Is expensive Chicken actually worth it?

In this video I made a fried

chicken

sandwich with a $3 per pound

chicken

breast and an identical one with a $9 per pound chicken breast. Why exactly? I'm a little obsessed with understanding the decisions I make at the grocery store every day. and every time I walk down the poultry aisle and buy organic or air-chilled chicken breast, I have this question: Does the chicken breast really have a better flavor and texture or am I just paying for how it is grown and processed now, either? One or the other or a combination of both may be completely valid reasons to spend extra money on chicken breast, but every time I try them there are always some interesting observations, such as why the cheapest chicken breast weighs three times the weight of a single grass. raising breast or what is the difference between free range and pastured chicken and do these certifications mean anything or are they unregulated marketing terms so before we get into frying the chicken and the taste test let's first cover what makes chicken be more or less

expensive

in the first place, but first a quick thanks to today's sponsor, Babel, which is one of the best language learning apps in the world and what I like most about Babel is that the lessons prepare you for have practical conversations about travel business relationships and more.

The biggest problems I had when I was in Mexico City with Spanish a few years ago is that I can read Spanish and say what I want or need pretty well, so I would go to a takaria and order and then they would hit me with something. basic question like stop that simply means would you like that to be and I completely freeze, brain goes blank. I have no words to say, so I took the test again in Babel at a2.1 level and after updating my vocabulary a little. I'm excited to book the two free live classes I get with my subscription and I can also listen to the included module while I wash the dishes and if you want to learn a language this winter, head to the link for 60% off. your subscription and thank you again Babel for sponsoring this video in general, there are four variables that affect the price of chicken, the breed, how it is raised, how it is processed and how it is certified, and these are the two chicken breasts that we will use for the tests and since they are so different, it is not surprising that they are a different breed, the small one is from an Air Loom breed of chicken and the mega breast is from the modern Broiler chicken and, as indicated in food and cooking, the chicken Modern is a product of the drive to breed fast-growing animals and raise them on as little feed as possible and because of this mass production, the genetic diversity in broiler chickens has largely disappeared in favor of a cross between the Double-breasted male Cornish and the big-boned strain of the US White Plymouth Rock Hen and obviously the size difference here is noticeable, but it's even crazier when you realize that the chicken holding this breast can be raise in about 6 to 8 weeks, which brings us to variables on how the mega chicken breast was raised here really is a product of agricultural engineering, as a 4 bp bird can be produced with only 8 pounds of feed in 6 weeks;

On the other hand, the slower growing breeds are usually found in about the 14 we classify, like our smaller chicken breast here, which is sometimes mentioned in package marketing and I'll add a link to the poultry classes from the USDA if you would like to take a look at some of the common breeds sold now. Most people claim that smaller, slower-raised chicken

actually

tastes better, but you have to remember the chicken. It's pretty tame in itself, so we'll look at that statement shortly. I mean, they are pretty boring now, apart from when they are grown, there are also some differences in breeding, for example, have you ever wondered what the difference is between free?

Pasture-Raised Chicken vs. Pasture-Raised Chicken, the USDA defines free-range as free, continuous access to the outdoors for more than 51% of the animals' lives; however, the Humane certification you will sometimes see gets a little more specific. They define the free field as at least 2 squares. foot per bird and must be outdoors for at least 6 hours per day; However, to obtain the raised pasture designation, this requires 1,000 birds per 2.5 acres or 108 square feet per chicken and they must be outdoors year-round, as well as have something fixed or mobile homes that they can use at night to Protecting yourself from predators and obviously the increased time to raise them and increased space costs will be added to the supply chain and passed on to us at the grocery store, now we'll get into some more common Terms and Certifications you'll see in the package of chicken breast, but let's talk about variable number three, how it is processed.

