Crossville chronicle. [volume] (Crossville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-03-21
HOW TO RECOGNIZE GOOD TABLE POULTRY

| From the United States Department OF
| Agriculturel
The Importance of age, sex, exercise,
food, and care as influencing tender
ness and flavor in poultry is pointed
out by home economics specialists OF
the United States department of ag-
riculture In professional paper, Bull
letin 467. just published.
There is much less difference. the
bulletin states, In the digestibility or
healthfulness of the meat of different
kinds of fowls than is commonly sup
posed. Nearly all the nutrients and
energy of poultry. as of other meats,
IT is pointed out, are utilized by the
health normal body. In all kinds of
poultry table quality depends primar-
| fly on tenderness and flavor and these,
In turn. are influenced by age, sex, ex-
ercise, food, and care. Freshness Is
also an important factor. but this Is
not merely a question of how long
a 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 the meat. The heterogeneous which
cause dangerous changes are likely to
be introduced by careless and dirty
handling, and for this reason cleanli-
ness should be insisted on. The
changes take place most rapidly In
Of nd
Hence, cleanliness, cold, and dryness
are at the bottom of all the methods
Of caring for poultry on the farm, in
the warehouse, at the market, and I'm
the home.
General Considerations.
In regard to the general cOnsidera-
lions to be observed In choosing pOul
try, the bulletin calls attention to the
fact that while the relative cost of diff
ferent kinds of poultry depends pri-
marily on the price, the proportion OF
edible TO- inedible material and the
thOrOughness with which the edible |
portions can be utilized should also be |
kept In mind. Well-grown birds with |.
good-sized masses of moderately fat |
flesh are more economical than either !
young or overfatted ones. At Or
binary retail prices, full-grown chick
en- is the only poultry which compares
In real economy with the cheaper cuts
of beef and pork, but young chicken.
medium-sized turkey, goose, and guinea
fowl are often as economical as the
more expensive grades of other meats.
coId-storaee Poultry.
In discussing the use Of cold-storage
fowls, the bulletin says:
"The way in which frozen birds are
thawed makes a great difference in the
length of time they keep In condition.
1t used to be customary to thaw them
by soaking in cold water, but this has
been proved undesirable, not only be-
cause the water is very likely not to be
clean but also because soaked birds
go Off in quality very rapidly. Soak
Ing In hot water, as Is sometimes done
IN market for rush order is even
worse. A much better way is to keep
the birds for "a hours at ordinary ice
DOx temperature as degrees to so de-
frees Fahrenheit. AS has been al .
ready stated the sooner the birds are
Used after thawing the better, and
whenever possible should be bought
stiff and thawed at home. This means
)uying poultry day before it is need |
ID, but it is the surest way of having
t properly thawed. In warm weather {
t should be put in the refrigerator t
o thaw, but in cold weather moder-. 5
ltely cool room will do as well. If 1t \
3 impossible to do the thawing at t
home, the marketman should not be
Flowed to do ii until II short time be- c
ore delivery t
although frozen poultry is hardly T
0 be chosen when fresh birds are In r
he market, 1t undoubtedly has the ad- f
antage of furnishing chickens tur- G
eys, and other birds when the natural v
upply Is lacking and thus increasing a
he variety of the meat list"
The following statement Of the meth II
ds by which good table poultry can
,e recognized by the purchaser Is
nade In the bulletin: 4 C