Poultry & its Cooking technique

Poultry is defined as a variety of domestic birds that including chickens, turkeys, geese and ducks etc raised in farms by restricting their movements & by giving special medicated food for their fast growths for the production of meat or eggs and the word is also used for the flesh of these birds used as food. Poultry also includes other birds that are killed for their meat, such as the young of pigeons but does not include similar wild birds hunted for sport or food and known as game.

Poultry comes from the Latin word, poule, which means to hang. The term also refers to the flesh of such birds.

What Is Free-Range birds/poultry?

Poultry that has been designated as free range must be allowed access to the outdoors. “Free-range” is a term that refers to a method of animal husbandry where animals are allowed to roam freely outdoors rather than being raised in cage or limited space.

BENEFITS OF FREE-RANGE CHICKEN

Free-range chicken is tastier than conventional chicken. One reason is eating a higher quality diet than conventional birds. birds with outdoor access and natural shelter had juicier, more tender and better textured meat. The amount of exercise free-range chickens are able to get on a daily basis helps develop their muscles, resulting in better flavor and texture.

One of the healthiest things about free-range chicken is its high protein content. One free-range chicken breast supplies 52 percent of daily protein needs. Protein is crucial for health.

Free-range chickens produce more nutritionally dense eggs than by caged hens.

What is Game Birds:-

Game birds refers to birds which are mostly hunted, for either sports activity or for the purpose of meat. Game poultry can be leaner than farmed poultry and also carries a distinctive strong flavour.

Why Is Chicken So Popular among other poultry?

Chicken is more widely consumed than any other meat as it marries well with a variety of flavors, can be paired with many seasonings and spices including marinades, breadings and rubs to accommodate a variety of menus from upscale to down-home and ethnic cuisines from across the globe.

Chicken is an affordable protein—much less expensive than beef.& other red meat.

For health conscious individuals, chicken is high in protein; low in calories; rich in essential vitamins like iron, zinc and vitamin B; and low in fat and cholesterol.

It can be used as a main entree, in sandwiches, salads, snacks and appetizers and is suitable for serving anytime of day hot or cold.

POULTRY FROM FARM-TO-TABLE

Poultry are raised in battery cages, while floor raised methods are also used for chickens, turkeys, ducks, and geese. Poultry are raised on a diet of grains, including corn, wheat, and barley, which helps them to gain weight rapidly.

Poultry processing is highly automated with some operations handling thousands of birds a day. Some plants use water chilling to reduce the temperature of the birds quickly, and others use an air chilled method that inhibits the spread of bacteria, saving water during processing, and producing a superior tasting bird.

Chickens are fabricated as whole dressed birds, but more often are cut into parts including wings, bone-in or boneless breasts, legs, and thighs.

POULTRY mEAT COMPOSITION

Poultry meat is having similar composition as meat with about 75% water, 20% protein, 5% fat, along with a small amount of nutrients. Breast meat will be leaner than the leg and thigh area of the animal, and some species, including ducks and geese are all dark meat and contain more fat. Chicken and turkey are considered healthier alternatives to red meats because they have less cholesterol and saturated fats.

Specification of poultry Chicken-

• Poussin Chicken: – A small, immature chicken, sometimes called a spring chicken, and weighing about 400 to 500g. Because the bird is only four to six weeks old.
• Broilers or Fryer Chicken : Chickens 6 to 8 weeks old. chickens that are raised for meat are called “broilers.” These chickens are typically white, and are bred specifically for optimal health and size to produce a quality product meat for the consumer. Most commercial broilers reach slaughter-weight between four and seven weeks of age
• Capons chicken:- Capon is a male castrated chicken which is more than 8 weeks old but lesser than 4 moths old (The absence of sex hormones causes the difference in taste and texture between capon meat and rooster meat. The lack of the hormone also allows more fat to form on the bird’s muscles making them tender and buttery) .
• Cock/Rooster chicken: Male chickens which is more than 4 months old.

Meats are generally divided into two categories:

White Meat: Veal, Pork and Poultry.

