32 STUDIES OF POULTRY. 



the flesh is wholesome and nutritious, there is a loss in flavor the 

 degree of which is dependent upon the length of time for which the 

 storage has been continued. 



The thawing of the frozen chicken preparatory to its use as food 

 is a matter of great importance if the good qualities of the fowl are 

 to be preserved. It was formerly customary to thaw birds by throw- 

 ing them into cold W 7 ater. This method, on a commercial scale, is 

 practically certain to result in thawing in dirty water, thereby so con- 

 taminating the flesh that decomposition proceeds very rapidly. It is 

 also deleterious, in that it extracts a considerable part of the flavor 

 of the flesh. This being the first attribute of the fresh chicken to be 

 lost by cold storage is the one which should be most carefully guarded. 

 To preserve it, as well as the appearance of the fowl, thawing should 

 be accomplished by hanging the bird in cool air, if possible at the 

 temperature of an ordinary ice refrigerator for twenty-four hours. 

 This. time is sufficient to thaw a bird of the usual size. A slightly 

 longer period may be required for large roasting chickens. There 

 should also be some circulation of air, that the moisture which settles 

 on the skin of the chicken may evaporate. So thawed, a bird well 

 prepared and stored for a reasonable length of time that is, from 

 one season of production until the next as a maximum will have a 

 clear, fresh color in the skin, which will be soft in texture, slipping 

 easily from the muscles beneath it. The flesh of breast and thighs 

 may be very slightly deeper in color than in the fresh specimen, but 

 so little that the change is negligible from a practical viewpoint. 

 The fat is generally a little deeper in color and may have a slight 

 taste and odor of rancidity. 



The practice of thawing poultry for selling and then, in event of 

 a lagging market, returning the thawed stock to the freezer for a 

 second wait there is one of the unfortunate habits of the trade, but, 

 happily, it is decreasing among the more careful/ Refreezing is 

 never a success, and the loss in quality after the second thawing has 

 led to a strong disapproval of the practice by all w T ho are acquainted 

 Avith the results. While the refreezing of poultry thawed in air is 

 decidedly deleterious, that which is thawed in water and refrozen is 

 in a much worse condition. 



The interval between the thawing of cold-stored poultry and its 

 receipt by the housewife can not be too short in the interests of good, 

 wholesome food. It is far preferable to deliver the goods to the con- 

 sumer hard frozen, permitting the thawing to take place in the house 

 ice box. If the poultry is frozen by the packer and maintained in 

 frozen condition until received by the consumer, it w T ill need to be 

 " ripened " for several days in the ice box before eating, else it wall 

 have the flat flavor so disappointing to the epicure. If, on the other 



[Cir. 64] 



