Charlevoix county herald., 1919-01-10

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The importance of age, sex. exercise.
tsod and care az influencing tender
nsss and flavor in poultry is pointed
oct by home economics specialists OF
II u. 8. Department Of Agriculture in
. professional paper. Bulletin ACT.
just published.
There II much less difference, the
bulletin states. In the digestibility or
healthfulncss Of the meat OF different
lands OF fowls than Is commonly sup
posed. Nearly all the nutrients and
saeyGy Of poultry. as OF other meats.
1t il pointed out. are utilized by the
healthy normal body. In all kinds OF
poultry table quality depends Irimari-
~ on tenderness and flavor. and
these. In turn, are Influenced by age,
ssx, exercise, food. and care. Fresh.
ness u ..lso an important factor, but
this u not merely question OF how
loag q bird has been dead, but rather
Of how far developed are the chemical
aAd meteorological changes which,
when they are carried too far, cause
what we call spelling or decomposi-
tion in the meat. The heterogeneous
which cause dangerous changes are
likely to be introduced by oareless and
dirty handling. and for this reason
cleanliness should be insisted on. The
changes take place most rapidly in the
presence OF warmth and moisture.
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 in
the home.
The methods Of cooking poultry are,
In general. the same as those for other
kiads Of meat. The tougher the bird,
the more cooking will be needed to
make It tender and easily digested,
and the larger II is, the more heat will
~ required to cook it thoroughly.
Canned and potted poultry are pre-
pared in much the same way as
freshly cooked dishes, then sterilized
and sealed, and when properly put up
20 not differ essentially in food value
from similar fresh foods.
In regard to the general considera-
tons to be observed in choosing poul-
Try. the bulletin calls attention to the
fact that while the relative cost of
different 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
sood-sised masses OF moderately fat
Aesh are more economical than either
young or overwhelmed ones. At or
dinarJ retail prices, full-grown 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 a. economical as the more
expensive grades of other meats.
In discussing the use of cold-storage
fowls, the bulletin says:
1.-THE way in which frozen birds are
thawed makes a great difference in
ton. It used to be customary to
thaw them by soaking in cold water,
but this has been proved undesirable
not only because the water il very
likely not to be clean, but also be-
cause soaked birds go Off in quality
very rapidly. Soaking in hot water, as
n sometimes done in market for
rush order il even worse. A much
better way is to keep the birds for "a
hours at ordinary ice-box temperature
Gas degrees to so degrees F.. AS has
been already stated, the sooner the
birds are used after thawing, the bet
ter. and whenever possible should be
bought stiff and thawed at home.
This means buying poultry day be-
fo~e t Ia needed, bat II g the surest
way OF having it properly thawed. In
warm weather 1t should be put In the
refrigeratr to thaw, but II. cold
weather a moderately cool room will
do az well. II 1t is impossible to do
the thawing at home, the marketman
should not be allowed to do 1t until
q short time before delivery.
Although frozen poultry is hardly
to be chosen when fresh birds are in
the market, 1t undoubtedly has the ad-
vantage of furnishing chickens, tur-
keys, and other birds when the natural
supply IL lacking and thus increasing
the variety of the meat list"
The following statement of the
methods By which good table poultry
can be recognized by the purchaser is
made In the bulletin:
In q freshly killed bird the feet feel
moist. soft. and timber. and II 1t was
dressed with the head on, the eyes
look bright and full. As ii becomes
stale the eyes shrink and the feet dry
and harden; when too stale, ie., when
decomposition Is well under way. the
body turns dark and greenish or be-
comes slimy. The flesh should be
neither nabby nor stiff, but should
sive evenly and gently when pressed
By the finger. II IL very difficult to
distinguish between good cold-storage
and freshly killed poultry.
Zone Of the commonest ways Of