Page 84 - One Thousand Ways to Make $1000

few chickens are also sold, mostly broilers. However, at the end of the
breeding season there are, of course, a number of old hens and stags which
must be marketed for which only the lowest prices can be obtained. After
handling the left-over stock in this manner for some time, the idea occurred
to them that they might be able to make a profit by cooking the old birds and
selling them as “pressed chicken.”

The chickens for this purpose are best cooked in a pressure cooker as cooking
under pressure requires only from 30 to 40 minutes, whereas cooking in an
open kettle requires from two to three hours. In addition to reducing the time
spent in cooking, the pressure method of cooking produces a much richer
product than the open-kettle method as the additional water required in the
latter method naturally reduces the rich stock. With a pressure cooker Mrs.
Knapp was able to save the cost of the extra cooking time. After the chicken
is thoroughly cooked, the meat is cut into cross sections (to reduce the length
of muscle shreds), seasoned to taste (some seasoning is added during
cooking), the chicken stock is added, and a tablespoonful of plain gelatin.
The extra gelatin helps to keep the mold firm and makes for easier slicing of
the loaf when it has set. The molds should be greased to prevent the contents
from sticking and when filled they are placed in the refrigerator to set. In
addition to making plain loaves, Mrs. Knapp also adds sliced vegetables,
olives, the riced white and yolks of hard-boiled eggs, etc. By preparing the
loaf in layers a very attractive summer dish can be made. To form this loaf,
the chicken should be cooked in the usual way, the white meat separated
from the dark meat and each kind cut fine or run through a food chopper. The
yolks and whites of several hard-boiled eggs should be chopped up separately
and each seasoned well. Then the four ingredients, the white meat, dark meat,
egg yolks and egg whites, should be mixed with the chicken stock which has
been cooked down thick enough to jell. The white and dark meat and the
yellow and white egg should then be arranged in layers, pressed in a pan or
jar and allowed to set overnight.

Adding water to the stock results in a larger quantity of food, but, of course,
the product brings a lower price. In a quality market a loaf should sell for 50
cents a pound. As a five-pound male bird, at the usual 45 per cent loss,
should dress out to about two and three-quarter pounds, the return on one bird