The food lab better home cooking through science ( PDFDrive ) 199
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Because their activity isanaerobic (they don’t require
oxygen to twitch),they tend to be less dense with
capillaries,givingthemtheircharacteristicpalecolor.
Incidentally, the same distinction between fast- and
slow-twitch muscles occurs in pretty muchall animals,
evenhumans.Everwonderwhyatunaisdeepredwhile
acodispalewhite?Tunasaremadealmostentirelyofallpowerful slow-twitch muscles, which allow the fish to
rapidly torpedo their way through the water for long
periods of time.A cod moves only when he’s eating or
frightened.
• Fat provides insulation and energy storage for chickens.
Forhumans,chickenfatjusttastesdelicious(providedit’s
cookedright).Fatismainlyfoundinlargedepositsaround
the legs and back of the bird, as well as in the skin.
Contrarytopopularbelief,theskinofachickenisnotall
fat—infact,it’sprimarilymadeupof...
• Connective tissue. Composed ofcollagen, among other
tissues, connective tissue is what keeps muscles attached
to bones and bones attached to each other. In its natural
state, it resembles a piece of yarn made of three separate
strands that are tightly wound together, giving it lots of
strength.Heatitup,andthosestrandsunravelintogelatin,
which can then form a loose matrix, giving stocks and
sauces body and texture. Collagen is found everywhere,
butitisparticularlyconcentratedinthelegs,wings,back,
and skin of the bird. The older the animal, the more
collagentherewillbe.
•Bonelendsstructuretothebird.Withoutbones,chickens
would be little puddles of Jell-O, and not all that
appetizing. Many cooks believe that bones are what give
stockflavor;I’mskeptical(readon).
Dependingonthepartofthechickenyouuse,theseparts
are present in different ratios.To sum up, chicken legs are
highinslow-twitchmuscle,haveplentyoffat,andcontaina
good amount of connective tissue and bones. Breasts are
almost completely fast-twitch muscle. Backs and carcasses
havelittlemeatofeitherkindbutplentyofbone,connective
tissue, and fat. Wings have the highest concentration of
connective tissue of all, with a high proportion of fat and
somebone.
To figure out exactly what each of these various tissues
brings to the pot, I cooked a few batches of stock side by
side: one made with just white meat, one made with just
dark meat, one made with just bones, and one made with
chicken carcasses, which have plenty of bones and
connectivetissuebutrelativelylittlemeat.
