How Long Do I Roast 2 Cornish Game Hens?

I just picked up two Cornish Game Hens, a little less than 1
1/2 lbs each and I want to roast them and serve them for
tonight's dinner.

The last time, I left them in the oven too long and I do not
want to make the same mistake today.

How long should they be roasted and at what temperature? I
will not stuff them.

Thank you for your help, MS

>Margaret Suran wrote:
>
>I just picked up two Cornish Game Hens, a little less than
>1 1/2 lbs each and I want to roast them and serve them for
>tonight's dinner.
>
>The last time, I left them in the oven too long and I do
>not want to make the same mistake today.
>
>How long should they be roasted and at what temperature? I
>will not stuff them.
>
>Thank you for your help, MS

Preheat oven to 450F, place trussed, seasoned hens on a rack
in a pan and cook for about 30 minutes or until thermometer
says 170F. Let rest 10 minutes then slice in half.

---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =--- ---= Move UNITED
NATIONS To Paris =--- Sheldon ```````````` "Life would be
devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."

"PENMART01" <penmart01@aol.como> wrote in message
news:20040408162426.19631.00000037@mb-m10.aol.com...
> >Margaret Suran wrote:
> >
> >I just picked up two Cornish Game Hens, a little less
> >than 1 1/2 lbs each and I want to roast them and serve
> >them for tonight's dinner.
> >
> >The last time, I left them in the oven too long and I do
> >not want to make the same mistake today.
> >
> >How long should they be roasted and at what temperature?
> >I will not stuff them.
> >
> >Thank you for your help, MS
>
> Preheat oven to 450F, place trussed, seasoned hens on a
> rack in a pan and
cook
> for about 30 minutes or until thermometer says 170F. Let
> rest 10 minutes
then
> slice in half.
>
>
> ---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =--- ---= Move
> UNITED NATIONS To Paris =--- Sheldon ```````````` "Life
> would be devoid of all meaning were it without
> tribulation."
>

You two are making me hungry! I haven't had a Cornish Hen
in so long! My former husband refused to eat anything that
he had to pick apart - which included peel & eat shrimp,
Crab claws or Lobster tail. God forbid I hand him a bird
on the bone!

kili

PENMART01 wrote:
>>Margaret Suran wrote:
>>
>>I just picked up two Cornish Game Hens, a little less than
>>1 1/2 lbs each and I want to roast them and serve them for
>>tonight's dinner.
>>
>>The last time, I left them in the oven too long and I do
>>not want to make the same mistake today.
>>
>>How long should they be roasted and at what temperature? I
>>will not stuff them.
>>
>>Thank you for your help, MS
>
>
> Preheat oven to 450F, place trussed, seasoned hens on a
> rack in a pan and cook for about 30 minutes or until
> thermometer says 170F. Let rest 10 minutes then slice
> in half.
>
>
Thank you. Last time I roasted them for more than an hour,
first at 400 degrees, then at 300 degrees. No wonder they
were all dried out.

MS

Margaret Suran wrote:
> No wonder they were all dried out.

Did you brine them? That always helps.

--
John Gaughan http://www.johngaughan.net/
john@johngaughan.net

kilikini wrote:

> You two are making me hungry! I haven't had a Cornish Hen
> in so long! My former husband refused to eat anything that
> he had to pick apart - which included peel & eat shrimp,
> Crab claws or Lobster tail. God forbid I hand him a bird
> on the bone!
>
> kili
>
>

My husband was just the opposite. He loved anything he could
pick up with his fingers and eat, unpeeled shrimp, Stone
Crabs and any kind of poultry on the bone. We also
considered Asparagus and Pommes Frites to be finger foods,
because that is the way it was eaten at informal meals when
we were children. Erich died in 1991 and I seldom make Rock
Cornish Hens any more.

Victor Borge, the great Danish comic pianist popularized the
little birds when he bought a farm and raised them. They
were smaller at that time, or at least I think so, just a
pound and now they are as large as two pounds. MS

Margaret Suran wrote:

> Thank you. Last time I roasted them for more than an hour,
> first at 400 degrees, then at 300 degrees. No wonder they
> were all dried out.

Margaret, do you have a probe thermometer?

nancy

Margaret Suran <margaret@no.spam.for.me.invalid> wrote in
news:c54crt02si8@news2.newsguy.com:

>
>
> PENMART01 wrote:
>>>Margaret Suran wrote:
>>>
>>>I just picked up two Cornish Game Hens, a little less
>>>than 1 1/2 lbs each and I want to roast them and serve
>>>them for tonight's dinner.
>>>
>>>The last time, I left them in the oven too long and I do
>>>not want to make the same mistake today.
>>>
>>>How long should they be roasted and at what temperature?
>>>I will not stuff them.
>>>
>>>Thank you for your help, MS
>>
>>
>> Preheat oven to 450F, place trussed, seasoned hens on a
>> rack in a pan and cook for about 30 minutes or until
>> thermometer says 170F. Let rest 10 minutes then slice
>> in half.
>>
>>
> Thank you. Last time I roasted them for more than an hour,
> first at 400 degrees, then at 300 degrees. No wonder they
> were all dried out.
>
> MS
>
>

You can make up a moist stuffing mix....cut the hens in
half and bake them on top of the stuffing mix (skin side
up)... very nice that way. Hell Cornish Hens are nice just
about any way.

--
Once during Prohibition I was forced to live for days on
nothing but food and water.
--------
FIELDS, W. C.

