TIPS FOR
HANDLING CHICKEN
Like all perishable items, chicken too needs
careful handling to maintain its quality.
- Never store chicken at room temperature for more
than 2 hours. Keep uncooked chicken refrigerated
or frozen until ready to cook.
- Thaw chicken in the refrigerator or in cold
water. It takes approximately 24 hours to thaw a
4-pound chicken in the refrigerator; cut-up parts
3-9 hours. To thaw in cold water, place chicken
in its original wrap or watertight plastic bag in
cold water; change water often. It takes about 2
hours to thaw a whole chicken.
- You can use a microwave for quick thawing of
chicken. Use Defrost or Medium-Low setting.
Microwave 2 minutes; let stand 2 minutes. Repeat
if needed. Turn chicken and separate parts as it
thaws, taking care that it does not begin to
cook. Defrosted chicken feels soft and moist and
is cold but hard and stiff.
- Always wash hands, working surfaces, cutting
boards, knives and other utensils used in
preparing raw chicken before they come in contact
with other raw or cooked foods.
- Cooked chicken with sauce or gravy should be
packed in a rigid container with a tight-fitting
lid. Keep frozen until time to thaw or cook.
Chicken starts out lean.
Here are some tips to help you keep it that way.
- Removing the skin from chicken parts before or
after cooking doesn't affect the fat content. But
eating it does! About two thirds of the fat is in
the skin.
- Barbecuing, broiling or roasting chicken allows
the fat to drip away. When you're cooking a
roast, be sure to place the chicken on a wire
roasting rack.
- For an especially moist and juicy chicken, simmer
in a small amount of water or broth. The meat
will be low in fat, and so will the dish if you
discard most of the simmering liquid and replace
it with a low-fat sauce.
- Wine, cranberry juice, lemon and low-fat yogurt
are just some of the ingredients you can choose
to create a delicious low-fat sauce.
- When browning chicken pieces, use a non-stick
skillet and a vegetable oil spray.
- Season chicken by preparing a low-fat or fat-free
marinade of herbs, spices and juices or wine.
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