Poultry Cookery
Poultry Basics
What is Poultry
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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:
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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.