I'm new here

Hello Everyone,
My name's Rhonda and I'm a 36 (soon to be 37) year old mom of 1. I absolutely LOVE to cook and bake and am very excited to have found this website. I have a bookshelf packed full of cookbooks and LOVE to share recipes. I found this site because I can't seem to figure out how long to bake the chicken I just stuck in the oven . I stuffed it with stuffing and stuck it in at 350 now I'm just sitting here waiting for it to hollar out to me or something I have a friend who raises "farm-fresh" chickens so I always seem to have one in the freezer. I'm just starting to run out of ideas on how to fix them. I've done the usuals....chicken potpie, chicken and dumplings, and now am trying (with fear) to bake one stuffed but would love suggestions if you have any.
Thanks in advance for any tips.
Rhonda

Hi, Rhonda,

Welcome to the forums. Hope you'll be an active member who doesn't hesitate to post.

As to the chicken, I roast a largte hen at 350F for about 1 1/2 hours. But, frankly, as your cooking expands in new directions I can't recommend highly enough the idea of a thermometer. An instant read works well, of course. But if you can afford it, a remote-probe type is ideal. You'll know at all times the internal temperature of the food (which is really what determines it's doneness) without having to open and close the oven door a hundred times.

I used to think I had a lot of cookbooks (I read cookbooks the way other people read novels). Then I became Reviews Editor at Cheftalk.com, and became aware of how many new cookbooks get published every year. It's an incredible figure. Separating the wheat from the chaff is the real challenge.

Anyway, once again welcome to the Spiceplace Cooking Forum. I hope you like it here.

Meat Thermometer

Thanks for the reply to my post. When my husband went to pick our daughter up at her friend's house, I had him borrow their meat thermometer. I let the chicken bake until the thermometer read 175.6 then I considered it cooked. I had read that 170 is minimum and 180 is desired so I took the medium of the two since my husband was "starving". Thanks for the tips on the type to purchase. I will definitely be shopping.
Have a GREAT evening. You'll probably be "hearing" from me often.

One cautionary note: When using temperature guides established by the USDA, keep in mind that they do not include the resting time. While a cut of meat or poultry rests it continues to cook on the inside.

So, if you really want rare, for instace, you do not cook it to 140F internal temperature. Depending on the cut, and its total size, you go to 130 or 135, and the meat does the rest on its own.

How much to adjust becomes a function of experience. But there are obvious clues. Again, with beef, if you want a rare steak, you can cook it to 135. But a roast should be taken off the heat at 130, because there's so much more mass to retain the heat.

Poultry is a tricky one. USDA says 180, because they're overly concerned with food safety. But at 180 I consider a chicken overcooked. I cook it to about 165, then let it rest.