One of the biggest differences in the way a chicken is processed is the way it is cooled, whether with water or air, and if a chicken is cooled with air, it is usually added to the package because it is considered a superior process. , but first you may be wondering why birds are cooled with water or air in the first place, as indicated in the food and cooking of the slaughtered animal. The birds are usually dipped in a hot water bath to loosen the feathers and machine plucked before being cooled in a cold water bath or blast of cold air and this is done to prevent spoilage and to prepare them. for cutting and packaging, but my question is: Air chilled chicken

actually

has a difference in taste, texture or aroma from the chicken we buy and in theory it could be that Harold mgee continues to chill water in a way prolonged and can add a significant amount of water to the carcass, and U.S. regulations allow 5 to 12 percent of The weight of the chicken must be absorbed in water or several ounces in a 4-pound birp;

By contrast, air chilling actually removes water, so the meat becomes more concentrated, and in a whole chicken, for example, the skin might brown more easily, so simple numbers say that this chicken 650g Brisket actually has about 10% or 65g of water added through the water chilling process from a flavor and aroma perspective. The chicken breast is already soft, but in theory this additional water only dilutes the flavor and aroma even more from a texture perspective than an additional 10g. % free water will be released during cooking. This could be a good thing in some circumstances, but it could also have a negative impact, one of which we will see in the fried chicken test, but lastly, let's talk about the marketing terms and certifications that exist now.

There are a lot of terms, phrases and stamps that you can potentially see on your package of chicken breast, but some of this is just pure marketing stuff, like slow-rising natural or fresh, and while they may be true, they aren't technically verified. by a third party. party, so they don't hold much weight, so naturally the question is what's in the package we should look for first. It is important to note that this generic US inspected seal. Food safety inspection is mandatory for all chicken sold, but quality grading is actually voluntary and the USDA has standards for Grade A chicken, B grade and C grade, but as far as I can tell, this is not something that is typically added to packaging because based on these requirements, it seems like most chicken is probably grade A. so they don't bother adding it, so at the very least you'll see that we inspect the seal, but these are the other big four certifications that you'll typically see first: USDA organic and this means that by law the birds must be raised organic . a 100% organic diet, they should not be caged and must have access to pasture and sunlight, antibiotics are not allowed either.

Secondly, he is certified as a Humanitarian. Now a third-party registered 501c3 non-profit organization, it is dedicated to improving the lives of farm animals and has a precise purpose. standards for various farm animals such as the difference between pasture raised or free range, third place is the world animal association and this is another external auditing organization and for example the pasture raised label can also come from this organization and it's at the fourth level of their chicken standards and I'll link this if you want to see the different types of seals that you can find on a product from this organization and then fourthly we have the non-GMO project and this is another organization nonprofit that is committed to building and preserving. supplying non-GMO food for everyone now you will ultimately have to look at your chicken breast because it could have several of these certifications or just one, for example this package of air chilled chicken has the USDA organic seal, the Certified Humane Seal and Non-GMO Project, Pasture Farming on the other hand has the Certified Humane Seal, Global Animal Association Grass R Seal and that Non-GMO verification as well, so these four variables will generally affect the price of the chicken we bought at the store, but now let's switch gears and answer this: how do these variables affect the taste of chicken?

So in general, the breed, how it is raised, and the process could have an impact on the flavor. The aroma and texture of the chicken and the general statement that most sources will say is that the smaller organic chicken will taste better, that is, its flavor and aroma, and secondly, the smaller organic chicken It will also have a better texture when you bite into it now, before you start frying them. I thought I should try these simple chicken breasts and I'm glad I did. I did this because I had three key observations here, so for this mini test I set up a bowl of water and a side, then placed each breast in a vacuum sealed bag.

I dropped the brisket into the water and cooked them to exactly 155° F and then brought them back. Cut them up before adding them to a plate with labels and do a triangle test to see if I can really tell the difference between them, it's 10: a. m., so what better time to try some chicken cooked in a bain-marie? I'm interested in seeing the textures here visually. I can already see there are some differences, but once I blindfold myself and try them, I'm curious to see how different the texture is at this stage, which again is the most basic the chicken can be later on.

Let's fry that chicken and see if potentially what we learned here holds up. Take that chicken number one away. These are pretty boring, even the first one felt meat fiber forward, if you want number two, that's also similar to the number. one on that one, if I had to guess, yes definitely the tightest of these three, these two felt very loose and a little stringy which may or may not be bad depending on how you like your chicken and number three is the cleanest to bite into. it's like it's packaged tightly so I think the first two are the same and that's probably the mega chicken breast and then number three is our smaller traditional organic chicken breast and yeah I could tell the difference between the breasts Yes, but it was almost entirely due to texture, not flavor and here are my three observations first, the mega chicken breast has huge meat fibers.

