The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-11-17
HOW TO SELECT BEST POULTRY
Holiday Season Brings Added Use of Poultry
 for Larger Dinners

oeSlrouS or obtaining me quality poultry and this desire causes some
 apprehension. To allay these fears
 there are certain characteristics
 by which good poultry may be known.
 In selecting any kind of poultry,
 shortness of wings and legs,
 plumpness of thighs, and a breast
 that is round and full are worth
 considering because this generally
 indicates a thicker meated carcass. Detecting the age of poultry is
 usually accomplished by examin-
 ing the hardness of the breast
 bone. In the young, this bone is
 pliable while in the more mature,
 it is hard and firm. Other indi- cations of youth are smooth soft
 skin, legs and feet smooth and
 bright.
 To Prepare
 The first step in the preparation
 of a fowl for cooking is to remove the pin feathers with a sharp pointed knife or strawberry huller;
 then singe off the long hair like
 feathers by. holding the bird over a flame, turning all the time in
 order not to char any portion, yet
 to insure the burning off of the hairs.
 Very often the head, feet and ! tendons are not removed at the
 market; use cleaver, or large
 knife to chop off the head. Cut
 through the skin around the leg,
 about l 1-2 inches below the joint,
 being careful not to cut the ten
 dons. Place the leg with this cut
 at the edge of the table, and Lx,N- L.
 ward. The bird should be held
 right pull off the foot and with
 it the tendons. Then remove the 1 remainder of the leg at the joint. To Draw
 Scrub the bird thoroughly in warm water, using a vegetable brush if desired. Wipe dry and
 cut the skin of neck in the back; l remove the crop and windpipe.
 Then make an incision around the
 vent and up toward the breast bone. Insert two fingers, loosen the fat from the skin and separate
 the membranes lying close to the body. Keep the fingers close to the
 breast bone until you reach the liver and heart and loosen them upon either side, working the fing-
 CTS back and forth. Remember that the gall bladder lies under the liver at the left side, and if brok- en, the contents will make every portion of the meat that it comes in contact with bitter and unsuit- able for food, therefore, be very careful when removing the liver from the body. After the entrails are loosened, carefully draw >out, holding the gizzard firmly with three fingers. Remove the kidneys and lungs which adhere closely to the body. Then remove the oil sack which lies just above the tail.
 After the bird has been drawn
 it should be carefully washed in- side in order to insure the re- moval of all parts not wanted for food. Wipe dry inside and out with a clean towel. Remove the gizzard, heart and liver with the contents drawn from the fowl, be- ing careful not to cut the gall bladder when cutting out the liver. Squeeze the blood from the heart and cut off the large vessel close to the top of it. Make length wise incision through the f1eshy parts of the gizzard and remove the inside sack without breaking it. Wash these giblets thorough ly so they may be used with the
 rest of the chicken.
 To Truss
 To truss a chicken or fowl, draw the thighs up close to the body, cross the legs over the vent and tie firmly with twine. Put 8 skewer through one of the thighs into the body and out through the opposite thigh and anoter in like manner trough the wings. Draw the wings and thigh closely to- gether and tie firmly with twine. Remove the neck close to the body, but do not cut the skin. Draw the skin back over the opening and tie securely.
 Since poultry as a rule has lit- tie or no fat in the meat under the skinfi the bird should be larded by laying a thin strip of salt pork or bacon over the breast and legs after the carcass has been placed on it's back in the roasting pan.
 When preparing a fowl for fri- casseeing prepare as for roasting, but instead of trusting, cut the legs from the carcass. then re- move the wings, separate the breast from the remainder of the carcass and split into two pieces, then cut each portion in half. Sep arate the drumsticks at the second joint and cut the latter in two. Split the back in two, after cutting crosswise.
 When dressing a spring chicken for broiling, prepare as stated above, but do not draw. Split down the middle of the back in- stead of along the belly. Lay car- cass open and remove the contents. Wash thoroughly and place on broiler and broil for about 15 min-