Chicken meat contains a large amount of vitamins (A, B1 – B3, B5, B6, B9, C, E). As well as other substances necessary for the proper functioning of the body. These are zinc, iron, magnesium, potassium, sodium, etc. It is well absorbed, which is why it is recommended for consumption from an early age in the form of purees. Due to its low calorie content, chicken fillet can be safely consumed by overweight people. Despite the fact that the meat of this bird is the most in demand and is purchased more often than others, not everyone knows how to store chicken so that it retains not only its taste, but also its beneficial qualities.
How to choose
Before buying, you need to take a good look at the bird, paying attention to its appearance. The skin of the chilled chicken should not have bruises, dark spots or damaged areas. Her normal color is white. Poultry that is too fat may have a slightly yellowish tint. A fresh, pleasant smell is the best recommendation for this product (a faint smell of bleach or vinegar indicates that they tried to “reanimate” the meat).
Frozen chicken should not be covered in ice. It can only appear if the bird has been frozen twice. It is better to avoid such chicken meat. At the same time, it is best to try to buy only chilled poultry, since frozen ones may be initially stale.
How to store chickens
How long the meat will retain its quality will depend on its storage conditions. First of all, it depends on the temperature and air humidity. It is also important what the condition of the bird was at the time of its purchase.
Chilled chicken will last longer in the refrigerator if all bones are removed first.
Optimal storage conditions for chicken:
- temperature 0°С – +4°С;
- humidity 80 – 95%.
Keeping chicken at the right temperature will keep it fresh for several days.
- Chicken breasts can be kept refrigerated for up to 2 days, and frozen for 12 months.
- Minced chicken without freezing can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 days, and in the freezer for up to 4 months.
- Storing chicken without refrigeration at +15°C -+18°C will last only a few hours.
- Poultry meat should be packaged in containers with a lid (for refrigerated storage) and in cling film (for freezing).
Meat selection
The length of time you can store shish kebab depends on the degree of freshness of the original product. Regardless of the type of meat, the main thing is that it is fresh and of high quality.
When going outdoors, you should opt for chilled rather than frozen meat. There should be no dry, weathered crust on its surface. It is better to avoid such a product. But the meat should not be in too much liquid. Spraying with water can be an indicator of artificially imparting a marketable appearance to stale meat.
An important criterion when purchasing should be the color of the product. It must fully correspond to the type of meat:
- beef - moderate red color;
- lamb - bright red;
- pork, veal - light pink.
The smell of fresh meat should be mild, pleasant, without a hint of mustiness or sour notes.
When you press on a fresh product, it will not leave any dents. The meat should have a good degree of density and elasticity.
Meat for barbecue should be stored at a temperature of 0°C -+1°C for no longer than 3 days. When storing for a longer period of time is expected, it is better to freeze the product.
Cold storage
The best decision would be to cook the chicken immediately after purchase. But when this cannot be done, you need to store the bird in the refrigerator, in the following packages:
- vacuum;
- glass with lid;
- polyethylene;
- plastic vacuum.
It is optimal to place the chicken in a vacuum bag, then in a larger plastic container, and fill the remaining voids with ice cubes.
The shelf life of chicken in the refrigerator will depend not only on the storage temperature and the initial condition of the bird, but also on its size and type of storage (in whole or in parts, with or without bones). Storage time for chicken in the refrigerator at a certain temperature:
- 3 – 4 days at -2°С – 0°С;
- 3 days at 0°C -+4°C;
- 1 – 2 days at +4°С -+7°С;
- 8 – 24 hours at +7°С -+10°С.
Requirements according to GOST and SanPin
According to sanitary standards, raw meat and meat products are stored at temperatures from -2 to +2 degrees:
- 48 hours - beef, pork, large-piece lamb, carcasses, drumsticks, wings, poultry fillets;
- 24 hours - marinated semi-finished products, minced beef, pork, offal;
- 12 hours - minced chicken.
Shelf life of prepared dishes at the same temperature:
- 24 hours - boiled, meat, boiled and fried offal;
- 36 hours - stewed, fried pork, beef;
- 2 days - stewed, fried, boiled poultry;
- 72 hours - smoked poultry carcasses;
- 5 days - cold cuts in vacuum packaging.
The humidity level is from 85%, air circulation is 0.2-0.3 meters per second. Meat is stored in dark rooms. The longest shelf life is given to stewed meat - 10 years.
Frozen storage
- Chicken that is not going to be cooked soon should be frozen immediately after purchase.
