Wing at 95 degrees: Buffalo wings · 294

Size consistency matters more than a grade mark — mixed sizes cook unevenly in one batch. Three joints with a high ratio of skin and collagen to actual meat. That is precisely the point: skin crisps, collagen turns sticky, and the bones give the sauce something to cling to. It is the cheapest part of the bird and the one entire restaurant categories are built on.

Unlike breast, wings improve above the safe minimum — the collagen needs the extra heat to melt and the skin to render. Colour, sinew, where the fat sits, and thickness are what you check before you pay. Ask for the thickness that matches “Buffalo wings.” Use 95 degrees and 95 when you cook. Salt after you know the job. Do not play with undercooked meat.

At the counter, read the use on Wing before the photograph. 95 degrees is the internal heat, “Buffalo wings” is the dish, and 95 is the stage of the fire. Marbling alone does not split stew from grill. Dry the skin thoroughly before it meets heat. Surface moisture is the difference between crisp and leathery.