A BIRD IN THE HAND

When Mother’s Little Helpers were young, they enjoyed being read too. In particular, they enjoyed Little Golden Books and such classics as “The Little Engine That Could” and “The Little Red Hen”.

Or maybe, those just happened to be the favorite story books that Old Frugal Mother kept near their beds. They were rich in lessons that frugal mother wanted her offspring to learn.

Recently, I learned the difference between a chicken and a hen.

An older female chicken is a hen; the male bird is a rooster.

The female hens are tougher birds than roosters. Tougher in taste. Not as tender, needing more time to break down the toughness.  

Conversely, chicken fryers are younger, more tender, as they are smaller in weight than the hen. They are more versatile for cooking than the older hen.

The best method for cooking the hen is covered in the oven or the crock pot because it needs time and steam to break down the toughness while keeping it moist.

I experimented with a different technique. 

After sectioning the hen into parts, making cutlets from the breast, soaked in buttermilk, hoping the buttermilk will break down the toughness of the breasts. Breaded, baked in my toaster oven with a quick browning in my frying pan. The remaining parts will go into the Crockpot and the carcass into a pot for stock.

This old hen just may make that old bird last for a week’s worth of meals!

SOUND THE BUGLE! Today’s tip: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. I would rather have a hen on sale at .69/lb that I can learn to cook than to wait for something else to come along and have nothing.