~Take All the Guesswork Out of Portioning All Poultry~

What size bird to purchase, no matter what the occasion, tends to be confusing because, simply stated, all poultry is not created equal.  Seasoned cooks will tell you size doesn't always matter, because some fowl, duck for instance, may appear to be large enough to feed six people, but, you'd be lucky if you get enough meat from one to adequately feed three.  If you've never cooked a duck before, one duck comfortably feeds two people -- and I had to learn this the hard way.

Every cook, novice or expert, at some point, finds him or herself asking the question, "how much poultry do I need to buy?"  This chart is a great place to start.  I ripped it out of a magazine in my doctors office almost 38 years ago.  Since my son Jess will celebrate his 38th birthday in December, my recollection is precise.  We women remember important stuff like our wedding day, the birth of a child, and, the first time we cooked Thanksgiving Dinner for our family -- timing the turkey, making the gravy, and, peeling all those potatoes.  It can be extremely overwhelming.

About the only other commentary I can add to this short, informative post comes in the form of advice:  Always know your crowd.  Purchase more poultry if you're serving dinner to four hungry college-age guys, or less, if your serving lunch to four middle-aged women.  Always look at the big picture too.  If you want leftovers of the dish you are serving, or you can use some of the leftover poultry to turn out a quick second meal for your family, buy twice as much -- I do!

"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti

(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2021)