Earl wrote:
>Judy Haffner wrote:
>> Thanks everybody for giving me ideas of how to prepare the small hens,
>>
>> Judy
>>
>Deep fry them!

I don't care for cornish game hens at all, they are just
small/immature chickens, flavorless trailer trash poultry with nothing
to eat on them, more than half is waste. They were chi chi in the
'50s along with fondue pots and lava lamps, nowadays served by folks
who are attempting to show off that they know about fine cuisine, to
me all they show is low IQ.
From Epicurious:
chicken
History tells us that today's chickens are descendants of wild fowl
that roamed the dense jungles of primeval Asia. Thousands of years
later, France's King Henry IV stated in his coronation speech that he
hoped each peasant in his realm would have "a chicken in his pot every
Sunday" (a quote later paraphrased by President Herbert Hoover). It
surprises many people that chicken wasn't always the reasonably priced
meat it is today. Until after World War II, only the affluent (and
chicken farmers) could manage even the proverbial Sunday chicken.
Today, thanks to modern production methods, almost anyone can afford
this versatile fowl, which provides not only meat and eggs but
feathers as well. Chickens fall into several classifications. The
broiler-fryer can weigh up to 3 1/2 pounds and is usually around 2 1/2
months old. These chickens, as the name implies, are best when broiled
or fried. The more flavorful roasters have a higher fat content and
therefore are perfect for roasting and rotisserie cooking. They
usually range between 2 1/2 and 5 pounds and can be up to 8 months
old. Stewing chickens (also called hens, boiling fowl and just plain
fowl ) usually range in age from 10 to 18 months and can weigh from 3
to 6 pounds. Their age makes them more flavorful but also less tender,
so they're best cooked with moist heat, such as in stewing or
braising. A capon is a rooster that is castrated when quite young
(usually before 8 weeks), fed a fattening diet and brought to market
before it's 10 months old. Ranging from 4 to 10 pounds, capons are
full-breasted with tender, juicy, flavorful meat that is particularly
suited to roasting.

*Rock Cornish hen, also called Rock Cornish game hen , is a hybrid of
Cornish and White Rock chickens. These miniature chickens weigh up to
2 1/2 pounds and are 4 to 6 weeks old. Because of the relatively small
amount of meat to bone, each hen is usually just enough for one
serving. Rock Cornish hens are best broiled or roasted.

Squab Chicken (poussin in French), different from the true SQUAB, is
a very small, 4- to 6-week-old chicken that weighs no more than 1 1/2
pounds. These tiny birds are best broiled, grilled or roasted. The
cock or rooster is an older bird and therefore rather tough. It's best
used in soups or to make broths. Free-range chickens are the elite of
the poultry world in that, in contrast to the mass-produced birds
allotted 1 square foot of space, each range chicken has double that
area indoors plus the freedom to roam outdoors. They're fed a special
vegetarian diet free (according to most range chicken breeders) of
antibiotics, animal byproducts, hormones and growth enhancers. The
special diet and freedom of movement is thought by some to give this
fowl a fuller, more "chickeny" flavor; the added amenities also make
these birds much more expensive than mass-produced chickens.
Free-range chickens average 4 1/2 pounds and are usually around 10 to
12 weeks old. Chicken grades: The government grades chicken quality
with USDA classifications A, B and C. The highest grade is A, and is
generally what is found in markets. Grade B chickens are less meaty
and well finished; grade C is usually reserved for scrawny turkeys.
The grade stamp can be found within a shield on the package wrapping,
or sometimes on a tag attached to the bird's wing. Chicken is
available in markets throughout the year either fresh or frozen, and
whole or cut into parts. The neck and GIBLETS (liver, gizzard and
heart) are either packaged separately and placed in a whole bird's
body cavity, or sold individually. Choose a meaty, full-breasted
chicken with plump, short legs. The skin — which can range from
cream-colored to yellow, depending on the breed and the chicken's diet
— should be smooth and soft. Avoid chickens with an off odor, or with
skin that's bruised or torn. Store chicken in the coldest part of the
refrigerator. If packaged tightly in cellophane, loosen packaging or
remove and loosely rewrap chicken in waxed paper. Remove any giblets
from the body cavity and store separately. Refrigerate raw chicken up
to 2 days, cooked chicken up to 3 days. For maximum flavor, freeze raw
chicken no longer than 2 months, cooked chicken up to a month.
Salmonella bacteria are present on most poultry (though only about 4
percent of salmonella poisonings are chicken-related). To avoid any
chance of bacterial contamination, it's important to handle raw
chicken with care. The first rule is never to eat chicken in its raw
state. After cutting or working with raw chicken, thoroughly wash
utensils, cutting tools, cutting board and your hands. Cook boneless
chicken until the internal temperature is 179°F, bone-in chicken to
180°F. Don't let any raw juice come in contact with cooked chicken.
The versatile chicken can be prepared in almost any way imaginable,
including baking, broiling, boiling, roasting, frying, braising,
barbecuing and stewing. Boning chicken will shorten any cooking time
but will also slightly diminish the flavor. Chicken is an excellent
source of protein, and a good to fair source of niacin and iron. White
meat and chicken without skin have fewer calories.

© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD
LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.