I actually ground them up and you can really see the difference in the strand of meat fibers that come together to form the chicken breast. and this was one of the easy reveals in the Triangle test for me: the Mega breast feels loose and grained forward, while the small breast is firmer but also more tender and for me is definitely more pleasant to bite into. My second observation is that the mega chicken breast let out more water after cutting it, this is probably due to the extra water absorbed through the water bath, but when I first cut it I was cleaning the cutting board because the water was dripping and based on these two observations I think we can answer, does smaller chicken breast have a better texture?

I would say yes, it is firmer, but it is also more tender and it is more pleasurable for me to bite into it now, although that may be true. Does smaller organic chicken breast taste better and This would probably say no observation. Three for me is that both chicken breasts are overall very soft. Now this is kind of obvious, but from a food science perspective, have you ever wondered why chicken breast is so soft? First, we'll remember in terms of taste, there are only five sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami, and raw chicken technically has between 50 and 75 milligrams of sodium per serving, but this is not enough sodium for our taste buds identify it until we go ahead and add salt directly.

Now, in terms of Aroma, there are hundreds of good smelling Aromas that our nose can identify, but most of the Aromas we use to identify as beef, pork or chicken actually come from fat, which is a problem. because chicken breast is basically fat-free. It is approximately 2 to 3%compared to the 10 to 15% that a chicken dye has, and because of this, the seasonings or other ingredients you add to the chicken breast will have a much greater impact on the flavor and aroma of the chicken. like the seasonings we add to our fry dredge, however this could be different from a whole skin-on chicken or a chicken thigh which has more fat, although that's probably another video based on these observations, do you think the breast chicken is more

expensive

?

It will make fried chicken better. My conclusion is yes, but it may not be the reason you think, because I actually chose the wrong chicken in the Triangle test. Oh, this was the one I couldn't tell the difference. I thought you thought so. and three were the same, so let's split it up for the fried chicken test. I took one of each of the chicken breasts and then cut them into 160G portions of the same size. I then added 1% salt per white and sprinkled it over both sides of the chicken before putting it in the refrigerator for an hour to dredge.

I placed a bowl on a scale and added 100g of flour along with 50g of cornstarch before adding a spice rub which I made from garlic powder, chilli powder, smoked paprika and a bit. Salt, which is where most of the aroma in this fried chicken will come from. Bread Sandwich To create a crispy surface on those breasts, I set it on medium-high heat and filled it with peanut oil before bringing it up to 350°. F and place the chicken pieces and be very careful not to forget which piece is which while frying. I let them cook until golden brown and I'm aiming for 155 to 160 on the internal thermometer before I place them on the baking sheet and just look at these absolute beauties with the crispy, craggy crust to assemble into a sandwich.

I like to keep them. simple with a potato roll for the bread, a little mayonnaise, some pickle slices, green leaf lettuce, the fried chicken of course, and a little more mayonnaise on that top bun and for the test I cut each sandwich by half and this is where I ate my The first of three big observations, number one, is that chicken breast shrinks deeper, much more. Remember that I cut both into 160g portions, but there's no doubt that the $3 per pound chicken breast expelled more water during the cooking process - there's a clear separation of the interior. fried breaded meat, why is it like this?

