Cooks in the know understand that, before they roast a store-bought chicken or turkey, they need to remove a curious little bag that's nearly always stuffed inside the bird. Collectively, the little odds and ends found in the bag are known as giblets, and they are actually some of the animal's vital organs, such as the heart, liver, neck, and gizzard.

While birds, reptiles, earthworms, and some fish and crustaceans have gizzards, mankind does not. The gizzard is a muscle that is part of these creatures' digestive tracts. Because these animals don't chew their food with teeth, the food is passed through the gizzard, which helps grind and break down whatever the animal eats. The gizzard performs this task using things like sand and rocks that the animal also ingests. If you've ever seen chickens pecking the ground, seemingly at nothing in particular, they're not going loopy; they instinctively eat these elements, that are then stored in the gizzard and help the organ do its job.

Many people toss the bag of giblets in the garbage, thinking they're gross or worthless, but they are actually excellent ingredients and are worth experimenting with.