Don't Be A Chicken...

Mitzi Perdue, author of five cookbooks and the wife of Mr. Chicken himself, Frank Perdue, lets her husband raise the birds, but she certainly knows a thing or two about selecting and cooking them. Here are the key tips on what to look for when shopping for chicken and how to roast a chicken.

Shopping For Chicken:

Give the package a squeeze. Are there signs of ice along the wings, backs or edges? Freezing causes a breakdown in protein and loss of natural juices. It could reduce tenderness.

Read the labels so you know what you are getting. Many different parts and combinations are available.

Was the chicken well-cleaned? Or are there traces of feathers or hairs?

Check the ends of the bones. Are they pink or are they turning gray? Generally the more pink the bone ends are, the fresher the chicken.

Storing Chicken At Home:

Chicken is perishable. It should be stored in the coldest part of the refrigerator (40 degrees or below), kept sealed as it comes from the market and used within two or three days of purchase.

Freezing Chicken:

Frank Perdue doesn't recommend freezing poultry. However, if you have to freeze, make certain the wrapping is tight against the chicken. If it isn't, small ice crystals will form. That means moisture has been drawn from the meat and that can makes breading difficult. Uncooked frozen chicken can be stored up to six months. Cooked frozen chicken should be used within three months.

Chicken Safety:

You're taking a risk if you leave chicken outside the refrigerator for more than two hours. Bacterias grow and multiplies at temperatures between 40 degrees and 140 degrees. Bacteries flourish at room temperature.

If you open a package of chicken and it smells bad after a couple of minutes, it may be spoiled. Return immediately to the store.

You don't need to rinse a chicken before cooking it since the microbes you'd wash off will be entirely destroyed by the heat when you cook the meat. It's more important to wash your hands, cutting board and utensils, which won't be sterilized by cooking.

"We watch our fat intake, " Mitzi explains, "so Frank and I peel the skin off chicken before we eat it. With most recipes, that means you lose the flavorings you've sprinkled over the chicken before cooking it. We like this recipe because you still get all the delicious flavoring you've added, even after you've removed the skin."

Healthy Recipes are provided by Our Home.

Formatted using Mc Buster by Barb at Pk