eG Cook-Off #88: Wings

[liuzhou]

 

Duck wings $7.2 USD . $9 CAD / 2.5 kg

 

[rotuts]

@Smithy 

 

Im surprised there currently is a ' wing bar ' or any other

 

sort of ' bar '  ( olive , salad , etc )  that is self-service 

 

these days.

 

there are none in my area 

 

there are ' service ' food bars , behind plastic screens

 

and the container is filled by an employee behind the plastic.

[weinoo]

11 minutes ago, KennethT said:

I have never seen duck wings only.  I wonder what happens to them since they sell breasts and legs individually?

 

Wu's always has the roasted duck wings in the window. Maybe they get sold to restaurants in bulk?

 

I see whole duck in Chinatown for $20 or so, coming it at under $4/lb. Fresh. The 2  for $5 legs from Hudson Valley Duck Farm is not being offered currently...he told me they were doing it when a lot of restaurants were closed.

[ElsieD]

1 hour ago, Anna N said:

I am pretty sure that raw duck wings are available in the Asian grocery stores. What surprised me was that I was able to purchase frozen, fully cooked and sauced duck wings online from a regular Supermart. Apparently duck is gaining a larger market share. 

 

Which supermarket is this?

[heidih]

I used to get duck wings for stepmother as a treat from Chinese market (Ranch 99) Fresh in meat case. She just bakes tyhe with seasoning salt - likes the tips quite crunchy. As I recall procing no more than chicken wings. Not as chubby as chicken. I got her a pack of turkey wings as a treat the other day - $3/lb  Not sure what the woman did but all I heard was "haarrrd as a rock" and probably worse when she re-baked them. She finally threw them into a soup and liked the result.

[Anna N]

9 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

 

Which supermarket is this?

It had to have been either Fortinos or Superstore but I can’t remember which. 

[chileheadmike]

10 hours ago, liuzhou said:

Anyone do non-chicken wings?

 

I also can get goose and duck wings but have never cooked them. I guess some chicken wing recipes would cross over, but perhaps different treatments, too?

 

The duck wings are about $1.40 USD a pound; the goose more like $9.

 

 

I posted some buffalo turkey wings that I did in the air fryer a couple weeks ago. 

Odd but pretty good. 

[KennethT]

26 minutes ago, weinoo said:

The 2  for $5 legs from Hudson Valley Duck Farm is not being offered currently...he told me they were doing it when a lot of restaurants were closed.

Yeah, I found that out the hard way - I was there a week or two ago and sucked it up and paid full price...  Next time I'll head to Chinatown to check out what they've got.  I haven't been to a Chinatown meat market in a long time.

[KennethT]

36 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

 

Duck wings $7.2 USD . $9 CAD / 2.5 kg

 

I made the sad face because it's sad that I can't get those prices here!

[TicTac]

2 hours ago, KennethT said:

@Duvel@TicTacIn the US (and other places maybe?), unless the packaging says "air chilled", the chicken is chilled post slaughter in a brine.  If you ever see a video of a standard chicken processing plant, the chickens are transported from the slaughter/defeather area to further processing in a river of chilled brine.  So, as the chicken cools, it also absorbs some of that brine, hence the disclaimer.  Some of this brine weeps out while sitting on the grocery store shelf, hence the need for the diaper at the bottom of the package, but some stays in the meat.

 

Personally, I go for air chilled chicken every time.  Not only are there no additives, but there is also a much lower chance of contamination by bacteria since it hasn't been in a communal brine river with entrails, etc.  But it's more expensive, and many people don't necessarily have the option of choice.

I buy either organic wings (nice small ones which do not look like they have been taken off a pterodactyl, which I can only assume are air chilled, but I will look further next time) or from my butcher, who sources everything from 200km farms. 

 

Curious whether the packaging laws here in Canada state that a disclaimer such as what was posted above is required.  The more I read about that seaweed extract the more it scared me!  Nasty shit.

 

In terms of other wings, I have tried to cook duck wings, but they are tough as hell.  Turkey wings are great.

[chromedome]

36 minutes ago, Anna N said:

It had to have been either Fortinos or Superstore but I can’t remember which. 

If you have a No Frills anywhere in your orbit, they sell ducks for $3/lb (recently raised from $2/lb).

 

That's cheaper than chicken (at least in my neck of the woods) so I generally have one in my freezer for when the mood strikes.

[ElsieD]

3 minutes ago, chromedome said:

If you have a No Frills anywhere in your orbit, they sell ducks for $3/lb (recently raised from $2/lb).

 

That's cheaper than chicken (at least in my neck of the woods) so I generally have one in my freezer for when the mood strikes.

 

Frozen or fresh?

[chromedome]

1 minute ago, ElsieD said:

 

Frozen or fresh?

Frozen.

 

[ElsieD]

3 minutes ago, chromedome said:

Frozen.

 

 

Thanks.  I figured that was probably the case.  Good price, though.

[rotuts]

@TicTac 

 

"  I have tried to cook duck wings, but they are tough as hell  "

 

I was thinking about this :

 

Ducks ( wild , not so sure Farmed )  fly.  their wings do a lot of work

 

Chickens don't fly ( locally ) nor do farmed turkeys .

 

Wild Turkeys do fly up to my roof sometimes , mostly to strut and gobble

 

so , are commercial duck wings ( flightless ) tough  due to work ?

 

 

 

 

[FauxPas]

2 hours ago, Anna N said:

Whole fresh chicken (very ordinary supermarket type) is $3.99 a pound at the moment. 

