Grade

12

TVL-HE
COOKERY NCII
QUARTER 3 – MODULE 7
Store Poultry and Game Bird
I. INTRODUCTION:

Poultry may be frozen whole, in halves, cut into pieces, or parts after they are
dressed. Parts can be packed separately, ready to cook, or for easy meal preparation
and thawing.
Poultry spoils very quickly unless it is properly handled and stored. After
being brought home from the market, it should be unwrapped as quickly as possible
and wiped off with a damp cloth. Then it should be lightly covered with waxed paper,
placed in shallow utensils and stored in a cold part of the refrigerator near the
freezing unit or ice. Cooked poultry should be cooled as quickly as possible, covered
to prevent drying and refrigerated. Removing the bones saves space. Frozen poultry
must be kept in the freezing unit until it is thawed for cooking.

II. MODULE CONTENT

Freezing and Thawing Poultry

To prepare poultry properly for freezing, it should be wrapped tightly in a

moisture-vapor proof film, foil or paper and then frozen at -170oC (0oF) or lower.
Although there are no abrupt changes in quality during the first few months of poultry
storage, it has always been a good practice to use these chickens first which have
been in storage longest and those with torn wrapper.

Storage time for Poultry and Game

PRODUCT REFRIGERATOR FREEZER

( 35-40F ) ( 0F)
Chicken and Turkey (Whole) 1 – 2 days 12 months
Chicken Pieces 1 – 2 days 9 months
Turkey Pieces 1 – 2 days 6 months
Duck and Goose (Whole) 1 – 2 days 6 months
Giblets 1 – 2 days 3-4months
Wild Ducks, Pheasant, Goose (Whole) 1 – 2 days 6 months
Cooked poultry dishes 2 - 4 days 4-6months
Canned poultry, opened 1 day NR

It is not recommended to refreeze poultry after it has been thawed. Freezing and
thawing release fluids called drip and the chances of bacterial spoilage are
increased. Water holding capacity of meat is also affected by subsequent thawing.
When thawing, it is advisable to thaw slowly inside the refrigerator to give tissues a
better chance to rehydrate. Immediately cook the thawed meat since bacterial growth
is rapid upon thawing. Slow thawing may be affected by placing the 1 to 2 kg.
chicken in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours or to place it under running tap water for
½ to 1 hour, in their original wrap in both cases. However, frozen poultry or any other
market forms of poultry should not be allowed to thaw or soak in a bowl of water
because of possible bacterial build.

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 Safety Practices in Handling and Storing Poultry and Game Products

How to Handle Chicken Safely

Raw chicken and poultry can carry the salmonella bacteria, which is
responsible for more cases of food poisoning than any other pathogen. Fortunately,
it’s easy to avoid getting sick from chicken and poultry, as long as you follow safe
food handling practices.

Safe Shopping for Chicken and Poultry

During distribution to retail stores, fresh chicken is kept cold in order to extend
its shelf life as well as to prevent bacteria growth. Packages of chicken should feel
cold to the touch, and should be among the last items you select before checking out.
Packages of chicken should be wrapped in plastic bags to prevent leakage onto
other items in your grocery cart.
Once you’re home, you should immediately place your chicken in a refrigerator that
maintains a temperature of 40°F or colder, and use it within 2 days. Otherwise, it
should be frozen at 0°F.

Safe Handling of Chicken and Poultry

Just like meat, fish or any animal-based food product, raw or undercooked
chicken carry certain bacteria. These bacteria can cause illness in large numbers.
Therefore, to avoid illness we need to limit bacteria’s ability to multiply, or kill them
altogether. Limiting their ability to multiply requires making sure that food products
are not left at room temperatures — or specifically, temperatures between 40°F and
140°F — for more than an hour. And remember, freezing doesn’t kill bacteria, either
— it just makes them cold. The only way to kill food-borne pathogens is by
thoroughly cooking the food.
Another concern with respect to working with uncooked poultry is cross-
contamination.
Cross-contamination can happen when raw poultry — or even just its juices —
somehow come into contact with any other food products but especially ones that are
already cooked or ones that will be eaten raw, such as salad vegetables or greens.

Fresh vs. Frozen Chicken and Poultry

If the label on a raw poultry product bears the term “fresh,” that indicates that
it has never been colder than 26°F. Poultry that has at any time been kept at 0°F or
colder must have a label indicating that it is “frozen” or “previously frozen,” whatever
the case may be.
Interestingly, poultry that has been kept at temperatures colder than 26°F
but warmer than 0°F can be labeled neither fresh nor frozen.

Chicken and Poultry Product Dating

Federal regulations don’t require poultry products to be dated. However, most
retailers will date the chicken products that they sell. If they do opt to date the
product, regulations do require that there be a phrase signifying whether the date is a
“sell by” date or a “use before” date, and the explanation must appear right next to
the date.

