_____________________, the edible internal organs of the bird.
7. _____________________ __________________ is the form poultry is in when it is purchased.
__________________ poultry should be cooked within one to two days. Frozen may be kept for up to
_____________ months.
8. _____________________ refers to the state of the bird when it is received at a foodservice
operation. It also demonstrates the amount of processing that was done. Poultry is sold
_______________ or in __________________, bone-in or boneless, or ____________________.
9. Poultry that has been prepared and packaged is called RTC or _____________-______________________ poultry.
10. There are two main ways to judge quality in poultry. Poultry _______________ should vary from
cream to yellow. Poultry should not have a strong ________________ . An odor or stickiness can
indicate that poultry is spoiled and should be discarded.
11. All poultry is federally inspected by the USDA to insure it is processed in ___________________
conditions and is safe to eat. Most poultry is also graded for quality. USDA inspection is required for
poultry, but grading is optional.
12. For poultry to receive a Grade of A (the highest) t must be: plump and _________________, have
clear skin with no ___________________-, _______________, ____________________, or
____________________________. Have no ___________________ ____________________, and have
no ________________________. Lower quality birds are used to make processed poultry products
where the presentation is not as important.
13. ________________________ are the edible internal organs of poultry. They include the
__________________, ________________________ (stomach), and _____________________. Giblets
are usually found stuffed inside a whole, cleaned bird.
14. Fresh poultry is highly _______________________, which means that it can quickly spoil. If it will
not be used within 2 to 3 days it should be frozen. After thawing, never re-freeze poultry.
15. If you will be preparing and serving a whole bird, you will want to _________________ it, which is
tying the legs and wings against the bird’s body. This allows for even cooking and creates an attractive
final product.
16. ____________________________ bacteria is the bacteria usually associated with poultry. Hands,
cutting boards, counters, knives, and other utensils should be cleaned and
__________________________ after contact with uncooked foods.
22.2 Cooking Poultry
1. A variety of _________________ and _______________ methods can be used to prepare poultry.
Most poultry products are low in fat and can quickly become overcooked.
2. Using lower temperatures and longer cooking times can produce moist results, but does not
___________________ the surface of the poultry well. Cooking at high temperatures causes the fat in
the skin to _________________ or melt. This creates a well-browned and crispy skin that seals in juices.
3. Many chefs use the term _________________ when cooking whole birds and
____________________ when cooking parts of a bird.
4. The goal when roasting or baking is to make the skin crispy and brown without drying out the meat.
Recipes may tell you to start cooking using a ______________ temperature, then lower the
temperature to finish cooking.
5. To ____________________, spoon the fat drippings that have collected in the pan over the bird
every 15 to 20 minutes. Baste only large birds, like ________________________.
6. _______________________ means to brown the poultry’s surface over high heat. Searing is also
done by _________________________, or coating poultry parts in seasoned flour and then browning
them in a skillet.
7. _________________________ or __________________________ poultry can make a very attractive
dinner plate. The food should have _________________________________ grill marks, set at a 90degree angle.
8. There are three ways to fry poultry: __________-__________________, _________________________________, and __________________________-_____________________________. All
three require the food be coated with a flour mixture or batter.
9. When pan-frying, the temperature of the fat should be below the 400 degree
____________________ __________________, when the oil is so hot that it smokes.
10. Deep-fried chicken should be cooked at _________ to _______________. Dark meat takes
___________________ to fry than light meat, and should be cooked separately.
11. _______________________-frying uses the same frying principle as other frying methods but uses a
commercial pressure fryer.
12. ________________________ is a method of cooking poultry in an open pan until it is brown and
juicy. Sauteing requires little fat.
13. ___________________________ is commonly used to cook whole, young, tender birds.
____________________________ is used for older, tougher birds. In both methods, the liquid should
completely cover the poultry.
14. ________________________ is a cooking method that starts with dry-heat and ends with moistheat cooking.
15. Any kind of poultry should be cooked to an internal temperature of ______________ degrees.
16. A _________________________, or seasoned food mixture often made with bread, can be an
excellent addition to a poultry dish. However, all parts of stuffed food must be cooked to 165 degrees,
and by the time the stuffing cooks, the poultry is often dry. Bacteria can quickly multiply inside the bird’s
______________________, or hollow interior. To be safe, prepare the stuffing separately.