Katra wrote:
> In article
> > ,
> "Peter Aitken" > wrote:
>
>> These are the worry-warts who will
>> not let a casserole sit and cool on the counter - it has
>> to go in the fridge 2 milliseconds after it comes out of
>> the oven. The one thing all these people have in commn
>> is a lack of understanding of bacterial, how they grow,
>> and when they can be dangerous. You cannot really blame
>> them - many authorities go overboard because they know
>> that many people will not follow their advice exactly,
>> so they err on the side of safety.
>>
>> BTW, aging is not about bacterial growth. During aging
>> the natural enzymes that are present in the meat slowly
>> change the composition, making it more tender and
>> flovorful.
>
> Yeah, but if you hang up a WHOLE dead bird, don't the gut
> flora also start the rotting process?
>
> Hang it up for a week in the basement? EWwwww!!! (PU!)

Think farther north than you or I. Think those places that have their
basement at temperatures that we have in the refrigerator. Unless they
have heated basements, there are many of them right now. You could age a
duck in a second refrigerator that never gets opened, not your every-day
one. I have friends (in Florida) that have a second or third
refrigeratoe that is used only for aging meats, though it's usually for
beef and not poultry. Search for wet aging of meats. It can be done at
home, but you really have to be careful.

BOB