Wizard Recipes

The USDA recognizes three types of chicken: “fryers” or “broilers” (under 7 weeks old with a cleaned weight of 21 ?2 to 4 pounds), “roasters” (about 4 months old and 5 to 7 pounds), and “stewers” (a large laying hen up to 11 ?2 years old).

Although stewing hens are tougher, better for braises, there’s little difference between a fryer and a roaster (besides weight and age), given modern feeding practices. In the end, follow these four rules when you’re at the market:

1. Choose chicken by weight, buying what the recipe requires.

2. Look for supple skin with a pale pink cast, neither leathery nor spongy.

3. Check the expiration date and note whether it is a “sell by” or a “use by” date. There is no government standard or requirement for dating poultry. All dating is voluntary, done without third-party supervision.

4. Rely on your sense of smell. A fresh chicken should have almost no odor-if any, it should be bright, a little bracing and fresh, not sulfurous or metallic.

Some processed chickens are injected with a saline solution in a chicken broth base. Read all labels carefully. While juiced birds are more succulent for the grill, they have a higher sodium content and are prebrined, like kosher birds. Reduce the salt in the recipe - you can add more at the table.

One final note. Contrary to common lore, the pink liquid in the package is not blood. It’s water absorbed during the initial chilling process, tinted by residual hemoglobin in the meat. All blood is removed during processing; only a little remains at the joints. Blood in the meat renders a processed chicken unfi t for human consumption by U.S. law.

Cooking Poultry to the Right Temperature

The USDA recommends that most poultry (with the exception of oddities like pheasant) be cooked to an internal temperature of 180°F at the thigh and 170°F at the breast. Pop-up timers, a modern convenience, are usually placed in the breast; but truth is, the roasted internal temperature is more accurate at the thigh.

The breast’s varying thickness makes it a fairly unreliable gauge.

We prefer a lower temperature at the thigh, around 165°F. Frankly, almost all bacterial growth stops at 140°F and most bacteria are eliminated by 160°F. Plus, we like the meat slightly pink at the bone. (By contrast, most Continental chefs take the bird out of the oven at 150°F or lower-that is, bloody at the bone.)

If you choose to cook a bird to a temperature below the USDA guideline, you should understand both the benefits (juicier, more tender meat) and the complications (some pathogens may remain). If you’re in doubt or if you prefer absolutely no pink bits in the meat, hold out for the higher temperature.

The only reliable way to determine the roasted temperature is with a meat thermometer. By and large, you have two choices: an instant-read thermometer, inserted at the moment you want to know the temperature; or the traditional, leave-it-in-while-roasting probe, inserted before the bird goes into the oven. Don’t confuse the two; an instant-read thermometer’s dial will melt in the oven.

Insert the needlelike shaft into the thigh at its thickest part, the part that juts out toward the smaller opening at the back of the bird (that is, the neck opening). Make sure the shaft gets to the center of the thigh but doesn’t touch the bone. If it will not stay stationary, try again on the other thigh.

Some recipes in older cookbooks recommend you take a bird out of the oven when it’s 10 degrees below the required temperature. While this trick works with cuts of beef and pork, it doesn’t work as well with poultry.

Yes, a turkey will continue to gain as much as 7 or 8 degrees as it sits; a whole chicken, perhaps 4 or 5 degrees. But a boneless skinless chicken breast? No more than a degree or two.

For safety’s sake, cook the meat to the required temperature, rather than relying on the slipshod method of letting the temperature rise by atmospherics.

BUYING FRESH AND FROZEN POULTRY

Look for fresh whole birds that appear plump and have meaty breasts. Chicken sold as parts should also look plump. Poultry skin should be smooth and moist and free of bruises and pinfeathers.

The color of the skin can range from creamy white to yellow, depending on the bird’s feed and breed, and is not an indication of flavor or quality. In general, tenderness depends on the age of the bird.

Buy fresh poultry according to the “sell-by” date on the package. When you open the package, the chicken may have a slight odor. This is caused by oxidation and should disappear once the bird is rinsed with cold running water. If the poultry still smells, return it to the market. Be sure to avoid packages with leaks or tears.

If you buy frozen poultry, be sure the meat is rockhard and without any signs of freezer burn, and make sure there are no ice crystals. The packaging should be tightly sealed and intact. Frozen liquid in the bottom can indicate that the bird was thawed and refrozen.

HANDLING AND STORING POULTRY

Store raw poultry in its original store wrapping on a plate to catch any leaks. If wrapped in butcher paper, remove the paper and place the bird in a large plastic bag.

Keep poultry in the coldest part of the refrigerator (usually the bottom shelf ), away from cooked or readyto- eat foods and use within two days. Store uncooked giblets separately in the refrigerator and use within a day, or wrap and freeze for up to one month.