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Basics for Handling Food Safely
• Shopping
• Storage
• Preparation
• Thawing
• Cooking
• Serving
• Leftovers
• Refreezing

Safe steps in food handling, cooking, and storage are essential to prevent food borne
illness. You can’t see, smell, or taste harmful bacteria that may cause illness. In
every step of food preparation, follow the following guidelines to keep
food safe:
• Clean — Wash hands and surfaces often.
• Separate — Don’t cross-contaminate.
• Cook — Cook to proper temperatures.
• Chill — Refrigerate promptly.

Shopping
• Purchase refrigerated or frozen items after selecting your non-perishables.
• Never choose meat or poultry in packaging that is torn or leaking.
• Do not buy food without expiration dates

Storage
• Always refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours (1 hour when the temperature is
above 90 °F).
• Check the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer with an appliance
thermometer. The refrigerator should be at 40 °F or below and the freezer at 0 °F or
below.
• Cook or freeze fresh poultry, fish, ground meats, and variety meats within 2 days;
other beef, veal, lamb, or pork, within 3 to 5 days.
• Perishable food such as meat and poultry should be wrapped securely to maintain
quality and to prevent meat juices from getting onto other food.
• To maintain quality when freezing meat and poultry in its original package, wrap the
package again with foil or plastic wrap that is recommended for the freezer.
• In general, high-acid canned food such as tomatoes, grapefruit, and pineapple can
be stored on the shelf for 12 to 18 months. Low-acid canned food such as meat,
poultry, fish, and most vegetables will keep 2 to 5 years — if the can remains in good
condition and has been stored in a cool, clean, and dry place. Discard cans that are
dented, leaking, bulging, or rusted.

Preparation
• Always wash hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before and after
handling food.
• Don’t cross-contaminate. Keep raw meat, poultry, fish, and their juices away from
other food. After cutting raw meats, wash cutting board, utensils, and countertops
with hot, soapy water.
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 • Cutting boards, utensils, and countertops can be sanitized by using a solution of 1
tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach in 1 gallon of water.
• Marinate meat and poultry in a covered dish in the refrigerator.

Thawing
• Refrigerator The refrigerator allows slow, safe thawing. Make sure thawing meat
and poultry juices do not drip onto other food.
• Cold Water For faster thawing, place food in a leak-proof plastic bag. Submerge in
cold tap water. Change the water every 30 minutes. Cook immediately after thawing.
• Microwave Cook meat and poultry immediately after microwave thawing

Cooking
• Cook all raw poultry, beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, chops, and roasts to a
minimum internal temperature of 145 °F as measured with a food thermometer
before removing meat from the heat source. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest
for at least three minutes before carving or consuming. For reasons of personal
preference, consumers may choose to cook meat to higher temperatures.

Poultry. Cook all poultry to an internal temperature of 165 °F as measured with a food
thermometer.
Serving
• Hot food should be held at 140 °F or warmer.
• Cold food should be held at 40 °F or colder.
• When serving food at a buffet, keep food hot with chafing dishes, slow cookers, and
warming trays. Keep food cold by nesting dishes in bowls of ice or use small serving
trays and replace them often.
• Perishable food should not be left out more than 2 hours at room temperature (1
hour when the temperature is above 90 °F).

Left overs
• Discard any food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if the
temperature was above 90 °F).
• Place food into shallow containers and immediately put in the refrigerator or freezer
for rapid cooling.
• Use cooked leftovers within 4 days.
• Reheat leftovers to 165 °F.

Refreezing
• Meat and poultry defrosted in the refrigerator may be refrozen before or after
cooking. If thawed by other methods, cook before refreezing.

III. ACTIVITIES

Make a portfolio on different storage machines that are available on

the internet and in your community. Submit your output in a short folder.

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 IV. SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT (Use a separate sheet of paper for your answer)

A. Fill-in the missing information in the box. Write your answer in a separate
sheet of paper. (10pts)

PRODUCT REFRIGERATOR FREEZER

Giblets
Duck and Goose (Whole) 1 – 2 days
Canned poultry, opened
Chicken Pieces 9 months
Wild Ducks, Pheasant, Goose (Whole) 6 months
Chicken and Turkey (Whole) 1 – 2 days
Turkey Pieces 6 months
Cooked poultry dishes 2 - 4 days

B. Differentiate fresh from frozen chicken/poultry. Write your answer in a separate

sheet of paper. (5 pts.)

II.. ESSAY: Why is storing of food items important? What happens if a food/ingredient
did not store properly? Write your answer in a separate sheet of paper. (10 points)

References:
Department of Education, Technical Vocational Livelihood Education – Cookery
Module 2 Manual First Edition, 2016

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 ANSWER SHEET

NAME _________________________________________________ SCORE ___

SUBJ TEACHER __________________________________GRADE/SEC___________