Nancy Young wrote:
> Margaret Suran wrote:
>
>
>>Thank you. Last time I roasted them for more than an hour,
>>first at 400 degrees, then at 300 degrees. No wonder they
>>were all dried out.
>
>
> Margaret, do you have a probe thermometer?
>
> nancy

Nancy, I don't even know what a Probe Thermometer is.
Please, don't tell me it is a rectal thermometer, to take
the chickens' temperature. ) MS

Margaret Suran wrote:
>
> Nancy Young wrote:

> > Margaret, do you have a probe thermometer?

> Nancy, I don't even know what a Probe Thermometer is.
> Please, don't tell me it is a rectal thermometer, to take
> the chickens' temperature. ) MS

(laughing!!!) Well, you'll find out soon enough.

nancy

Margaret Suran wrote:

> I just picked up two Cornish Game Hens, a little less than
> 1 1/2 lbs each and I want to roast them and serve them for
> tonight's dinner.
>
> The last time, I left them in the oven too long and I do
> not want to make the same mistake today.
>
> How long should they be roasted and at what temperature? I
> will not stuff them.
>
> Thank you for your help, MS

It's difficult to give a time because there are so many
variables. Here are a few places where it can go wrong:
* oven temperature inaccurate
* bird very cold when put into oven
* bird very warm
* Pan has high sides and shields bird from air movement
* pan with bird in top part of oven.
* pan with bird in bottom part of oven

And more besides.

Cornish hens are small and the meat isn't very thick. It
will cook rather quickly and then it will sit and dehydrate
thereafter as long as you let it.

The best way to cook them is the way they're done by
professionals. They don't guess. Cook at a relatively low
temperature (275F to 325F) until the meat in the thigh is
155F to 160F. Let it rest for about 10 minutes and eat. A
quick-read thermometer is the tool to have. Relatively
inexpensive and useful for everything from meats to bread.

Any other index will give you uneven results. From occasion
to occasion, the birds will turn out different using any
index but temperature. That old "twist the leg" approach is
ok if you do it often. But if it's an infrequent dinner
item, you're just guessing.

But I wouldn't be cooking it any longer than about 40
minutes (at the outside), depending on the size of the
little critter.

Pastorio

Thank you all for your posts.

We just finished eating dinner and the little chickens came
out done just right, juicy with a crispy skin. With it I
made a green salad with vinegar and oil and I cubed two
medium sized baking potatoes and sprinkled some oil over the
raw cubes. I stuck them into the oven about ten minutes
before the chickens and they were nicely baked by the time I
served dinner.

Cantaloupe melon for dessert. After two huge Passover meals,
I am trying to lose a few pounds.

Happy Easter to all, Margaret

Margaret Suran <margaret@no.spam.for.me.invalid> wrote in message news:<c549s802p56@news2.newsguy.com>...
> I just picked up two Cornish Game Hens, a little less than
> 1 1/2 lbs each and I want to roast them and serve them for
> tonight's dinner.
>
> The last time, I left them in the oven too long and I do
> not want to make the same mistake today.
>
> How long should they be roasted and at what temperature? I
> will not stuff them.
>
> Thank you for your help, MS

I generally roast gamehens at 350 F for approximately an
hour, and baste them often as they cook. I put olive oil
in the roasting pan first,then put a whole, peeled clove
of garlic in and spread the olive oil in a thin layer over
the bottom of the roasting pan with it. A sprinkle of
Balsamic vinegar also makes a nice basting juice as the
bird roasts. After Roasting, I cut them apart and have
half for dinner, then the other half for lunch or dinner
the following day. Delish!

Melissa

PENMART01 wrote:
>>Margaret Suran
>>
>>Thank you all for your posts.
>>
>>We just finished eating dinner and the little chickens
>>came out done just right,
>
>
> There were various methods posted, which did you use?
>
I used the one you posted. It sounded good to start with
and easy, too. I do not brine, because I try to stay away
from Sodium and I did not want to start butterflying the
little birds.

I have saved the recipe for next time. Thank you.

"kilikini" <kilikini1@NOSPAMhotmail.com> wrote in message
news:PDidc.338$162.231@twister.socal.rr.com...
:
: "PENMART01" <penmart01@aol.como> wrote in message news:20040408162426.19631.00000037@mb-
: m10.aol.com...
: > >Margaret Suran wrote:
: > >
: > >I just picked up two Cornish Game Hens, a little less
: > >than 1
1/2 lbs
: > >each and I want to roast them and serve them for
: > >tonight's
dinner.
: > >
: > >The last time, I left them in the oven too long and I
: > >do not
want to
: > >make the same mistake today.
: > >
: > >How long should they be roasted and at what
: > >temperature? I
will not
: > >stuff them.
: > >
: > >Thank you for your help, MS
: >
: > Preheat oven to 450F, place trussed, seasoned hens on
: > a rack
in a pan and
: cook
: > for about 30 minutes or until thermometer says 170F. Let
rest 10 minutes
: then
: > slice in half.
: >
: >
: > ---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =--- ---= Move
: > UNITED NATIONS To Paris =--- Sheldon ```````````` "Life
: > would be devoid of all meaning were it without
tribulation."
: >
:
: You two are making me hungry! I haven't had a
: Cornish Hen in
so long! My
: former husband refused to eat anything that he had to pick
apart - which
: included peel & eat shrimp, Crab claws or Lobster
: tail. God
forbid I hand
: him a bird on the bone!
:
: kili
:
: ================

Ooooooohhhhhhh, yeah baby, I haven't tried Cornish Hens in
the Rotisserie yet... I did chicken breasts in it tonight.
I'm planning on making a bunch of chicken salad with it
tomorrow. Yumm! I've got to start inviting bunches of people
over during the next couple of months so that I can get the
freezers emptied out before we move!

--
Cyndi <Remove a "b" to reply