Poultry and Game: Classifications & Types

Poultry and Game

• Poultry encompasses fowl like chicken, turkey, duck, pigeon, and quail, typically domesticated for meat and eggs.
• Game refers to hunted animals not normally domesticated, including small ground game, big game, and birds.
• Poultry consumption has significantly increased in the Philippines.

Classifications of Poultry

• Broiler or Fryer: Young chicken, 9-12 weeks old, tender meat, soft skin.
• Roaster: Chicken around 5-6 months old.
• Capon: Surgically desexed male chicken, under 8 months old.
• Stag: Male chicken, under 10 months, coarse skin, somewhat tougher meat.
• Hen or Stewing Chicken: Mature female chicken, over 10 months old.
• Cock or Rooster: Mature male chicken, coarse skin, tough meat, hardened breastbone.
• Jumbo Broiler: Large chicken, around 4 kg dressed weight.

Other Poultry Types

• Peking duck: Chinese duck breed, noted for tender and flavorful meat.
• Duck or Itik: Popular in Rizal, often served fried.
• Squab: Young pigeon, extra tender meat.

Selecting Good Quality Poultry and Game

Live Poultry

• Clear eyes are an indicator of quality.
• Young chicken have fine, soft feet, while older chicken have thick, scaly feet.
• Younger chicken have a soft breastbone tip, older chicken have a thick one.
• Small feathers indicate younger age.

Whole Poultry

• Head, feet, and viscera are intact.
• Should be clean and well-fleshed.
• Moderate fat coverings are desirable.
• Free from pin feathers, cuts, scars, or missing skin.

Dressed Poultry

• Skin is smooth and yellow.
• Breast is plump.
• Thighs are well-developed.
• No objectionable odor.
• Heavy, with non-watery skin.

Ready-To-Cook

• Dressed birds, cut up and marinated or seasoned.

Poultry Parts

• Dark meat: drumsticks, thighs, wings, neck, backs, and rib cage.
• White meat: breasts.
• Giblets: gizzard and heart.

Nutritional Value of Poultry and Game

• High-quality proteins are abundant.
• Chicken is 22.6% protein, 76.3% water, and contains fat, vitamins, and minerals.
• Dark muscles are richer in fat and connective tissues.
• Dark meat is preferred for juiciness and flavor
• Variety meats include gizzard, heart, kidneys, and liver.

Preparation of Poultry for Cooking

• Involves slaughter and bleeding, scalding, defeathering, evisceration, and deboning.
• Chickens should not be fed one day prior to slaughter to aid entrail removal.
• Scalding involves submersion in hot water (60°C) for 30-60 seconds.
• Evisceration includes rinsing and removing entrails.

Principles of Poultry Selection

• Quality varies with age, sex, live weight, and breed.
• Younger poultry contains less fat, calories, and has more flavor.
• Fat is under the skin; removing skin reduces calories.
• Select active, healthy, well-feathered, and well-shaped chickens.
• Choose chicken type based on recipe or cooking method.
• Young chickens are suited for dry-heat methods.
• Older chickens are suited for moist-heat methods.
• Poultry parts are available in various forms to meet preferences.
• Layers or poultry with eggs are flavorful using moist-heat methods.
• Fresh and quick-frozen poultry have similar qualities and can be frozen for later use.
• Drawn poultry should be free from feathers, discoloration, bruises, or cuts.
• Fresh poultry has little odor or taste.
• Rancidity in chicken fat increases with storage temperature; chicken fat is more unstable than turkey fat.
• For storage, wrap tightly and freeze at 0°F or -16°C, use "First in, first out."
• Thaw frozen poultry in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours.
• Frozen poultry can be cooked without thawing, but it will take longer.
• Low to moderate heat is best for cooking poultry.
• Stuffing should be done immediately before roasting.
• Cooked poultry should be eaten immediately or refrigerated, leftover stuffing should be stored separately.
• Use dry heat cooking with fat for brown color.
• Roasting chicken breast-side down yields a juicier product.
• Basting can improve palatability of lean poultry.