Remember this quote above. Prolonged chilling with water can add a significant amount of water to the carcass, and U.S. regulations allow 5 to 12 percent of the chicken's weight to be absorbed in water, so this is a large amount. portion of That 160 G portion is just free water that fell out and in this case this is negative when frying chicken because the crust doesn't stick as well to that crust now visually we can see a difference, but let's actually give it a taste. This time it tastes a little more delicious tasting at least for me and already during the cooking process and somehow putting together this couple of interesting observations that I definitely want to talk about, but let's blindfold ourselves and give them a taste, okay . get into this number one I love chicken sandwiches for sandwich number one I mean it's a fried chicken sandwich so it will be pretty good however when I got to sandwich number two the texture of the bun threw me off completely, let's go to number two, ooh. very wet bottom bun on this man, that one tastes really good too yeah, really wet on the bottom too the um um, the coating feels like that oh, you see, it comes off easily it comes off easily on this one, I think I have all of them. coating them yeah then when I go back to sandwich number three the texture is great again and no soggy bun let's go to bun number three not too soggy this one felt very similar to number one in the pool test I mean, it's like it's rising, but it's definitely stuck together a little better and here's my second observation, once the breast was cut to a similar thickness in the fried chicken sandwich, the texture difference was minimized here, yeah, I mean, number two is super soaked, it's really wet, um and I think. that crust is peeling off I think one and three are the same here two are different I think these are the organic ones as far as biting into them, it's not as different as I would have expected based on the first test, but let's see what I got right, so we have the family heirloom , it's number three, oh, this was the one, they were both like the mega mega breast, um, yeah, this one, like the bun, it disintegrated in this half, like when I open it, maybe it's just because it's expelled juices, um, and then, yeah.

You can see that this coating just falls off and crumbles and to me that's because there's more free water in it so the coating doesn't stick as well, but you can actually see that this coating really falls apart quite a bit. easily and comes off in some places and I think another big thing you guys will be able to see is that the larger briskets shrink more as they cook which creates a bigger gap when you actually eat them compared to the organic brisket I guess The water bound to the proteins stays together better, so it doesn't shrink as much as that kind of big, bulky breast.

The smaller u organic chicken breast definitely bites cleaner on the trail, but it's honestly not as big of a difference as I thought it would be based on that first test, so after mixing up the sandwiches in my triangle test, this is my final observation and there are three. The taste and aroma of fried chicken is the same, they both taste. Great, what really threw me off was the super soggy bun I had in the middle and since the bun wasn't that soggy on sandwich number one and three I guess they must be the same, yeah this is definitely a very interesting test in the In the context of a full sandwich, I couldn't tell the difference.

I thought one and three were the same when two and three were the same, but two was noticeably more soggy and that crust definitely falls off, I think because of that free water and then if I just go back and bite into this, the organic chicken fibers more small and tight definitely bite much cleaner, but this is really for a fried chicken sandwich and the results could be different depending on what you were cooking. I need to recover from basically throwing away two fried chicken sandwiches, but let's answer this last question if you buy expensive chicken breast at the store.

Is expensive chicken breast a better fried chicken? I would say yes, and it really goes back to that first observation that the crust sticking to the chicken is a big part of what makes fried chicken so enjoyable. If you made them like chicken tenders, for example, you would be discouraged if there was a huge gap between the meat and the breading, so review the questions at the beginning of the video: one, am I paying for better flavor and aroma?, two, I'm paying for better texture, or three, I'm paying for how it's grown and processed, so specifically for chicken breast, I'd say you're not paying for better. flavor and aroma, remember that skinless chicken breast is soft in itself, so you are really comparing soft vs. soft secondly, I hurt a better texture for this, I would definitely say it's a yes, chicken raised in Grasses have smaller, tighter muscle fibers that form a firmness. and a tender bite that's great to bite into, while larger brisket can feel loose and stringy depending on your application, plus part of what you're paying for water-chilled brisket is just extra water that was absorbed in that process cooling, but that's more water. that will be released during cooking, which as we saw with frying, is not really optimal and because of this excess water, even on a piece of rotisserie chicken it probably wouldn't brown as well and then three, I'm paying for how it's raised. and processes, yes there is There is no doubt that if chicken is raised longer on more feed or given more outdoor space, this will add costs to the supply chain and pass it on to us.

That being said, can you make fried chicken or other really good chicken dishes with chilled water or non-organic chicken? I definitely think you could. I mean, it's still fried, it's salty, the spices are very good and it may not be optimal in some cases. I had no problem. Eating both sandwiches will ultimately be up to you to decide which makes more sense. shopping for yourselves in your home, ultimately, some may call it an omnivore's dilemma, but anyway, that'll sum it up for this one, I hope you enjoyed, I'll catch you all in the next one, peace to all.