Chapter 5 : Poultry

Composition & Structure

The muscle tissue contains:

l 75% water

l 20% protein

l Up to 5% fat

l Small amounts of elements and carbohydrates

Young birds are almost always more tender than older birds.

Birds that do fly always have only dark meat.

Light Meat & Dark Meat

Light Meat - Breast & Wings

i. Less fat

ii. Less connective tissue

iii. Cooks faster

Dark Meat - Drumstick & Thighs

i. More fat

ii. More connective tissue

iii. Longer cooking time

A Major Problem with Roasting

A major problem with roasting is cooking the legs to doneness without overcooking the breasts. Consider :

l Basting with fat only

l Roasting birds breast down for part of the time

l Barding

l Roasting separately

Handling & Storing

Poultry can be purchase in many forms :

l Fresh

l Frozen

l Cut-up

l Portioned controlled (PC)

l Individually quick frozen (IQF)