- For freezing, birds choose durable, airtight, moisture-resistant packaging that can maintain its quality at sub-zero temperatures.
- It is advisable to divide the chicken into parts and freeze it in vacuum bags in portions.
- It is convenient to store chicken in the freezer in plastic containers, with a minimum amount of air.
Average shelf life of frozen chicken in the freezer, depending on temperature:
- 1 year - at -24°C -18°C;
- 6 – 9 months at -18°С –14°С;
- 3 – 6 months at -14°С –8°С;
- 3 months at -8°С –5°С.
Common Mistakes
Violations during storage of meat stocks:
- rinse meat before freezing;
- leave prepared dishes on the stove at room temperature;
- store canned food on the balcony at sub-zero temperatures;
- freeze leftover defrosted meat;
- keep meat and fish together.
When freezing meat, you need to put an expiration date on the packaging. Re-frozen meat products lose nutritional value and taste, as ice crystals destroy their structure. When freezing for a long time, you need to check the condition of the product. Gray spots from shrinkage may appear on the pulp - cold burns. Damaged products need to be thawed and cooked. Shrinkage occurs due to leaky packaging and evaporation of moisture. The effect is similar to chapping. Therefore, despite the stains, such meat is suitable for food.
Storing boiled chicken
If boiled chicken is in a warm room, it should be consumed immediately (within the next 3 hours). And in the refrigerator it can last 2-3 days. Grilled chicken has the same shelf life.
Boiled chicken should be stored in a hermetically sealed container. In a plastic bag it will very soon begin to deteriorate.
The remaining part of the boiled chicken is placed in a deep bowl and covered with a lid so that it does not dry out.
Chicken that is wrapped in foil will keep well for several days. In addition, packaged in this way, it will not absorb extraneous odors emanating from other products that are stored in the same refrigerator.
Storing smoked chicken
It is not recommended to store smoked chicken for a long time. First of all, you need to decide what kind of bird it is. If it was bought in a store, there is a high probability that the meat was stale before smoking. Chickens that are almost past their shelf life are smoked in large quantities. This chicken should be consumed as soon as it was purchased.
Fresh poultry, grilled or smoked with your own hands, can be stored in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days without any problems at home.
Chicken in marinade
Marinating chicken is mainly carried out for making barbecue. And if for some reason going outdoors is postponed, a natural question arises: how long and how to store marinated chicken?
Even in the refrigerator, storing marinated chicken meat can last no more than 24 hours. Therefore, it is better to fry it in a frying pan or bake it on skewers in the oven without waiting for it to spoil.
What to do to make chicken last longer
You can store chicken meat in such a way that it stays fresh longer. There are different ways to do this. Some of them will be discussed further.
- Using ice (crushed or cubed) you can increase the shelf life of chicken in the refrigerator by 1 to 2 days. Ice cubes are placed in an enamel bowl, chicken is placed on it, after which it is also covered with ice on top.
- Wrapped in a cloth soaked in table vinegar, chicken can be stored for up to 5 days. It is placed directly in damp cotton cloth in a plastic bag and sent to the refrigerator shelf.
Methods for preparing meat without freezing
Dried and salted meat can be stored from several months to 2 years without refrigeration. Another affordable way to preserve meat without refrigeration is canning.
Pickling
There are different methods of salting:
- dry - pieces 2-3 centimeters thick are generously rubbed with salt on all sides, laid out in layers in enamel basins, alternating layers of meat and salt, put pressure on top and put in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks;
- wet - the workpieces are kept in an aqueous saline solution.
The finished corned beef is soaked in clean water to remove excess salt. Dry salted product will keep for up to 6 months at room temperature, wrapped in foil or parchment.
Drying
Types of processing:
- cold - freezing, holding in a vacuum for 6 hours until moisture and ice evaporate;
- hot - thin strips of pulp 0.5 centimeters thick are placed in a vinegar marinade, pressed down on top, left cool for 10 hours, then kept in a convection oven for 8 hours at +60 degrees.
The shelf life of hot-dried meat is 1.5 months, cold-dried meat is 2 years at +25 degrees.
Canning
Homemade stew is prepared with the addition of pork, beef, and lamb fat:
- spices are placed at the bottom of sterilized jars;
- the meat is cut into cubes, salted, and placed in jars;
- add fat to fill internal voids;
- preheat the oven to 200 degrees;
- Cover the containers with lids and place them in the oven on a baking sheet covered with coarse salt.
After 2 hours, take out the finished stew and roll up the jars.
