thirty times per year (every single time you eat chicken, that is), then you could be doing at least a little bit better As with anything else, the key to perfect poultry is knowledge, care, and some practice I can’t help you with the last, but I just might be able to lend a hand in the first two categories In researching the subject for this book, I roasted well over sixty birds, no two the same way—and that’s not counting the hundreds, if not thousands, I’ve cooked in my lifetime Whether it’s a young chicken with just enough meat on its bones to make a hearty meal for two or the Thanksgiving centerpiece for a family of twelve, the basics of selecting and cooking a chicken or a turkey are not all that different The FOOD LAB’s Complete Guide TO BUYING, STORING, AND ROASTING WHOLE POULTRY A bird’s a bird’s a bird, right? Well, not necessarily — chickens and turkeys come in all shapes, sizes, and breeds, not to mention the various ways they are slaughtered, chilled, packaged, processed, and sold around the country So you’ve got to make a lot of choices before you even begin to think about how to cook ’em Here are the basics you need to know .. .The FOOD LAB? ??s Complete Guide TO BUYING, STORING, AND ROASTING WHOLE POULTRY A bird’s a bird’s a bird,... chickens and turkeys come in all shapes, sizes, and breeds, not to mention the various ways they are slaughtered, chilled, packaged, processed, and sold around the country So you’ve got to make a lot of choices before... you’ve got to make a lot of choices before you even begin to think about how to cook ’em Here are the basics you need to know