Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1897-03-11

PREPARATION OF POULTRY.
Some Valuable Information for the Care
ftII Cook.


Spring chickens have long been fad
with many people, and broilers ara
among the luxuries of life. But all in
comes do not admit of these things,
and not every one is aware that in buy
ing such costly articles as broilers q
good deal of money is expended with
very little TO show for it.
\ full-grown fowl is by far more de-
sirable than a young one, provided the
easier 20 prepare and yields much
more delicious food than the very best
immature poultry ever raised.
All fowls should be picked and drawn
as soon as they are killed. Poultry
breeders frequently dry-pick their
birds, but this is open TO objections for
several reasons. Almost all poultry is
infested with parasites, and when the
fowls are dry-picl1ed these have
chance to scatter about and may be-
come very annoying. True, they will
not remain for any length of time upon
human beings, but while they do stay
they are extremely uncomfortable
guests; it is therefore much the better
way to scald the fowl, and this is done
by immersing it in pailful of boiling
water. Water that is merely hot will
not answer. Dip the bird in all over,
feet and all. holding it under water for
at least one minute. If the feathers
come off easily that is all that is nee
essary. Then take them off In great
handfuls, as in this way most of the pin
feathers will come with the larger ones,
and the task is much more quickly COM
pleted. When this part of the operation
is done, the fowl may be dipped in clean
hot water, allowed to remain few sec
onds and then wiped off with a dry
cloth, after which it is singed over q
bright blaze without smoke The en-
trails are then removed, the crop and
windpipe by small opening at the top
of the breast, the attachments being
severed by inserting sharp knife as
far as possible and making clean cut.
Then take out the remainder through
en- opening made at the lower end of the
breastbone. Push the hand in as far as
possible, and grasp the pipes that were
cut off at the throat Bring with them
the heart, liver, gizzard and kidneys.
leaving the inside of the fowl clean and
smooth. The lungs are attached to tho
inside of the ribs, and these must come
out also. Then cut off the legs and also
the oil bag from the top of the tail;
trim the ragged parts of the neck, and
the bird is ready to put into the pot for
the steaming process that all old fowls
require to make them at their best. A
large kettle, and a dish that will fit in
side of it, is necessary. Place the fowl
on the dish, which must be raised from
the bottom of the kettle by small wire
rack, then add water enough to boil
for two hours, or as much as the kettle
will hold without running over into the
dish in which the fowl is placed. The
heart should be freed from its casing
and washed. The liver is to be cut care
fully away from the gall, which is dis
tinguished by its green color, and the
gizzard is to be partly cut through on
the thick side until the inner lining is
severed, when the middle portion is re-
moved.
These giblets and the feet and legs
are put into a stewpan and allowed to
boil slowly for several hours. There
are many experienced cooks who do not
know that the feet of a chicken con-
tain a large amount of gelatine, and
are d most desfraDIe addition to the
gravy. When the chicken is so well done
that q broom straw can be passed
through the meat to the bones, remove
it from the fire, and lift the fowl to
plate, allowing all of the liquor to drain
off. This must be put away to become
cold, when the oil must be entirely re-
moved if the liquid is to be used for
soup, or SKINNED off at once If for q
gravy. 1t should then be poured over
the fowl and allowed to become cold
The meat absorbs the juices and is sur.
prisingly sweet and delicious If the
fowl is to be baked, the jellied liquor.
may be mixed with the dressing and
used in the gravy. If it is fried, the;
liquor may be added little at time
when the meat is nearly done. One sue.
cessful experiment with mature fowl
win convince any one of its superiority
to the best broilers that were ever sent
tn marlSet-N " Ledger