Be sure to wash your hands, the cutting board, and any utensils that have come in contact with raw poultry with hot, soapy water. To destroy germs, bleach your cutting board once a week or so with a solution of 1 tablespoon chlorine bleach to 1 gallon warm water.

Freeze raw poultry for up to six months. Ground poultry will keep in the refrigerator for one day or in the freezer for up to three months. Cool cooked poultry as quickly as possible, then cover and refrigerate up to three days, or tightly wrap and freeze for up to three months.

HAWING POULTRY SAFELY

For safety’s sake, thaw poultry either in the refrigerator or by immersion in cold water-not on the kitchen counter at room temperature.

Thawing in the refrigerator This is the preferred method. Leave the bird in its original wrapper, and place it on a tray to catch any drips. As a general rule, allow about six hours per pound. For example, a 24- pound turkey will take approximately four days to thaw completely.

Thawing in cold water If there’s no time to thaw the bird in the refrigerator, use this method, which takes less time but requires more attention. Place the bird (in its original wrapper or in a watertight plastic bag) in a large pan or in the sink with enough cold water to cover. (Warm water thaws poultry too quickly and can encourage bacterial growth.)

Change the water every 30 minutes to maintain the temperature. Allow about 30 minutes of thawing time per pound, then add 1 hour to that total.

5 THAWING TIPS

• Frozen poultry should be thawed completely before being cooked.
• Remove giblets as soon as possible during thawing, then wrap and refrigerate.
• A bird is thawed if the ice crystals have disappeared from the body cavity and the meat is soft and the joints are flexible.
• Once thawed, cook the bird within 12 hours.
• For reasons of texture-not safety-do not refreeze thawed poultry.

Thanks in large part to chicken’s low price, low fat, and high versatility, the amount of chicken consumed in the United States has increased exponentially.That wasn’t always the case.

Even though chicken is one of the oldest living species of animal, it was a rarity on the dinner table. King Henri IV of France stated in his coronation speech that he hoped each peasant in his realm would have “a chicken in his pot every Sunday.”

At one time, only the rich (and chicken farmers) could manage the proverbial Sunday chicken. Today, thanks to modern production methods, almost anyone can afford chicken. In fact, adjusted for inflation, chicken is only a third the price it was 40 years ago.

Chicken consumption also has increased because of increasing awareness of the need to reduce fat in the diet. Chicken, as long as the skin is not eaten, is generally lower in fat than most other types of meat. At least half of the fat in a chicken is in the skin.

The government grades chicken quality with USDA classifications A, B, and C, which are based on meatiness, appearance, and how intact the skin and bones are.

Grade A chickens, the highest grade, are usually found in markets. Grade B chickens are less meaty, and grade C birds are scrawnier yet. B- and C-graded chickens often are used for processed and packaged foods. The grade stamp can be found within a shield on the package wrapping, or sometimes on a tag attached to the bird’s wing.

Many ungraded chickens find their way to stores because grading is not mandatory. Chickens called “broilers” are butchered at about 7 weeks of age, when they weigh between 2 and 4 pounds. The term “fryer” is often given to larger birds from this age range.

“Roasting chickens” generally weigh more than 4 pounds and are slaughtered when they reach 10 weeks. “Stewing chickens” - also known as hens or boiling fowl - range in age from 10 to 18 months. They can weigh between 3 and 6 pounds.

Generally, they are used for stews and soups because their meat is tougher. Shoppers may also encounter other terms to describe chicken. A Rock Cornish hen (or game hen) is a chicken hybrid that weighs about 2 pounds when butchered. Because there is relatively little meat on the carcass, each hen is typically considered 1 serving.

Another type of chicken in stores is called free-range chicken. According to the USDA, this term means that the chicken was allowed to roam outdoors. Depending on the manufacturer, the chicken may or may not have been fed a vegetarian diet free of hormones, growth enhancers, and antibiotics.

Some believe that this special treatment results in a fuller-flavored chicken. One thing certain is that it adds to the expense. Most freerange chickens are far more expensive per pound than regular chicken.

A tip for shoppers: larger chickens are a better buy because there is more flesh on the bones. With smaller chickens, you do not get as much meat and you pay for bones.

Preparation Tips

Keep chicken refrigerated until you are ready to use it, or freeze it and then thaw it in the refrigerator. Cut away any excess fat, but keep the skin on while cooking to provide flavor, then remove the skin for a healthier entrée.

Chicken lends itself to a variety of cooking preparations, including baking, broiling, boiling, roasting, frying, braising, barbecuing, stir-frying, and stewing. Boneless chicken requires less cooking time.

However, this type of chicken will taste more bland because the bones and the skin add that real “chickeny” flavor. Yet, boneless chicken picks up the flavors of other foods, herbs, and spices it is cooked with, such as tarragon, ginger, garlic, and vegetables.

