Poultry ...
Like other meats, poultry has protein of high quality and is a good source of iron and the B vitamin niacin.
In retail markets poultry is usually sold “ready-to-cook”; occasionally, “dressed” or live. Ready-to-cook style comes either whole or cut up, and either freshly eviscerated or frozen; some is labeled to show government inspection and grading, some inspection only.
“Dressed” means that only blood and feathers have been removed. “Ready-to-cook” means that blood, feathers, head, feet, and viscera have been removed, and the bird has been thoroughly cleaned inside and out.
Price per pound of a dressed bird includes weight of head, feet, and viscera. A ready-to-cook bird is weighed and priced after this waste is removed. Therefore, though the price per pound is lower for the dressed bird, the cost per pound of actual poultry meat is about the same in the two styles.
Most chickens are sold in the following classes at these ages and weights:
| Class | Age | Ready-to-cook weight |
|---|---|---|
| Pounds | ||
| Broilers or fryers | 8 to 10 weeks | 1½ to 2½. |
| Roasters | 3 to 5 months | 2½ to 4½. |
| Stewing chickens | over 10 months | 2 to 5½. |
Stewing chickens—sometimes called “fowl” or “hens”—are hens old enough so that the tip of the breastbone has hardened. They need long slow cooking with steam or water to make the meat tender. They are often a good buy because they tend to have a higher proportion of meat to bone than younger chickens. A 5-pound dressed hen (3¾ pounds ready-to-cook) will give about 4 cups cooked meat coarsely cut, enough for at least two meals for a family of four if extended dishes are used—10 to 11 servings each containing 2 ounces of chicken.
Turkeys are sold in three classes based on weight and age: (1) Fryers or roasters, (2) young hens and young toms, (3) hens and toms. A fryer-roaster turkey, or a quarter or half of a larger turkey is often an economical roast, and can be made as attractive as the traditional big bird.