Cooking & Baking

My co-op sells nice big ones and I get two at a time, as close to 5 pounds each, as I can get. The breasts get boned out and frozen on a cooky sheet, before I put them in a freezer container. Each one tends to be big enough for a meal for two. The breast tenders and any large scraps from the back get cubed and stuck in another freezer container for stir-fry. So that's 5 meals for two.

The legs and thighs also get frozen on a sheet before being put in a container. A piece is a serving, so that's another 4 meals for two. The wings get cut into flats and drummies and put in a separate container - when they reach critical mass, it's time for a wing ding.

All other parts - rib bones, backs, necks, wing tips - go in freezer bags. 2 gallons of scrap parts and bones, plus an open weekend, and we get a large batch of free soup. This gets pressure canned.

I like not wasting any of it, and it's a real convenience to be able to shop the freezer or the pantry. Especially on a late night working, it's really fast to come home, finish up some rice I started before I left in the morning, and just do a quick stir-fry or sauté of the meat I thawed. Hot meal on the table in maybe fifteen minutes.