Serving Suggestions

Chicken is extremely versatile. Because of its popularity, entire cookbooks have been written focusing on only this bird.

It seems almost every ethnicity has its own way to use chicken - Indian curry chicken, Chinese stir-fry, Mexican chicken enchiladas, Spanish paella, and Italian chicken parmesan.Chicken’s flavor is enhanced by almost any herb, spice, or condiment.

Frying is also a popular way to serve chicken. However, this cooking method adds extra fat and calories, detracting from the health benefits of eating chicken. If eating at a fast-food restaurant, choose grilled chicken instead of chicken that has been breaded and deep-fried.

Without doubt, poultry is the most versatile of all meats. We eat poultry any way imaginable except raw. Chicken, particularly today’s quick-raised supermarket broilers, have relatively little flavor. It is cooking and flavoring that transform that low-flavor chunk of meat into a delicious dish. Check this out for yourself.

Steam or poach a piece of chicken breast and add nothing but salt. Your cat might even turn its nose up at the bland flavor. But poultry has the admirable quality of snatching, borrowing and soaking up flavors that you either add directly or into the liquid it cooks in. But that’s not all. The chemical reactions triggered by heat, particularly

browning, what transform the bland to delicious.

The two broad categories of cooking poultry are:

Dry heat cooking:

¨ grilling (barbecuing) or broiling

¨ sautéing

¨ deep-frying

¨ stir-frying

¨ baking

Moist heat cooking:

¨ braising

¨ stewing

With dry heat cooking methods, high temperature without additional liquid cooks the meat. The change in moist cooking occurs at a lower temperature with additional flavored liquid.

A second major difference between the cooking methods is the final internal temperature of the poultry. In dry heat cooking strive to reach an internal temperature of slightly above 150°F (66°C). This gives the juiciest poultry meat. In moist cooking, the final temperature is the same as the liquid the meat cooks in-simmering temperature.

Dry cooking

In grilling, broiling and baking you add nothing to the meat but flavoring and sometimes, if the poultry is too dry, a little fat. In sautéing, deep-frying and stir-frying, oil and high temperature convert the meat into a succulent dish.

All dry-cooking methods use high temperature, at least 300°F (157°C) in baking, much higher in grilling and broiling. At such high heat browning and the accompanying flavor changes are assured, and the changes happen quickly. Stand by with a thermometer in one hand

To arrive at the desired internal temperature, you need a good instant-read thin-stemmed thermometer, digital or analog. When you think you are near the end of the cooking period, monitor the progress often. Stop socializing, bring your glass of wine in the kitchen and concentrate on the bird.

If you let the temperature go too high, the meat fibers contract, releasing some of the juices. The meat gets drier, less tender, less palatable. Your aim is to stop cooking it as soon as your thermometer hits 150° to 155°F (66° to 69°C) in the thickest part of the meat. If the piece of poultry is large, for example, when you’re roasting a whole chicken or turkey, or even a turkey leg, stop at 145°F (63°C). The temperature will creep up for a few more minutes after you remove it from the heat, still reaching the target temperature.

Roasting a whole bird

The biggest challenge in poultry cooking is roasting a whole bird. How can you get both white and dark meat to come out at the same degree of doneness? That is a challenge. Dark meat forms thick chunks in the legs and thighs with a thick bone in the center.

It takes longer to heat such massive pieces to the correct temperature than the breast meat which is less bulky and with only thin bones as support.

Creative cooks have found some solutions to this problem, none of them easy. You can rotate the bird in the oven part way through roasting to have the legs and thighs exposed to heat as much as possible and drape cheesecloth over the breast to keep it moist and slow its cooking slightly. (Remove the cheesecloth during the last half hour to allow the breast to fully brown and crisp.)

Basting frequently also helps. The cooking time remains the same, but the breast tends to retain more moisture when you baste. A troublesome technique that works perfectly well is to debone the entire bird and butterfly the meat (split it through the center so only a narrow piece of meat remains to hold the two halves together, then unfold it like butterfly wings).

Sounds like a lot of work, but if you have a little experience with cutting up chicken or turkey, you can do the job in about 15 minutes. The butterflied bird, when flattened, cooks quickly and evenly in the oven or over the coals, and it is a snap to cut it up into serving pieces.

Roasting duck and goose produces delectable crisp skin and deliciously succulent, moist meat. The challenge is what to do with the extra fat. The fat is in a thick layer between the meat and the skin. You can melt most of it out by starting to roast in a slow oven. Later, raise the heat to finish browning the meat. To facilitate melting the fat, slip your hand between the meat and the fat layer (not between the fat and the skin) and separate the two.

A Chinese Peking duck technique is more complicated but very efficient and elegant. Immerse the duck or goose in boiling water for a minute, then let it air dry in the refrigerator for a full day. This rest time tightens the skin over the fat layer. When in the oven, the pressure of the tight skin helps to melt the fat.