Red Meat: Beef, Mutton, Lamb

Composition

The tenderness of meat depends upon the age, feeding of the animals, hanging and preparation of killing of the animal. The fat present in the muscle structure has an effect on the tenderness and texture of the meat. Skeletal muscles are made up of the fibres which are composed of the proteins MYOSIN (insoluble in water but are soluble in salty solutions) and ALBUMIN (soluble in both the solution). The fibres are grouped together in parallel lines and are surrounded by the sheaths of heavier connective tissues.

There are two kinds of connective tissues.

COLLAGEN / WHITE CONNECTIVE TISSUE: Insoluble in nature but converted to gelatine by moist heat.

ELASTIN/ YELLOW CONNECTIVE TISSUE: Insoluble and should be discarded in the earlier stages.

In most of the cases, young flesh is sweeter and tenderer. Longer the meat is hung; stronger is its flavour owing to some chemical changes. Meat should always be hung at 2 to 5 ° C after the animal is dead, to develop the acids which tenderise the flesh and makes Rigor Mortis disappear, thus making the flesh tender and suitable for consumption.

How to Cook Chicken/Poultry-

By Deep Frying Method:-Fried chicken is one of the most popular appetizers/snacks items through out the world. In deep-frying technique, items are dipped in a batter usually prepared from flour with eggs & seasoning etc and coated with various dry items such as breadcrumbs, seeds, cornflakes etc. to impart the crisper to the chicken items, it also helps to protect and further seal in moisture. The key to deep-frying is maintaining the oil’s temperature between 325 F and 400 F. Hotter than that and most oils will start to smoke

Sauté or Pan fried chicken: – Boneless chicken are best suited for saute or pan fried chicken. It is very much to remembers that the bone less chicken must be coated with seasoned flour before sautéing or pan frying to retain its juices. Sautéed or pan-fried chicken  involves cooking in a pan with a small amount of fats or oil and finishing it either in the oven or by simmering it in some sort of sauce.

Grilled or Barbeque Chicken: -Grilled chicken is considered one of the best and most healthy chicken recipe. Grilling is basically done with the chicken breast or do-boned chicken leg. It is generally done on Griller or can also be done on the open barbequed.

In tandoor cooking is also a similar way of cooking chicken same as barbequing it. It is most popular in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. However Tandoori chicken has gained it popularity throughout the world. In Barbequing or in Tandoor cooking, chicken can be cooked whole or cut into pieces with bone or without bone. Care must be taken to marinate the chicken before barbequing or in tandoor cooking to tenderize the meat and also protect it for drying while cooking in tandoor.

Poached chicken:-

poaching is an easy and delicious method for cooking chicken either in poaching liquor or in stock or milk etc. Poached chicken is naturally low in fat and always comes out moist and juicy. The poached Juices can also be used as a broth and used for making soups and sauces. Poached chicken are usually served with boiled vegetable with hollandaise based sauce.

Stewed or Braised chicken:- it is also very popular method of cooking of chicken in which chicken are cooked in either cooking liquor or sauce and chicken are served with its own cooking liquid. However in case of braising, the chicken is first sautéed or browned and then it is cooked in sauce on low temperature. Braising is generally done for lesser tender meat of chicken.

Baked Chicken-

Baked chicken are cooked in oven at temperature around 150 degree Celeious. Baked chicken is slightly different from roasted chicken in two ways. First, baked chicken is prepared with chicken pieces (Leg, thighs, breasts, and wings) whereas roasted chicken can be cooked whole or in Pieces. Second, baked chicken is dredged in seasoned flour before we cook it, which we don’t do when roasting a whole bird.

What is turkey:-

Turkey is a popular form of poultry, and it is raised throughout temperate parts of the world. Turkeys are traditionally eaten as the main course of Christmas feasts. Turkeys are sold sliced and ground, as well as “whole” in a manner similar to chicken with the head, feet, and feathers removed. Sliced turkey is frequently used as a sandwich meat or served as cold cuts