"It's the New Year, kill a chicken. ”
Every Chinese New Year, every household begins to prepare various things, among which chicken is an indispensable delicacy.
Whether steamed or stewed, the taste of chicken is very unforgettable.
However, when killing chickens, many people will see that there is a yellow thing in the body of the chicken, what is this?
Butter seen when a chicken is killed
Every Chinese New Year, everyone will always buy some chicken, duck and fish meat to put at home.
Some people like to save trouble and no longer handle the live chicken themselves, but buy the processed chicken or a certain part, eliminating the process of plucking chicken feathers and disembowelment.
Especially for young people, it can feel terrible to even see a live chicken, let alone kill it.
And this has led many people to be surprised by the internal organs of chickens at every turn.
Of course, there are also people who like to buy live and go home and kill themselves.
If someone has ever killed a chicken, they should have found a piece of butter in the chicken's belly, which looks greasy and disgusting.
When we taste delicious chicken, the tender and juicy texture often attracts our attention, but how many people really secretly interpret the "butter" in the chicken belly?
In fact, the diet of farmed chickens directly affects the lipid color in the chicken's belly.
Many chicken farms scientifically configure the diet and choose nutritious and yellow-rich feed to increase the color and hardness of the chicken.
In this way, pure yellow corn has become one of the most important foods in chicken breeding, not only high in a variety of vitamins (such as A, E, K, etc.), but also an important source of yellow pigment.
After digestion and absorption, the yellow pigment will consolidate in the subcutaneous fat to form yellow oil.
Studies have found that there are certain bacteria in the intestines of chickens, which are able to produce an enzyme called gum decayase.
This gum-eating putrelate enzyme plays an important role in the digestive juices injected into the chicken's belly, breaking down fats in food, including the chicken's own fat.
Therefore, when the chicken is eaten into the stomach, the food and body fat will be dissolved and digested through the gum food decayase in the digestive juice of the chicken's intestine.
In this process, digestive juices and gum-eating putrease are mixed with the ingredients in the belly of the chicken, and they form a mixture of various colors, including a darker fat residue, which is the yellow fat in the belly.
However, it is important to note that this fat does not take up too much of the weight and usually varies depending on the breed and feeding method of the chicken.
In addition to carotene-rich corn feed, other grains may also be deposited in the chicken body and form yellow fat.
In order to increase the weight and profit of chickens, individual businesses will also specially feed chickens some coarse grains to speed up their growth rate, and this special dietary Xi is one of the main reasons for the deposition of yellow fat in the stomach of chickens.
In addition to the way of feeding and the role of gum-eating putylase, there are other factors that may affect the formation of yellow fat.
For example, when a chicken eats a particular feed, its body uses certain components of the feed and converts them into fat.
For example, carotene, zeaxanthin and other substances contained in the feed are decomposed and absorbed into fat in the chicken intestines, which will cause the original white fat to turn yellow.
Although yellow fat doesn't look as tempting in a chicken's belly as the butter that people are more commonly found in the feed, it is still able to add flavor and flavor to the chicken when it is hidden in the meat.
It is important to know that butter is not only a part of chicken food, but also one of the symbols of chicken quality, and high-quality chickens are often able to accumulate a lot of butter in their stomachs.
When we look at the butter in the belly, it can be inferred that the chickens are most likely raised in a good growing environment and nutritional status. This is also why some experienced consumers consider butter in a chicken's belly to be a sign of a strong chicken.
However, for the average consumer, how to deal with the butter in the chicken belly is indeed a difficult problem.
Some people will choose to strip the butter directly and throw it away because they feel that the butter is too greasy.
In fact, the butter in the belly of the chicken is edible and has a certain nutritional value.
These butters are rich in saturated fatty acids, which have certain health benefits for the human body.
In the end, throw it or not
Let's be clear, butter in a chicken's belly doesn't just have to be thrown away.
In fact, it is rich in nutrients such as protein and fat, which have certain benefits for the human body.
The butter in the chicken belly is a precious ingredient that we must make good use of.
One of the main uses is to stew delicious chicken broth, when the chicken fat is cleaned and put into a pot to boil the chicken broth, it will release a rich aroma and flavor, making the chicken broth more delicious.
When making chicken soup, we can add some vegetables and spices according to personal taste to make the chicken soup richer and more nutritious.
In addition to chicken broth, chicken fat is also a very good cooking oil when refined into a liquid form.
We can cut the chicken fat into cubes and put it in a pot to stew it into oil, and the resulting cooking oil can be used in a variety of cooking methods such as stir-frying, frying food, etc.
