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drgildy

I usually dry pluck waterfowl. You can scald with the water at 159 degrees (hotter you cook the skin off). You must also use some cheap liquid soap on the bird to cut the oil in the feathers so that the scalding water will cntact the skin. You must slosh the bird until the feathers on the wings and tail will pull easily. This takes a while to get it down pat so that it does work properly. Use rubber gloves so that you don't scald your hands. I would still dry pluck rather than go with scalding. You definitely get better tasting fowl if you pluck then roast it. I agree with you that you waste the meat on the legs if you just breast. Many people nowadays are too lazy to go to the extra effort to do the job right but that is their prerogative.

lhonda

Why mess around with all that stuff? Unless you're dealing with geese that are difficult to pluck, just rip them off. Cut the wings off at the first joint, then off with the head, arse (including the preening gland--just whack the whole mess off) and yank out the guts.

I wouldn't bother with all that boiling water and soap at all. Just do it somewhere where a wife/mother will not be around. It can get more than a trifle messy, especially with multiple birds. : )

Leighton