Causes of Food Spoilage and Contamination

• Improper refrigeration
• Inadequate cooking
• Poor personal hygiene of employees
• Preparation a day or more before serving
• Contaminated raw ingredients
• Cross-contamination
• Failure to reheat foods adequately
• Prolonged exposure to bacterial growth temperatures

Poultry Cookery Methods

Moist Heat Method

• Can be used for all classes of chicken and poultry.
• Examples are tinola, sinampalukang manok, manok na pinaupo, and relyeno.

Dry Heat Method

• Best for young, tender poultry.
• Suitable for broilers, fryers, capons, and roasters.

Presenting and Storing Poultry and Game Dishes

Portion Control Factors

• Meat shrinks about 25% when cooked.
• A chicken breast is generally 3-4 ounces, the thigh is 2 ounces, and the leg is 1-2 ounces.

Portioning

• A portion is the amount of food chosen to eat at one time.
• A serving size is the recommended amount on a product's Nutrition Facts label.

Controlling Portion Sizes

• Eating smaller portions is an easy way to cut calories.

Plating Poultry Dishes

• Consider service wares, plating, garnishing, accompaniments, and sauces.

Factors in Plating

• Creative presentation, plating the food, decorating the frame.

Presentation Techniques

• The way food is presented affects taste perception.
• Plating should look natural.
• Adapt artistic framing strategies.
• Combine foods with different shapes, colors, and textures.
• Garnishes should complement the dish.

Techniques in Storing Poultry

• Poultry can be frozen whole, halved, or in parts.
• Wrap, wipe with a damp cloth, cover with wax paper, and refrigerate.
• Cooked poultry should be cooled, covered, and refrigerated.
• Frozen poultry should be kept in the freezer until thawing.

Freezing and Thawing Poultry

• Wrap in moisture-vapor proof film, foil, or paper and freeze at -17°C (0°F) or lower.
• Use chickens stored longest first.

Safety Practices

Handling Chicken Safely

• Raw chicken and poultry can carry salmonella.

Safe Shopping

• Chicken should feel cold to the touch.
• Wrap in plastic bags to prevent leakage.
• Refrigerate immediately and use within 2 days or freeze at -17.8°C (0°F).

Safe Handling

• Limit bacteria's ability to multiply by not leaving food at room temperatures between 4.4°C (40°F) and 60°C (140°F) for more than an hour..
• Only kill food-borne pathogens is by thoroughly cooking the food.
• Prevent cross-contamination.

Fresh vs. Frozen

• "Fresh" poultry has never been colder than -3.3°C (26°F).
• Poultry kept at −17.8°C (0°F) or colder must be labeled "frozen."

Product Dating

• Not required, but retailers often date chicken products with "sell by" or "use before" dates.

Basics for Handling Food Safely

• Clean, separate, cook, and chill.

Preparing Meat for A Dish

• Meat is the flesh of animals like cattle, sheep, and pigs.
• Meat contains water, protein, fat, minerals, and vitamins.
• Beef is divided into primal cuts, then further into retail cuts. The primal cuts are: brisket, chuck, flank, loin, plate, rib, round and shank.
• Pork is derived from pigs, less fatty than beef. The primal cuts are: belly, ham, loin, picnic shoulder and spare rib.
• Sheep meat is mutton (mature) or lamb (immature).

Types of Knives and Their Uses

• French or chef’s knife: chopping, slicing, and dicing.
• Utility knife: carving roast chicken and duck.
• Boning knife: boning raw meats and poultry.
• Slicer: carving and slicing cooked meats.
• Butcher knife: cutting, sectioning, and trimming raw meats.
• Scimitar or steak knife: accurate cutting of steaks.
• Cleaver: cutting through bones.

Composition of Meat

• Water: 70% of muscle tissue.
• Protein: 20% of muscle tissue, coagulates when heated.
• Fat: 5% of muscle tissue, contributes to juiciness and flavor.
• Carbohydrates: contribute to browning reactions.

Structure of Meat

Muscle Fibers

• Determine texture or grain.
• Fine-grained meat has small fibers.
• Coarse-textured meat has large fibers.

