The New Complete Book of Food

(Kiana) #1


give spoiled poultry a characteristic unpleasant odor. The bacteria multiply most on poultry
wrapped in plastic, which is why it often smells bad when you unwrap it at home. Never
use, store or freeze any poultry that does not smell absolutely fresh. Throw it out or return
it to the store.
Cover fresh poultry and refrigerate it in a dish that keeps it from dripping and contami-
nating other foods or the refrigerator. Properly wrapped fresh poultry will keep for one or
two days at 40°F. For longer storage, freeze the poultry.


Preparing This Food


Wash the poultry under cool running water to flush off the bacteria on its surface. There are
more bacteria on an animal’s skin than in its flesh. Since we buy poultry with the skin on,
it has a much higher population of bacteria (including the ones that cause Salmonella food
poisoning) than beef, veal, pork, and lamb. Beef and pork may have a few hundred bacteria
per square centimeter; chicken will have several thousand.
Discard any poultry that feels slimy to the touch. If you are preparing duck or goose,
pull as much fat out of the abdominal cavity as possible. To cut down on the fat in chicken,
remove the skin before cooking.
To prevent poultry-borne illness:


Keep raw chicken cold, frozen chicken frozen solid, and leftover cooked
chicken in the refrigerator. Use fresh chicken within one or two days.
Keep cutting boards and utensils clean by washing in hot soapy water to
prevent any cross contamination between raw poultry (or its juices) and other
foods.
Cook poultry thoroughly to an internal temperature of 180°F (no guessing—
use a meat thermometer).

Fresh chicken stays fresh one to two days in the fridge; plain cooked chicken, three to four
days; chicken in gravy, two days.


What Happens When You Cook This Food


Cooking changes the way poultry looks and tastes, alters its nutritional content, and makes
it safer to eat.
Heat changes the structure of the poultry’s proteins. It denatures the protein molecules
so that they break apart into smaller fragments or change shape or clump together. These
changes force moisture out of the tissues so that the poultry turns opaque as it cooks. As
it loses water, the poultry also loses water-soluble B vitamins, which drip out into the pan.
Since they are not destroyed by heat, they can be saved by using the skimmed pan drippings
for gravy. Cooking also caramelizes proteins and the small amounts of sugar on the bird’s
surface, a “browning” reaction that gives the skin of the bird its characteristic sweet taste.


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Poultry
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