 

Canada's supply management system for poultry does mean higher prices for consumers in general. But I also think ordinary supermarket chicken in Canada is definitely superior to the ordinary supermarket chicken found in many parts of the US. We don't have much for high-end products here because the basic product is already pretty good. Air-chilling seems to be the norm, I don't think I ever see added broth, sodium, etc on a fresh product. Wings are mostly pre-cut, divided into drumettes and wingettes. So yes, the average product is pricier but it's pretty good quality. 

 

(And I did have a hard time finding fresh wings when we were in Arizona. I used to go to a butcher in Tucson, but their wings were ginormous, too big really.) 

 

Still (and while Vancouver Island is generally considered to be a fairly pricey place to shop) the prices you quote on grocery items often seem quite high to me. I can get a local (BC farm) whole chicken for $4.34 kg right now here in town. Granted, that's a sale price, so I have to shop around to find those kind of prices. Another local grocery is closer to the price you quoted. But I only buy fresh whole chicken on sale, given I can get a whole rotisserie chicken at Costco for $5.99.  🙂

 

[Anna N]

8 minutes ago, FauxPas said:

We don't have much for high-end products here because the basic product is already pretty good.

Interesting. I had wondered about this. I was quite prepared to up my game and buy chicken that might have had a better life. I cannot really find much other than store brand or unbranded chicken. Bear in mind that I cannot leave the house so my shopping is limited. But even when I was able to shop personally there was very little offered in terms of humanely raised chicken. I am quite sure it’s available at specialty butchers and perhaps some of the higher end supermarkets. 
 

[Duvel]

2 hours ago, KennethT said:

Yeah, I found that out the hard way - I was there a week or two ago and sucked it up and paid full price...  Next time I'll head to Chinatown to check out what they've got.  I haven't been to a Chinatown meat market in a long time.

And while you are there, get some duck wings, too …

 

I would love to see you putting a SE asian spin on them 😉

Edited January 12, 2022 by Duvel (log)

[heidih]

Just back from mainstream market (Ralphs/Kroger). 2 brans of chicken wings, mixed flats and drumettes, both $4.99/lb  One labeled "party pack wings"

[Smithy]

3 hours ago, rotuts said:

@Smithy 

 

Im surprised there currently is a ' wing bar ' or any other

 

sort of ' bar '  ( olive , salad , etc )  that is self-service 

 

these days.

 

there are none in my area 

 

there are ' service ' food bars , behind plastic screens

 

and the container is filled by an employee behind the plastic.

 

I was surprised too, but the wing bar (which had disappeared last year during the first lockdown) is back in action, and it's still self-serve. I think any further discussion would be too likely to stray into politics or medicine, so I'll stop here.

 

2 hours ago, TicTac said:

I buy either organic wings (nice small ones which do not look like they have been taken off a pterodactyl, which I can only assume are air chilled, but I will look further next time) or from my butcher, who sources everything from 200km farms. 

 

Curious whether the packaging laws here in Canada state that a disclaimer such as what was posted above is required.  The more I read about that seaweed extract the more it scared me!  Nasty shit.

 

 

I'd love to be able to buy organic wings from a local source, but I haven't found one yet except the market I mentioned 100 miles away. These that I bought don't contain carrageenan, at least. I wonder what purpose it serves? Thickener, to help keep the broth or brine from oozing out of the chicken and into the package?

 

 

The collage above shows the package ingredients and a close-up of the pieces I'm thawing for tonight's dinner. The individual ice glaze shows up a little.

 

 

[Duvel]

8 minutes ago, Smithy said:

I wonder what purpose it serves? Thickener, to help keep the broth or brine from oozing out of the chicken and into the package?

Correct. It ensures that those 15% salted chicken broth stay inside the meat, partly even in the cooked product (if you don’t overdo it). 

Just as an anecdote: adding flavored liquids to meat in Germany to increase weight is not allowed, unless the product specification calls for it (as in “pickled ox tongue”). Carrageenan itself is banned in the EU.

Edited January 12, 2022 by Duvel (log)

[KennethT]

33 minutes ago, Duvel said:

And while you are there, get some duck wings, too …

 

I would love to see you putting a SE asian spin on them 😉

Unfortunately, I think I'm going to have to live this cookoff vicariously - my wife is not a huge fan of wings or dealing with bones much at all.  So unless I debone them, which I DEFINITELY don't have time for, she won't be too happy about it - mind you, she'd never complain, but she just won't eat much of it.  She's also not a huge fan of chicken skin, mostly for health reasons, and only indulge if they're perfectly rendered and crisp - so that puts a bit more pressure on me!

 

Then again, she did tear into some amazing chicken wings we had at the satay club area of the East Coast Food Lagoon Village in Singapore, but I wonder if part of the appeal was hearing the hawkers shouting "Satay!!  Chicken Wing!!!!"  Those wings were marinated and deep fried with no batter or breading.  The skin was crisp and amazing...  I'm drooling just remembering it.

Edited January 12, 2022 by KennethT (log)

[weinoo]

8 minutes ago, KennethT said:

my wife is not a huge fan of wings or dealing with bones much at all. 

Does she know my wife?

[TicTac]

36 minutes ago, Duvel said:

Correct. It ensures that those 15% salted chicken broth stay inside the meat, partly even in the cooked product (if you don’t overdo it). 

Just as an anecdote: adding flavored liquids to meat in Germany to increase weight is not allowed, unless the product specification calls for it (as in “pickled ox tongue”). Carrageenan itself is banned in the EU.

EU has always been smarter than than US (and at times, Canada as well) when it comes to food/product safety. 

 

From what I have read, "there's damning health research around Carrageenan, suggesting that it is not necessarily safe to eat. It's been linked to IBD, IBS, rheumatoid arthritis and colon cancer and is thus banned in the European Union"

 

I wonder if they use it in fresh product or only frozen (I only buy fresh wings).

[gfweb]

Air fryer wings in honey/ginger/sriracha glaze