The Wilmington morning star., 1946-08-16
Chicken
AT Low Heal
BY GAYNOR MADDOX


With chicken playing The lead in
most family menus today. it's i'm
portant to learn how to get the
best results in cooking it.
The secret Of poultry cooking is
low temperature. High tempera-
lures tougher protein.
Regardless OF the age and size
of the bird and the cookery meth
cd employed, q low temperature
cooks chicken uniformly tender,
and helps to keep the juices in
the meat. There is less shrinkage,
the texture is better, and the
meat is more attractive when
served.
The giblets include the gizzard,
heart, and liver. Gizzard and heart
muscle require moist heat to
make them tender, and whatever
the style o. service they must first
be cooked tender in water.
Liver is tender tissue and may
be broiled, fried, or simmered in
seasoned water. Cook Liver S to
IS minutes, depending on its size.
To cook glzzard and heart, COW
err with water and add IL tea
spoon Of salt, and a bit Of onion,
celery, and carrot, to season. Sim
mer until heart is easily pierced
with a FORK.
The neck piece may be cooked
in the same pan. Cook all n to
two hours, depending upon the age
and size of the bird.
If served With broiled or fried
chicken, add pre-cooked giblets to
chicken, long enough to brown.
For giblet dressing or gravy, the
giblets must be pre-cooked as di-
rected above before combining
with dressing ingredients or add
ing to gravy.
To fry, disjoint a s. to 3 lib.
fryer to give 2 drumsticks, 2
thighs, 2 wings, 2 or 3 pieces Of
breast, 2 or 3 pieces of back, and
the neck. Chickens under 3 lbs.
may be cut in quarters OF halves.
Cook giblets as described.
Prepare, a coating mixture of "a
cup flour, "a teaspoon salt, l IL
teaspoons paprika, and 1-8 tea
spoon pepper. Rub flour mixture
well into chicken. Set aside any
leftover flour for gravy.
Heat enough fat in a heavy skill
let to give a depth Of about IL
inch. Use any desired cooking tat,
or cooking fat with part butter.
First p place meaty pieces of
chicken into hot fat, slipping less
meaty pieces between. As soon as
chicken begins to brown, about 10
minutes, reduce heat, cover and
cook slowly until tender, IS to go
minutes, according to size Of
chicken. Turn occasionally to
brown evenly.
Two to 4 tablespoons OF stock
or water may be added when pan
is covered. Water is recommend
ed if the pan cannot De tightly
covered so as to hold in the mois-
ture. or if d bird heavier than 3
IL lbs. is bemg fried. If water is
added, uncover last Is minutes to
recrisp.
Refrigerate o k ed chicken
promptly after the meal. Cover
well to prevent drying out and the
transfer of odors to, or absorption
of odors from other foods. The
same rule applies to chicken thai
is cooked but lot served for sever
al hours or longer.
When bird has been stuffed, re.
move any crossing from the bird
and store it separately, well GOV.
cred. Under no circumstances al
low the bird, the dressing, Or the
gravy to stand in the kitchen.
It is best to use cooked chicken
within three days. After that
time it tends to dry out, it de-
velops an odd" Flavor, and il
takes on refrigerator odors.
TOMORROW'S MENU
BREAKTA S T: Canned
grapefruit juice with crushed
r~aspberries, ready : to = eat
cereal, ralsin toast, butter or
fortified margarine, coffee,
milk.
LUNCHEON: Toma t oes
stuffed with ottage cheese and
chopped nuts, whole-wheat
bread, butter or fortified mar
garine, stewed blackberries,
packaged cookies, tea, milk.
DINNER: Tomato juice,
tried chicken, giblet gravy.
bread, green beans, w%atercress
and cucumber salad, peaches
and cream, coffe, milk.