Poultry and Game Birds

The texture of poultry and game birds is not changed much by freezing, but the more fat the shorter the storage life of the frozen cut. Lean birds like quail freeze better than fatty birds like goose.

To freeze a whole bird, remove the fat from the vent end and take out and wrap giblets separately. Trussing a whole fowl with string helps it keep its shape ready for cooking. Put the bird in a plastic freezer bag and overwrap with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Poultry can be frozen in recipe-sized portions, and wings, backbones and other trimmings can be frozen separately for stock. Ideally, raw poultry, should be thoroughly defrosted in the refrigerator—allow two hours per 1 lb/500 g. Game birds can be frozen with or without the feathers, as for poultry, though never freeze a bird that has not been drawn and cleaned.