Do not feed poultry the day before killing; cut off the head, hang up by the legs, as the meat will be more white and wholesome if bled freely and quickly. Scald well by dipping in and out of a pail of boiling water, being careful not to scald so much as to set the feathers and make them more difficult to pluck; place the fowl on a board with the head towards you, pull the feathers away from you, which will be in the direction they naturally lie (if pulled in a contrary direction the skin is likely to be torn), be careful to remove all the pin-feathers with a knife or pair of tweezers; singe, but not smoke, over blazing paper; put one tablespoonful of alcohol in a saucer, light it with a match and singe the fowl; place on a meat-board, and with a sharp knife cut off the legs a little below the knee, to prevent the muscles from shrinking away from the joint, and remove the oil-bag above the tail; take out crop, either by making a slit at the back of the neck or in front (the last is better), taking care that every thing pertaining to the crop or windpipe is removed, cut the neck-bone off close to the body, leaving the skin a good length if to be stuffed; cut a slit three inches long from the tail upwards, being careful to cut only through the skin, put in the finger at the breast and detach all the intestines, taking care not to burst the gall-bag (situated near the upper part of the breast-bone, and attached to the liver; if broken, no washing can remove the bitter taint left on every spot it touches); put in the hand at the incision near the tail, and draw out carefully all intestines; trim off the fat from the breast and at the lower incision; split the gizzard and take out inside and inner lining (throw liver, heart, and gizzard into water, wash well, and lay aside to be cooked and used for gravy); wash the fowl thoroughly in several waters (some wipe carefully without washing), hang up to drain and it is ready to be stuffed, skewered, and placed to roast. To make it look plump, before stuffing, flatten the breast-bone by placing several thicknesses of cloth over it and pounding it, being careful not to break the skin, and rub the inside well with salt and pepper. Stuff the breast first, but not too full or it will burst in cooking; stuff the body rather fuller than the breast, sew up both openings with strong thread, and sew the neck over upon the back or down upon the breast (these threads must be carefully removed before sending to the table). Lay the points of the wings under the back, and fasten in that position with a skewer run through both wings and held in place with a twine; press the legs as closely towards the breast and side bones as possible, and fasten with a skewer run through the body and both thighs. Rub over thoroughly with pepper and salt, place in a pan and lay on slices of pork, or fat taken out of the fowl, and dredge well with flour, and place to roast in an oven rather hot at first, and then graduate the heat to moderate until done, to test which insert a fork between the thigh and body; if the juice is watery and not bloody it is done. If not served at once, the fowl may be kept hot without drying up, by placing over a skillet full of boiling water set on top of stove or range), and inverting a dripping-pan over it. In roasting a turkey, allow fifteen minutes' time for every pound. Some steam turkey before roasting, and a turkey steamer may be easily improvised by placing the dripping-pan containing the turkey, on top of two or three pieces of wood laid in the bottom of a wash boiler, with just enough water to cover the wood; put on the lid, which should fit tightly on the boiler, and as the water boils away, add more. Add the liquor in the dripping-pan to the turkey when placed in the oven to roast (do not use the water from the boiler). Boil the giblets until tender in a separate dish, and add them, well chopped, together with water in which they were cooked, to the gravy.

The garnishes for turkey and chicken are parsley, slices of lemon, fried sausages and force-meat balls.