Just by adding the right amount of chicken fat, it will make the dish more delicious and fragrant.
Especially in the process of stir-frying vegetables and stir-frying meat, adding chicken fat will add an excellent aroma and rich flavor to make home-cooked dishes more flavorful.
If you want to try different ways to utilize chicken fat, you can try to make oily skin, we can use chicken fat to care for the skin, wipe the chicken fat on the leather clothing or leather goods.
Due to the moisturizing properties of chicken fat, it can make the leather soft and extend its lifespan.
However, this practice needs to pay attention to the amount control and avoid excessive oil.
It is important to note that although chicken fat has many benefits, we should also consume it in moderation.
For those who are worried about eating greasy, you can reduce the amount of use in moderation and use it with other cooking oils.
Therefore, the butter in the chicken belly can not only be thrown away, but can be disposed of and used in a proper way.
Whether it's boiled into chicken fat for cooking, soup, or even as a skincare and hair care product, chicken fat has a unique value.
When we deal with chicken fat, we should choose the right way according to its characteristics and give full play to its effects, rather than simply throwing it away.
For those who prefer a buttery taste, you can choose to leave the butter in the chicken belly and enjoy its unique flavor.
Of course, for those who are more concerned about healthy eating, it is possible to peel off the butter in moderation to ensure that the eating Xi is in harmony with individual needs.
However, no matter which method you choose, you should be aware that the butter in the chicken belly is a natural phenomenon, and its formation is closely related to a variety of factors such as the chicken's diet, breed and environment.
Do only free-range chickens have butter?
There is a saying circulating on the Internet that only free-range chickens will have yellow fat in their stomachs, while broilers will not.
Is this true?
Actually, the answer to this question is not simple.
Although local chickens are considered to be the main source of yellow fat, this does not mean that broilers are absolutely free of yellow fat.
In fact, different broiler breeds may also accumulate fat in their stomachs, especially after targeted breeding, and some broiler breeds have a higher probability of forming yellow fat in their stomachs.
In addition, broilers with a short slaughter time tend not to have enough time to accumulate fat due to their rapid growth, so they may have relatively little yellow fat in their stomachs.
However, due to the use of free range or longer rearing time, local chickens have more opportunities to consume food containing pigments and fats due to the long breeding time, resulting in the formation of more yellow fat.
The so-called butter is actually the accumulation of fat.
Whether it is a native chicken or a broiler chicken, as long as the calorie intake exceeds the consumption, it may lead to the accumulation of fat in the body.
Therefore, the butter in the belly of the chicken is not directly related to the breed of the chicken.
Chickens have more opportunities to carry out various activities, such as running, foraging, etc., under free-range conditions, which can consume more energy and reduce fat formation.
On the contrary, in the feedlot of broiler chickens, their movement space is relatively limited, they lack interaction with the natural environment, and are prone to accumulate more fat.
Although the yellow fat in the belly of the chicken has an attractive appearance, it does not have any adverse effects on meat quality and health, but actually indicates that the chicken is in better health and has a richer texture and taste when eaten.
Therefore, when we choose chicken, we do not need to worry too much about the yellow fat in the belly of the chicken, but should focus on choosing the right breed and high-quality feed.
So, how can we tell if the butter in a chicken's belly is naturally formed or hormone-induced?
One way is to make a preliminary judgment by looking at the color and texture of butter.
Naturally occurring butter is darker in color and harder in texture, while hormone-induced butter is lighter in color and looser in texture.
However, when it comes to selecting chicken, there's no way to tell how butter is produced by its appearance.
To ensure the purity of the meat of the chicken they eat, consumers can opt for free-range chickens, as they are more likely to have naturally occurring butter in their stomachs.
It is important to know that free-range chickens have a better living environment, are able to move freely and seek natural food, all of which contribute to the quality of meat and the formation of butter.
Therefore, it is rumored on the Internet that only the stomach of free-range chickens will have yellow fat, which is not accurate.
In fact, the butter in the belly of the chicken is mainly related to factors such as the breed of the chicken, the food and the time it is raised, and it is not limited to free-range chickens.
When buying chicken, it is advisable to choose those that maintain a balanced diet during the breeding process, have a healthy living environment, and are not over-fattened.
In this way, you can not only enjoy the delicious taste of chicken, but also effectively reduce the intake of yellow fat in the chicken belly.
Friendly reminder: Try to choose healthy, ecologically raised chickens to ensure high-quality butter and avoid eating too much salt and calorie-high food.