Poultry ...

Like other meats, poultry has protein of high quality and is a good source of iron and the B vitamin niacin.

In retail markets poultry is usually sold “ready-to-cook”; occasionally, “dressed” or live. Ready-to-cook style comes either whole or cut up, and either freshly eviscerated or frozen; some is labeled to show government inspection and grading, some inspection only.

“Dressed” means that only blood and feathers have been removed. “Ready-to-cook” means that blood, feathers, head, feet, and viscera have been removed, and the bird has been thoroughly cleaned inside and out.

Price per pound of a dressed bird includes weight of head, feet, and viscera. A ready-to-cook bird is weighed and priced after this waste is removed. Therefore, though the price per pound is lower for the dressed bird, the cost per pound of actual poultry meat is about the same in the two styles.

Most chickens are sold in the following classes at these ages and weights:

Class Age Ready-to-cook weight

Pounds

Broilers or fryers 8 to 10 weeks 1½ to 2½.

Roasters 3 to 5 months 2½ to 4½.

Stewing chickens over 10 months 2 to 5½.

Stewing chickens—sometimes called “fowl” or “hens”—are hens old enough so that the tip of the breastbone has hardened. They need long slow cooking with steam or water to make the meat tender. They are often a good buy because they tend to have a higher proportion of meat to bone than younger chickens. A 5-pound dressed hen (3¾ pounds ready-to-cook) will give about 4 cups cooked meat coarsely cut, enough for at least two meals for a family of four if extended dishes are used—10 to 11 servings each containing 2 ounces of chicken.

Turkeys are sold in three classes based on weight and age: (1) Fryers or roasters, (2) young hens and young toms, (3) hens and toms. A fryer-roaster turkey, or a quarter or half of a larger turkey is often an economical roast, and can be made as attractive as the traditional big bird.

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Stewed or steamed whole chicken

Prepare a fully drawn stewing chicken for cooking: Pull out pin-feathers and singe bird over flame; wash well, rinse, and dry. Clean giblets.

Stewed Whole Chicken.—Place the bird on a rack in a kettle and add water to half cover bird. Salt water lightly. Cover kettle and simmer until chicken is tender, turning occasionally for even cooking. Three to 4 hours will probably be needed.

Cook giblets with the chicken, removing them as soon as done.

Cool chicken in broth, breast down, an hour or more.

The cooked whole bird may be browned with or without stuffing. Coat it with fat, place it breast up on a rack in a shallow open pan, and brown at about 350° F. (moderate oven).

Steamed Whole Chicken.—Follow the same general directions as for stewing, but add water only to the level of the rack in the kettle and keep the bird breast up all the time. As the water boils away, add more. Steaming time will be 2 to 3 hours.

Stewed or Steamed Chicken, in Pieces

Cut a stewing chicken into pieces suitable for serving. Simmer in water to cover, or steam. Pieces take about as long to cook as a whole bird.

Chicken with dumplings

Remove pieces of chicken from the broth and keep them hot. Skim fat from broth.

Blend fat and flour, stir in several spoonfuls of the broth, and pour the mixture into the rest of the broth, stirring constantly.

Cook this gravy until it is slightly thickened. Season to taste.

Dumplings

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together.

Beat egg, add milk, and mix with the dry ingredients.

Drop by small spoonfuls on boiling chicken gravy, cover tightly, and cook 15 minutes. The cover must not be removed while the dumplings are cooking, for if the steam escapes they will not be light.

Menu Suggestion

Serve with broccoli or other green vegetable, gelatin vegetable salad, date-and-nut pudding.

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Curried chicken with carrots

Take cooked chicken from the broth. Skim off fat and measure quantities of fat and broth needed.

Make sauce: Cook onion in fat for a few minutes. Blend in flour and curry powder. Add broth, and cook until smooth and thickened, stirring constantly.

Mix chicken and carrots with sauce. Add salt to taste.

Leftover cooked lamb, pork, or veal may be used instead of chicken.

Menu Suggestion

Serve with a border of flaky rice and a green vegetable. Start the meal with tomato juice and have fruit sundae for dessert.

For a company meal pass a relish dish of several of the following: Chopped hard-cooked eggs, chopped peanuts, sweet pickle relish, finely diced celery, chopped raw onion. Include shredded fresh coconut, too, if you live where it is available and inexpensive. Guests can sprinkle these tidbits over the rice and chicken as desired.

Roast turkey quarter or half

You can roast turkey quarters or halves stuffed or unstuffed.

Rub inside of cleaned turkey part with salt. To keep meat from drying, fasten skin with skewers over meat at bone edge all around cavity. Or with big needle and heavy cord, lace across cavity, catching the skin with each stitch.

On a front quarter or half, sew wing tightly to body or fasten with skewers put in firmly at an angle. On a rear quarter or half, sew drumstick to tail.

Stuffing may be baked separately while the turkey cooks or, if preferred, quarters or halves may be stuffed and then roasted. Use heavy paper to hold stuffing in place and lace cord across paper from side to side, catching skin with each stitch.

Place turkey part, skin side up, on a rack in roasting pan. Cover with thin greased cloth or brush skin with fat. Do not add water. Do not cover pan. Roast at 325° F. (slow oven), basting several times with drippings.

Quarters weighing 3½ to 5 pounds require 3 to 3½ hours to roast; those weighing 5 to 8 pounds, 3½ to 4 hours. A half turkey weighing 7 to 9 pounds ready-to-cook takes 3¾ to 4½ hours. A larger half-bird takes longer.

Serve with mashed potatoes or turnips, snap beans, cranberry relish, and fruit or fruit pie.

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