halfway through cooking.

Serving poultry cold

It is great to find leftover turkey or chicken in the refrigerator the day after a feast of a

oven-roasted bird. Newspapers and magazines offer scores of ideas of what to do with leftovers

during turkey season.

Cooked meat holds better in the refrigerator, than raw meat because through heat you got

rid of harmful microorganisms and deactivated enzymes in the chicken that otherwise start to

spoil the meat. But the flavor just isn't the same after three or four days as it was the Friday after

Thanksgiving. Food scientists refer to this phenomenon as warmed-over flavor and I discussed in

detail in Warmed-over flavor in the Meat chapter. Poultry is exceptionally susceptible because it

is high in unsaturated fats, which tend to turn rancid faster than saturated fats.

As with most chemical reactions, lowering the temperature and limiting oxygen contact

minimizes oxidation. Wrap any leftovers carefully and store them in the refrigerator or freezer as

soon as the are cool. Covering the meat with a sauce to keep oxygen from attacking it is another

excellent way to reduce warmed-over flavor. Meat stored in gravy has five times longer shelf life

than if it is wrapped securely but stored without sauce.

Cold cooked poultry is a fine addition to salads, but don't use the pieces that you cooked

in water to make a poultry stock. The flavor of that meat is all in the liquid, and what is left gives

nothing but a good texture to salads. Instead, marinate fresh chicken or turkey in your favorite

marinade, and bake the marinated pieces specifically for your salad.

Points to Remember

Poultry is one of the highest sources of all meat proteins, and without skin it is reasonably

low in fat and cholesterol.

Whether you buy your chicken whole or cut-up, boned or bone-in depends on what you have

more of, time or money, and on how skilled you are with a knife.

If you use any of the dry cooking methods, stop the cooking process as soon as the internal

temperature of the meat in the center of the thickest part reaches 150°to 155°F (66°to 69°C).

A good thermometer is the best tool to help you cook the juiciest, most tender, most

flavorful meat.

Browning the meat is essential for full flavor with any of the moist cooking methods. Slow

cooking at a low simmer in flavorful liquids gives the best results.

Today's chicken has high moisture content. Add very little liquid at the beginning of stewing

and braising.

Slow development of warmed-over flavor of cooked poultry by thoroughly wrapping when

freezing or covering with sauce in storage.

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