Connective Tissue

• Binds muscle fibers together.
• High in exercised muscles and older animals.
• Collagen: white connective tissue, breaks down with slow cooking with liquid.
• Elastin: yellow connective tissue, not broken down in cooking.

Basic Preparation Methods of Meat

• Washing: Only when in contact with blood.
• Skinning: Usually done by the supplier already
• Dicing: Cutting into cubes for casseroles
• Trimming: Improving appearance, removing gristle and sinews.
• Slicing: Cutting across the grain.
• Seasoning: Adding salt and pepper to enhance flavor.
• Coating: With flour or bread crumbs.

Different Kinds of Meat

• Pork: Meat from domesticated pigs.
• Beef: Meat from cattle over one year old.
• Lamb: Meat from domesticated sheep.
• Carabeef: Meat from carabao.
• Chevon: Meat from deer/goat.
• Veal: Flesh of a young calf, 4-5 months old.

Cooking Meat Dishes

Meat Dishes and Entrees

• Hot and cold entrees are frequently described as simple dishes.
• Entrees are cut up before cooking.

Kinds of Doneness

• Rare: Very soft.
• Medium Rare: Springy and resistant.
• Medium: Firm resistance.
• Well Done: Hard and rough.

Market Forms of Meat

• Fresh meat: Recently slaughtered, not preserved.
• Frozen meat: Placed in the freezer.
• Chillled meat: placed in the chiller
• Cured meat: Preserved by salting, smoking, aging.
• Processed meat: Preserved by chemical process.

Marinades

• Enhances flavor and tenderizes.
• Contains an acid (lemon juice, vinegar), oil, and herbs/spices.
• Meat and poultry marinated for 2 hours to 2 days.
• Seafood marinated for no longer than 1 hour.
• Use a non-reactive container.
• Cool marinade before pouring.
• Refrigerate while marinating.
• Never reuse marinades.

Types of Marinades

• Pineapple
• Pork Chop
• Jamaican Jerk
• Pork Rib
• Teriyaki
• Bourbon
• Mustard-Vinegar

Effects of Heat to Meat

• Tenderizes connective tissue with moisture and slow cooking.
• Coagulates protein.
• High heat toughens and shrinks protein..
• Low temperature roasting shrinks less and loses less moisture.
• Moist heat penetrates quickly.

Methods of Cooking Meat

• Dry heat: Roasting, broiling, sautéing.
• Moist heat: Braising, steaming, poaching.

Factors Affecting Choice of Cooking Methods

• Tender cuts are used for roasting, broiling, and grilling.
• Less tender cuts are used for braising.
• Least tender cuts are cooked by moist heat.
• Ground meat can be cooked by dry or moist heat.
• Meats high in fat are cooked without added fat.
• Meats low in fat are often cooked with added fat.
• To develop flavor and appearance is also one of the objectives to get the desired quality.

Presenting and Storing Meat Dishes

Basic Principles of Platter Presentation

• Centerpiece, slices, and garnish.
• Easy to handle and serve.
• Simple arrangements.
• Attractive platters.
• Look attractive and appropriate.

How to Present Food on a Plate

• Create a tempting dining experience.
• Start with brightly-colored, well-cooked food.

Plating food

• Layer, with contrasting colors and textures.
• Garnish.
• When food looks appetizing the body actually produces more fluids that aid in nutrient absorption.

Avoid a Monochromatic Color Scheme

• High level of contrast in colors.
• The richest greens, oranges, reds, purples, blues, pinks and yellows on your plate probablytake the form of fruits and vegetables.
• Garnishes. Nearly any savory dish is well-served by a sprinkling of fresh chives, parsley, dill, or mint. Lemon and lime wedges are welcome alongside poultry and seafood dishes.
• The way you cook your vegetables has a lot of bearing on the overall visual effect of a meal.

