How To

How to Clean and Prepare Poultry

Contributor
By eHow Contributing Writer
(11 Ratings)

Here's the safest way to get your chicken or turkey ready for the oven.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Instructions

Things You'll Need:

  • Salt And Pepper
  • Chef's Knives
  • Chef's Knives
  • Kitchen Strings
  • Plastic Cutting Board
  • Toothpicks
  • Paper Towels
  • Paper Towels
  • Toothpicks
  • Paper towels
  1. Step 1

    Refrigerate uncooked poultry as soon as you get it home. Use a refrigerator thermometer to make sure your fridge stays between 35 and 40 degrees F.

  2. Step 2

    Wash your hands well with soap and warm water before and after handling poultry.

  3. Step 3

    Trim off excess fat and skin with a sharp knife.

  4. Step 4

    Pull poultry skin off with your hands if you want skinless meat.

  5. Step 5

    Remove giblets from inside the whole chicken or turkey. Save them for making soup or gravy.

  6. Step 6

    Close the opening of a whole chicken or turkey by inserting crisscrossed toothpicks into the skin on either side and tying the toothpicks with kitchen string.

  7. Step 7

    Sprinkle poultry with salt and pepper before roasting.

  8. Step 8

    Wash your cutting boards, knives, plates, utensils, countertops and any other surfaces with warm, soapy water after they come into contact with uncooked poultry.

Tips & Warnings
  • Use a plastic cutting board for preparing poultry. You can wash it in the dishwasher.
  • Cook stuffing separately from the bird - this is safer.
  • Rinsing poultry before cooking is unnecessary, since bacteria are destroyed during cooking. If you prefer to rinse poultry, use cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
  • Cook poultry to an internal temperature of 175 to 180 degrees F.
  • Bacteria grow most easily on poultry between 40 and 140 degrees F, so keep cold poultry cold and hot poultry hot.

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