The best way to kill a fowl is to tie it by its legs, hang it up, and then cut off its neck. In this way, it dies more quickly, suffers less, and bleeds more freely.
It is best to pick fowls dry; though, if you are pressed for time, you may facilitate the picking of chickens, as well as of partridges and other small birds, by putting them first into water, hot, but not boiling. Then take off the feathers carefully, so as not to break the skin. Never scald a turkey, duck or goose, however, before picking.
To draw the crop, split the skin of all poultry on the back of the neck. Pull the neck upward and the skin downward, and the crop can be easily pulled out. Then cut off the neck close to the body, leaving the skin to skewer at the back of the neck after the dressing has been put in. Make an incision under the rump lengthwise, sufficient to allow the entrails to be easily removed. Be careful not to break the gall, and to preserve the liver whole. Cut open the gizzard, take out the inner skin, and wash both carefully. Wash the bird inside several times, the last time with salt and water. Some persons object to using water inside or outside, but I consider it more cleanly to wash the bird first and then wipe it dry with a clean towel. It should then be hung with the neck downwards till ready to cook.
The head, neck, and feet, after being nicely washed and the bones in them broken, should be stewed in the gravy, as they make it much richer.
It is said that throwing chickens into cold water immediately after they have finished bleeding, and allowing them to remain there ten or fifteen minutes, will make them deliciously tender, which can be accounted for scientifically. Frozen fowls or game should be thawed gradually, by being laid in cold water. If cooked without being thawed, it will require double time, and they will not be tender nor high-flavored.
The tests by which you may tell the age of a turkey are these. An old turkey has rough and red legs, and if a gobbler, long spurs, while young turkeys have black legs, and if gobblers, small spurs. The fatter they are and the broader their breasts, the better. When dressed, the skin should be a yellowish white, and, if tender, you may easily rip it with a pin. If, when you bend back the wings, the sinews give and crack, this is another test of the turkey being young, and the same test will apply to other fowls. The bill and feet of an old goose are red and hairy. A young goose has pen feathers and its flesh is whiter than that of an old one.
If young, the lower part of a hen's legs and feet are soft and smooth, while a young cock has small spurs. When dressed, the flesh should be white and the fat a pale yellow. Turn the wing back, and if the sinews snap it is a sign the chicken is young.
A few words on the subject of carving may not be out of place here. A sharp knife, with a thin and well tempered blade is essential to good carving. In carving a turkey, cut off first the wing nearest to you, then the leg and second joint, then slice the breast till a rounded, ivory-shaped piece appears. Insert the knife between that and the bone, and separate them. This part is the nicest bit of the breast. Next comes the merry-thought. After this, turn over the bird a little, and just below the breast you will find the oyster, which you will separate as you did the inner breast. The side bone lies beside the rump, and the desired morsel can be taken out without separating the whole bone. Proceed with the other side in the same way. The fork need not be removed during the whole process.
Chicken and partridges are carved in the same way.
Roast Turkey.