Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-01-18
SELECTING TABLE POULTRY
Methods of Determining Food
Values of Fowls.
Difference In Digestibility or Health
fulness Of Meat Of Different Kinds
Of Fowls Much Less Than Is
supposed.

The importance OF age. sex. exercise,
food and care as influencing tenderness
and flavor in poultry is pointed out by
home economies specialists of the T.. S.
Department Of Agriculture in a profess
sional paper. just published
There is much less difference. the bull
letin states. in the digestbility or health
fuincss of the meat Of different kinds of
fowls than is commonly supposed
Nearly all the nutrients and energy of
poultry. as of other meats IL ia pointed
out. are utilized by the healthy normal
body. In ais kinds Of poultry table quail
Ivy depends primarily on tenderness and
flavor, and these. in turn, are Influenced
by age, sex. exercise, food, and care
FRESHNESS is also an important factor
nut TINS is not merely question of how
long bird has been dead but rather of
how FAR developed are the chemical and
meteorological changes which, when they
are carried too far cause what we call
spelling or decomposition In tho meat.
The microorganisms which cause dam
gcrous changes are likely to be intro
duced by careless and dirty handling,
and for this reason cleanliness should be
'nost rapidly in the presence Of warmth
and moisture. Hence cleanliness, cold,
and drync.ss are at the bottom of all the
methods Of caring for poultry on the
farm. in the warehouse. at the market.
and in the home
The methods of cooking poultry are, in
general. the same as those for other
kinds Of meat. The tougher the bird,
the more cooking will be needed 10 make
ii tender and easily digested, and the
larger it is. the more heat will be re-
rttrtp lI 4
and potted poultry are prepared in much
the same way as freshly cooked dishes.
then sterilized and sealed. and when prop
eriy put up do not differ essentially in
food value from similar fresh foods.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
! In regard to the general considerations
to be observed in choosing poultry, tho
bulletin calls attention to the fact that
while the relative cost of different kinds
of poultry depends primarily on the
price. the proportion of edible to inediblc
material and the thoroughness with
which the edible portions can be utilized
should be kept in mind Well-grown
birds with good-sized masses Of modera-
tely fat flesh are more economical than
either young or overwhelmed ones. At
ordinary retail prices. full-grown chicken
is the only poultry which compares in
real economy with the cheaper cuts Of
beef and pork, but young chicken. mo
Diminished turkey, goose. and guinea
fowl arc often as economical as the more
expensive grades of other meats.
USE OF COLD-STORAGE POULTRY.
In discussing the use OF cold-stora ye
fowls. the bulletin says:
THE way in which frozen birds arc
thawed makes great difference in the
I, used 10 be customary to thaw them by
soaking in cold water, but this has been
proved undesirable not only because the
water is very likely not to be clean. but
also because soaked birds go Off in
quality very rapidly. Soaking in hot
water. as is sometimes done in market
for rush order, is even worse. \ much
better way is to keep the birds for "a
hours AT ordinary iccboX temperature
t45 degrees to 70 degrees F). AS has been
already stated, the sooner the birds are
used after thawing, the better. and when
ever possible should be bought stiff and
htawed at home. This means buying
poultry a day before it is needed, but il
is the surest way or having il properly
thawed AT home, This means buying
put in the refrigerator to thaw. but in
cold weather a moderately cool room viii
do as we'll II il is impossible to do the
thawing at home. the marketman shouc
not be allowed to do Il until short tms
before delivery.
although frozen poultry is hardly t.
be chosen when fresh birds are in tn,
market. it undoubtedly has the advan
tagc Of furnishing chickens, turkeys, ant
other birds when the natural supply is
lacking and thus increasing he varict,
Of the meat list"
HOW TO RECOGNIZE GOOD TABLE
POULTRY
The following statement of the meth
DDS by which good table poultry can bt
recognized by the purchaser is made il
the bulletin:
FRESHNESS.
In freshly killed bird the feet fee
moist. soft. and timber and if it wa:
dressed with the head on, the eyes lool
bright and full As it becomes stale tn,
eyes shrink and the feet dry and harden
when too stale, i. g., when decomposition
is we'll under way, the body turns darl
and rroenish or becomes Shiny. Tn,
flesh should hc neither tlabby nor stiff
but should give evenly and gently whei
pressed by the finger. 1t is very Difficult
TO distinguish between good cold-storag
and freshly killed pout-y
AGE.
One OF tho cOmmoncst ways cf tcslin;
the age of dressed poultry Is to take III
end OF the trcastbonc farthest from IA
head between thumb and finger and at
tempt to bend il to one side. In a yer,
young bird, say 'hrOIlcr' chicken or