When butchering chickens do you 'have' to remove every bit of lungs?

[Smokin Silkies]

I keep reading about how you have to remove the lungs and people spend $30 for those lung scrapers. Is there a reason why you have to get every last trace of them out? Some say they can just rip them out by hand...others make it point to have it all completely removed. Will it make the chicken taste bad or something if you don't remove all of it? I'm going to just buy one of those tomato or mellon things for a few bucks instead of buying a $30 lung scraper. I plan on getting as much as I can out when the time comes, but I was just wondering about this. Thanks

 

[crtrlovr]

I've bought chickens from the store that didn't have every trace of lung removed, and I didn't bother to try to remove it while washing them and getting them ready to cook. No big deal, IMHO.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I can usually get them all out just using a (gloved) finger prying between the ribs. If it doesn't all come out at the butchering table it will rinse out before cooking. You could also use a grapefruit spoon to persuade them to come out. And if you're going to cut the bird into pieces before cooking you'll have better access to cleaning out the lungs and any other bits & tubes you don't want on your plate.

 

[becky3086]

No. It won't hurt anything.

 

[dancingbear]

Bits of lung, trachea, all of the kidney tissue, and often the tiny little testes, are present in a store bought bird. It's nothing to worry about.

I'd never spend $30 on a lung scraper. I just rub with a fingertip, from the outer edge of the lung toward the center, until it starts to lift up. I work my finger under the lung, and peel it out. They often come out in one piece. The only trouble you might encounter, is if your fingers are big, you might not be able to get them between the ribs. You can use a spoon handle, or maybe a baby's spoon, if you need to. In some places, they eat the lungs.

 

[uhuh555]

Cooked lungs taste like chicken flavored rubber. They are harmless to eat. We collect the lungs and such to feed to the dogs and cats, freezing what are not immediately feed to them for later feedings.

We use a $1 tomato capper that looks like a tiny spoon with serrated edges. It grabs every last bit with little effort.

 

[Peeper7]

I use one of those little tomato things with the jagged edge and it works just fine

 

[becky3086]

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I like the idea of freezing it to feed to the dogs and cats. Will have to remember that.

 

[Smokin Silkies]

Quote:
Yes, that's what I was talking about in my original post. I'm not sure what they are called thats why I said the tomato things...lol! They looked the same as those very expensive scrapers....so why not

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

I just use my fingers and don't panic if I don't get it all. Once it's cooked, you'll never know. I usually take all the innards (minus the intestines) and boil them for the dogs/cats. Lungs, testicles, trachea, etc - they love it! We save the giblets and neck for gravy.