Lightly Steaming instead of boiling

• The use of oil or butter when roasting or sauteing will enhance their look.
• Sear the meat and let it rest
• Care should be taken in cooking fried foods
• Use texture into account

Different Shapes

• Be creative by cutting the vegetables into interesting shapes
• White plate are a good choice
• Don't forget to consider the rest of the table.
• Visualize the finished plate
• Limit portion sizes
• Ensure there is good balance (ex 1/2 vegetables, 1/4 meat and 1/4 starch)
• Plate the food from the middle outwards
• Implement the rule of adding an odd number of elements
• Use texture to create good contrast
• Add height to the to make it look more appealing
• Use the sauce wisely and sparingly
• Stay in the know about styling and current trends in the space.

Techniques in storing meat

Adding Appetizing Touches

• Use garnishes that enhance the flavor.

The 5 Basic Elements of Plating

• Create a Framework
• Keep It Simple
• Balance the Dish
• Get the Right Portion Size
• Highlight the Key Ingredient

Methods of Preserving Meat

• Drying or dehydration, smoking, salting, curing, refrigerating, freezing, canning and freeze drying.

Drying

• Reduces water content to about 15%.
• Retards enzymatic changes
• Hampers the growth of microorganisms

Ways of Drying Meat

• Natural sun drying
• Portable solar dyers can provide sanitary means of drying meat
• Dehydration or artificial drying
• Oven is used for drying the meat

Smoking

• Creates distinctive color and flavor.
• Heat destroys enzymes.
• Cold and hot smoking
  • Cold Smoking – Held between 26 to 43oC and the products are smoked over a period of days or weeks
  • Hot Smoking – The temperature is higher, from 71 to 79oC.

Salting

• Removes water from the tissue of the meat

Refrigerating

• Meat is stored at a temperature range of 2 to 10oC

Freezing

• Meat is preserved at a temperature of 10oC and below

Canning

• Meat is packed in sealed cans or jars, subjected to a temperature of 100oC

Freeze Drying

• The process involves the removal of moisture from the meat tissues by transforming the moisture content into ice and gas

Evaluating the Quality of Preserved Meat

• A good is when the pork has 1 1⁄4 cm of golden brown fat,even pinkish color inside with a juicy and seasoned taste with a slight hint of smoky flavor

Proper Storage of Preserved Meat

• Each item should be labeled with the name of the product, date of expiry, and quantity

Hygiene Practices in Storing Meat Products

• The following measures should be strictly observed:
• Physical equipment and layout are conducive to sanitary practices.
• Handle, store, and refrigerate food properly to prevent spoilage and contamination.
• Safeguard the food during distribution and service.
• Wash and sanitize dishes, glasses, utensils, and equipment.
• Clean floors walls, ceilings, counters, tables, and chairs regularly.
• Eliminate vermin and rodents from food areas.
• Constant program of education in sanitation for food service workers.
• Make sure that food service employees are in good health, and are not carriers of communicable diseases.
• Provide a regular employee education on food service sanitation.

Storage Procedures for Meat Products

• Meat is among the most perishable foods. Take time to correctly store all items
• Store new purchases behind old ones and always use the old stock first These may include cereal and cereal products, sweeteners, oils, seasonings, and unopened cans and jars.

Refrigerator storage.

A refrigerator provides cold temperature for storing perishable foods such as dairy products, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, fruits, and vegetables. Protein foods should be stored in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Fruits and vegetables can be stored in less cold sections or in a special compartment such as the crisper. If refrigerated foods are not properly wrapped, they will dry out and lose nutrients and flavor. Food should be well covered with plastic, foil or wax paper, or should be put in tightly covered containers. Garlic and sausages are strong-flavored foods and should be wrapped tightly in plastic or foil and stored in an air-tight container to prevent the transfer of aromas to other foods.

Freezer storage.

For proper freezing and storage, the temperature inside the freezer should be18oC or lower. Store frozen foods in their original packages. Foods to be frozen should be put in moisture-vapor proof wrapping. If plastic containers are used, allow about 2.5 cm of headspace at the top between the food and the lid so the food can expand when if freezes. Thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator. Do not allow food to thaw at room temperature. At this point, microorganisms will begin to grow.