Unlike in chicken and turkey, there is less distinct white and dark meat in goose and duck. That helps to finish cooking both to the same degree of doneness.

China’s cuisine is as vast as the country itself, ranging from sublime vegetarian dishes to earthy meals using hair-raising animal parts. Here, though, many Chinese restaurants offer a mix of regional and Chinese-American–tasty food but nutritionally all over the map. We analyzed six Chinese entrées from real U.S. restaurants to help point you to healthier choices. Nutrition numbers are estimates: Results vary widely according to portion size. If sodium is a concern, ask the kitchen not to use added salt, and watch your intake the rest of the day. Your fortune: Healthy choices are in your near future.

Smart Chinese Food Strategies
Sodium is a major concern in Chinese-American cuisine–one tablespoon of soy sauce has about 1,000 milligrams. Reach for the low-sodium (about 500 mg) bottle, if you must. Better yet, use Chinese mustard, duck sauce, or chili sauce to boost flavor wihtout as much added salt.

What You Need to Know About Ordering Chinese Food

• Prepare to share: Chinese entrées are huge. Split one, take leftovers home, and keep portion sizes reasonable.
• Keep it lean: Avoid extra fat–choose lean proteins and vegetarian plates, and steer clear of deep-fried dishes.
• Rice counts, too: Remember each cup of brown or white steamed rice adds about 200 calories to your meal.

Splurge Only: Pork Lo Mein
1,419 calories
Oil-slick noodles and marbled meat send calories soaring, while more than a day’s worth of sodium lurks in the seasoning.

Healthy Choice: Ma Po Tofu
650 calories
This fiery entrée may be listed with vegetarian items. If not, order it without ground pork to slash calories and saturated fat.

Ask Your Server: Ginger Chicken with Broccoli
849 calories
Loaded with green veggies and (typically white meat chicken–just watch your serving size.

Healthy Choice: Shrimp with Garlic Sauce
700 calories
Shellfish and vegetables in zesty, low-fat sauce. Make it better: Ask them to use less oil.

Ask Your Server: Mu Shu Pork
858 calories
Stick to two filled pancakes of this vegetable-packed dish and cut calories by half.

Splurge Only: Sweet and Sour Chicken
1,032 calories
Batter-coated and deep-fried lean protein, smothered in sugar-laced sauce.

Like I was discussing yesterday, meat has its ups and downs… Take into consideration also the following:

Here are some secrets to achieve your goal: a healthy tasty meal:
-Cut off all white fatty parts from raw meat before cooking it
-Cook the chicken with the skin, but remove it before consuming the meat.
-For healthier cooking, don`t add oil to the meat; add water or beer, wine, tomato   juice, spices and herbs… It gives a better taste and with a lower health cost
-The meat is fresher when the color is lighter, so chose pink pieces of meat if you want them tender.
-Boil the meat in already boiling water, in order to keep the nutrients sealed in the meat. If making soups, use cold water
-Don’t buy already minced meat. It has a high fat content. Prepare it yourself from low fat meat. It takes longer but it’s healthier.

Here are the calories table for 100 g of raw meat:

CALORIES FOR 100 G OF RAW MEAT
CHICKEN, TURKEY 100 CAL
BEEF 120 CAL
PORK 120 CAL
LIVER 150 CAL
LAMB 160 CAL

Also, keep in mind that:

- the meat from the chicken legs contains 3 times more iron than the chicken breast
- chicken leg contains more fat than chicken breast
- chicken and turkey skin is made 100% form fat
- goose and duck are richer in iron than chicken and turkey
- 150 g of roast beef contain 20% of the daily needed quantity of iron for women and 25% for men.

It can be white or red… it can be pork, beef, chicken, turkey or wild game, meat is the main source of proteins for the organism, offering the needed amino acids.

Meat contains vitamins (D and B12) and minerals (Zinc, Selenium, Iron), but does not contain any fibers or glucids.

Advantages:

- With its high content of amino acids, meat participates in the construction and well maintenance of all tissues and organs

- It is used in diets due to its high protein and low lipid content

-Maintains the well functioning of the nervous system and increases concentration due to its B12 content

-Turkey meat puts you in a good mood due to the tryptophan content and also contains antioxidants (vitamin C, vitamin E and Selenium), which help prevent arteriosclerosis

-Vitamin D in meat helps Calcium fixation for best bone development

-Liver contains high quantities of vitamin A and B 12, and also Iron,  Zinc and Selenium which become easy to absorb

Disadvantages:

-Be careful with the high saturated fats in meat, because they increase blood pressure and arteriosclerosis risks

-High meat consumption can lead to constipation, because of the lack of fibers

-Liver and pork can contain Trichinela spiralis, a parasite