Plate/Present Poultry and Game Dishes

Portion Control for Cooked Poultry and Game

Chicken

 Meat shrinks about 25% when cooked. A quarter-pound hamburger (4 oz.) will actually yield a 3 ounce portion after
cooking. An 8 ounce steak will yield about 6 ounces of cooked meat.
 A chicken breast is generally 3 - 4 ounces.
 A chicken thigh is usually 2 ounces, while a leg is 1 - 2 ounces.
 Chicken wings are high in fat. It takes 2 wings to equal a 1 ounce choice (or exchange) with that.

How to Do Control Portion Sizes – Portion Control Secrets

Portion: A “portion” is how much food you choose to eat at one time (breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack), whether in a
restaurant, from a package, or in your own kitchen. Portions can be bigger or smaller than the recommended food servings.
There is no standard portion size and no single right or wrong portion size.

Serving: A “serving” size is the amount of food listed (and recommended) on a product’s Nutrition Facts (panel of
packaged food) or the amount of food recommended in the Food Guide Pyramid and the Dietary Guidelines* for Americans.
Sometimes, the portion size and serving size match; sometimes they do not. A serving is a standard amount used to help
give advice about how much to eat, or to identify how many calories and nutrients are in a food.

How to Control Portion Sizes:

Eating smaller portions of food is one of the easiest ways to cut back on calories—but it can also be one of the most
challenging, with the current trend of super-sizing. How do you know a reasonable portion of food when you see it?

Factors to consider in presenting/plating poultry dishes

 Types of service wares
 Plating
 Garnishing
 Sauces
 Accompaniments

Store Poultry and Game Bird

Techniques in Storing Poultry

Poultry may be frozen whole, in halves, cut into pieces, or parts after they are dressed. Parts can be packed separately,
ready to cook, or for easy meal preparation and thawing.

Handling and Storage of Poultry

Poultry spoils very quickly unless it is properly handled and stored. After being brought home from the market, it should
be unwrapped as quickly as possible and wiped off with a damp cloth. Then it should be lightly covered with waxed paper, placed in
shallow utensils and stored in a cold part of the refrigerator near the freezing unit or ice. Cooked poultry should be cooled as quickly
as possible, covered to prevent drying and refrigerated. Removing the bones saves space. Frozen poultry must be kept in the
freezing unit until it is thawed for cooking.

Freezing and Thawing Poultry

To prepare poultry properly for freezing, it should be wrapped tightly in a moisture-vapor proof film, foil or paper and then
frozen at -170oC (0oF) or lower. Although there are no abrupt changes in quality during the first few months of poultry storage, it has
always been a good practice to use these chickens first which have been in storage longest and those with torn wrapper.

Storage Time for Poultry and Game

Product Refrigerator (35-40oF) Freezer ( 0oF)

Chicken and turkey (Whole) 1 – 2 days 12 months

Chicken (pieces) 1 – 2 days 9 months

 Turkey ( pieces ) 1 – 2 days 6 months

Duck and Goose ( whole ) 1 – 2 days 6 months

Giblets 1 – 2 days 3 – 4 months

Wild duck, pheasant. Goose ( whole)

Cooked poultry dishes 1 – 2 days 6 months

Canned poultry, opened 2 – 4 days 4 – 6 months

1 day NR

It is not recommended to refreeze poultry after it has been thawed. Freezing and thawing release fluids called drip and the
chances of bacterial spoilage are increased. Water holding capacity of meat is also affected by subsequent thawing.

When thawing, it is advisable to thaw slowly inside the refrigerator to give tissues a better chance to rehydrate.
Immediately cook the thawed meat since bacterial growth is rapid upon thawing. Slow thawing may be effected by placing the 1 to 2
kg. chicken in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours or to place it under running tap water for ½ to 1 hour, in their original wrap In both
cases. However, frozen poultry or any other market forms of poultry should not be allowed to thaw or soak in a bowl of water
because of possible bacterial build.

Safety Practices in Handling and Storing Poultry and Game Products

How to Handle Chicken Safely

Raw chicken and poultry can carry the salmonella bacteria, which is responsible for more cases
of food poisoning than any other pathogen. Fortunately, it's easy to avoid getting sick from chicken and
poultry, as long as you follow safe food handling practices. Once you're home, you should immediately
place your chicken in a refrigerator that maintains a temperature of 40°F or colder, and use it within 2
days. Otherwise, it should be frozen at 0°F.

Safe Handling of Chicken and Poultry

Just like meat, fish or any animal-based food product, raw or undercooked chicken carry certain
bacteria. These bacteria can cause illness in large numbers.

