Step I: Cleaning

Remove any hairs on heads, feet, tails, ears or snouts by singeing over an open flame or plucking. Scrub well (using a vegetable brush if desired) and then sprinkle with salt, rubbing it into the skin. Rinse well with cool water; pat dry. Remove any excess fat. Poultry feet (chicken, duck or turkey) must be stripped of their outer scaly skin; plunge them in boiling water for 1 minute, as you would do before peeling tomatoes. Proceed with recipe.

Step II: Parboiling

Parboil in salted water (1 teaspoon salt for each quart water) for 5 minutes. Drain, discarding water. This step serves the propose of ridding the meat of running blood as well as clinging meat, fat or bone residue, thereby adding clarity to sauces.

Source: Allen, Jana, and Margaret Gin (1974) Innards and Other Variety Meats. San Francisco: 101 Productions.

Collected by Bert Christensen
Toronto, Ontario