General Preparation of Poultry

As a prelude to preparation, all ready-to-cook poultry should be washed inside and out and then patted dry with paper towels. Dish towels should not be used, because they can become a habitat for microorganisms. About one-fourth of all chickens in the United States carry Salmonella, and about half carry Campylobacter jejuni. A national survey showed that while only about 4 percent of broilers tested positive for Salmonella before processing, the number rose to 36 percent after the carcasses had been subjected to scalding, defeathering, eviscerating, and chilling. For this reason, anything that comes in contact with raw poultry, including hands, cutting boards, sinks, utensils, dishes, and counters, should be cleaned and sanitized afterwards.

Freezing will largely protect against bacterial growth while the poultry is frozen, but precautions should be taken during and after thawing, when any bacteria that are present may begin to grow. The refrigerator is the best place to thaw frozen birds, and its use requires planning ahead. It takes about a day for a 3.5 pound chicken and one to five days for a turkey to defrost, depending on its weight. When the cavity is sufficiently thawed, the package of internal organs should be removed, and the cavity rinsed. Thawing whole poultry at room temperature, in the microwave oven, or under running cold water is not recommended.

After thawing, the bird should be seasoned and/or stuffed and baked immediately. For food safety reasons, the USDA recommends that stuffing be prepared and cooked separately or, if not, at least checked with a meat thermometer to determine if the internal temperature is at least 165F (75C). Prestuffed frozen poultry should never be thawed, but should be prepared, according to package directions, directly from the frozen state. The stuffing should be removed from leftover cooked poultry before the bird is refrigerated or frozen.