Therefore, to avoid illness we need to limit bacteria's ability to multiply, or kill them altogether.
Limiting their ability to multiply requires making sure that food products are not left at room temperatures
— or specifically, temperatures between 40°F and 140°F — for more than an hour.

cross-contamination. Cross-contamination can happen when raw poultry — or even just its juices
— somehow come into contact with any other food products but especially ones that are already cooked
or ones that will be eaten raw, such as salad vegetables or greens.

Fresh vs. Frozen Chicken and Poultry

If the label on a raw poultry product bears the term "fresh," that indicates that it has never been
colder than 26°F. Poultry that has at any time been kept at 0°F or colder must have a label indicating that
it is "frozen" or "previously frozen," whatever the case may be.
 Interestingly, poultry that has been kept at temperatures colder than 26°F but warmer than 0°F can
be labeled neither fresh nor frozen

Chicken and Poultry Product Dating

Federal regulations don't require poultry products to be dated. However, most retailers will date
the chicken products that they sell.

If they do opt to date the product, regulations do require that there be a phrase signifying whether
the date is a "sell by" date or a "use before" date, and the explanation must appear right next to the date.
Basics for Handling Food Safely

 Shopping
 Storage
 Preparation
 Thawing
 Cooking
 Serving
 Leftovers
 Refreezing

Safe steps in food handling, cooking, and storage are essential to prevent foodborne illness. You
can't see, smell, or taste harmful bacteria that may cause illness. In every step of food preparation, follow
the four Fight BAC! ™ guidelines to keep food safe:

 Clean — Wash hands and surfaces often.

 Separate — Don't cross-contaminate.
 Cook — Cook to proper temperatures.
 Chill — Refrigerate promptly.

Shopping

 Purchase refrigerated or frozen items after selecting your non-perishables.

 Never choose meat or poultry in packaging that is torn or leaking.
 Do not buy food without expiration dates

Storage

 Always refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours (1 hour when the temperature is above 90 °F).
 Check the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer with an appliance thermometer. The
refrigerator should be at 40 °F or below and the freezer at 0 °F or below.
 Cook or freeze fresh poultry, fish, ground meats, and variety meats within 2 days; other beef,
veal, lamb, or pork, within 3 to 5 days.
 Perishable food such as meat and poultry should be wrapped securely to maintain quality and to
prevent meat juices from getting onto other food.
 To maintain quality when freezing meat and poultry in its original package, wrap the package
again with foil or plastic wrap that is recommended for the freezer.
 In general, high-acid canned food such as tomatoes, grapefruit, and pineapple can be stored on
the shelf for 12 to 18 months. Low-acid canned food such as meat, poultry, fish, and most
vegetables will keep 2 to 5 years — if the can remains in good condition and has been stored in a
cool, clean, and dry place. Discard cans that are dented, leaking, bulging, or rusted.
Preparation
 Always wash hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before and after handling food.
 Don't cross-contaminate. Keep raw meat, poultry, fish, and their juices away from other food.
After cutting raw meats, wash cutting board, utensils, and countertops with hot, soapy water.
 Cutting boards, utensils, and countertops can be sanitized by using a solution of 1 tablespoon of
unscented, liquid chlorine bleach in 1 gallon of water.
 Marinate meat and poultry in a covered dish in the refrigerator.

Thawing

 Refrigerator: The refrigerator allows slow, safe thawing. Make sure thawing meat and poultry
juices do not drip onto other food.
 Cold Water: For faster thawing, place food in a leak-proof plastic bag. Submerge in cold tap
water. Change the water every 30 minutes. Cook immediately after thawing.
 Microwave: Cook meat and poultry immediately after microwave thawing

Cooking

Cook all raw poultry, beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum internal
temperature of 145 °F as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source.
For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming. For
reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook meat to higher temperatures.

Poultry: Cook all poultry to an internal temperature of 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer.

Serving

 Hot food should be held at 140 °F or warmer.

 Cold food should be held at 40 °F or colder.
 When serving food at a buffet, keep food hot with chafing dishes, slow cookers, and warming
trays. Keep food cold by nesting dishes in bowls of ice or use small serving trays and replace
them often.
 Perishable food should not be left out more than 2 hours at room temperature (1 hour when the
temperature is above 90 °F).

Left overs

 Discard any food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if the temperature
was above 90 °F).
 Place food into shallow containers and immediately put in the refrigerator or freezer for rapid
cooling.
 Use cooked leftovers within 4 days.
 Reheat leftovers to 165 °F.

Refreezing
Meat and poultry defrosted in the refrigerator may be refrozen before or after cooking. If thawed by other
methods, cook before refreezing.