Category: Food poisoning
When making purchases, there is a possibility of purchasing semi-finished products that have spoiled due to the fault of the manufacturer or seller. If there are delays in sales, the merchant suffers losses and may attempt to sell goods with expired shelf life. Chicken meat dominates the Russian diet and is sold fresh carcasses in markets and bazaars, chilled or frozen in grocery stores and chain stores. A buyer who has the knowledge of how to understand whether chicken has spoiled or is still fresh will maintain health and avoid the danger of poisoning from poor-quality products.
Meat color
One of the criteria for meat spoilage is a change in its color. Fresh chicken meat is characterized by a pinkish tint, which becomes gray as the condition worsens.
If the meat has just begun to change color and a pinkish tint predominates, it should be cooked as soon as possible. If most of the product has turned grayish, you should stop using such a component in preparing the dish.
A sign of rotten meat can be not only the grayish color of the carcass, but also the appearance of yellowish spots on it. Also pay attention to the appearance of the product after it is prepared.
If you used rotten meat for these purposes, it does not change its color towards a lighter color under heat treatment conditions.
Why does a chicken smell like eggs?
Chickens infected with Salmonella enterica produce hydrogen sulfide gas, which smells like eggs. It is found primarily in chicken products and eggs. It is killed by cooking it at high temperatures, but it is best to avoid using it if the chicken starts to smell like this.
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No ice crust
Purchasing frozen meat does not guarantee a fresh meat product. In this regard, it is strongly recommended that you carefully study the purchased product.
A freshly frozen chicken carcass is necessarily characterized by the presence of a thick ice crust, the presence of which confirms the fact that the product was frozen correctly and in compliance with all requirements.
If the presence of white ice is observed on the product, we are most likely talking about meat that has been frozen. Of course, frozen meat can be safely used in cooking, because it does not pose any danger, but in this case you need to be prepared for the fact that the taste of the final product will be slightly spoiled.
How to remove the smell of old duck meat?
Ways to get rid of the musty smell of meat
- Dilute 1 tbsp in 1 liter of water. ...
- Saline solution. ...
- Pour a piece of chicken, duck or goose with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, leave for 1 hour, then rinse under tap water and place in a bowl with clean cold water for 15 minutes.
21 Dec
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Duration and storage conditions of chicken meat
When purchasing chicken meat, be sure to pay attention to the expiration dates indicated on the packaging. Unfortunately, compliance with this requirement does not always guarantee the purchase of fresh meat, because the product may be stored in inappropriate conditions.
To avoid mistakes, it is recommended to familiarize yourself with the storage conditions of meat. The product must be packaged in vacuum packages and sealed containers.
Chicken must be stored at low temperatures to avoid rapid spoilage. So, chicken meat can be kept in the refrigerator for no more than two days. As for the frozen product, the maximum duration of its storage in the freezer can be up to 12 months.
Study of the skin surface
Fresh chicken meat is smooth and elastic, so by touching the chicken you will be able to determine its freshness. To do this, simply press firmly on the carcass with your finger to form a dent. If after this the meat quickly returns to its original position and the dent disappears, then you have a fresh product.
Chicken meat that has expired is characterized by looseness, and after pressing, the formed dents do not disappear. As already noted, in addition to the friability, there will certainly be a sticky and slippery film on the surface of spoiled chicken meat.
If you observe at least one of the signs of meat spoilage, which were discussed in detail in this article, or you have doubts about the freshness of the meat, it is better to refuse to use it in cooking. Such an error can cause serious poisoning and the development of dangerous complications.
Mustard gives good results. Carefully coat each piece on all sides with it, place them in a bowl, cover with film and refrigerate for several hours. You can also grate chicken meat with a mixture of sugar and salt. You can also mix spices and herbs that you have around the house. Rub the chicken pieces with salt and sprinkle them with this mixture, leave for 1 hour at room temperature.
Garlic can also eliminate bad or strange smells caused by chicken that has been smothered in a bag. Cut two or three cloves into quarters and stuff them into pieces of chicken, adding salt. Pass a couple of large cloves of garlic through a press, mix with salt and ground black pepper, coat the chicken pieces and put them in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Another technological technique that helps get rid of the unpleasant odor of any meat is marinating. For the marinade, you can use, in addition to spices and herbs, wine vinegar, dry red wine or freshly squeezed juice of half a lemon. Don't forget to add salt to the marinade. Toss the chicken pieces with the marinade until each piece is completely covered, and leave to stand in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.
How to soak chicken with flavor?
Again, fill the pan with water, add 1-2 tbsp. l. the chicken in this solution
.
This time, the chicken
should stay in the water for at least an hour, or even overnight, and it is advisable to put it in the refrigerator for this time, covering the pan with a lid.
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Checking the chicken for freshness
Raw chicken
You can tell if a chicken has gone bad by the following signs:
- Color. Fresh raw chicken meat has a pink color that begins to fade over time. Poultry that is unsuitable for consumption has gray meat, and sometimes yellow spots appear on the carcass. During heat treatment, spoiled meat will not lighten, remaining the same gray shade.
- Smell. A fresh chicken carcass does not smell of anything, but spoiled raw chicken meat has a pronounced, repulsive, sharp putrid odor. Sometimes it happens that chicken meat begins to smell unpleasant already at the beginning of cooking when heated. You should also avoid using such a product.
- Consistency. To determine the freshness of chicken meat, you should touch the flesh. Fresh meat will be firm to the touch. Spoiled chicken sticks to your fingers, you can also notice that it is covered with a slippery shiny film that is not washed off even under running water.
- Presence of mold. If green or black mold is found on chicken meat, it should be disposed of immediately.
The freshness of chicken meat can be determined by pressing on it. If a dent in the flesh remains for a long time or does not level out at all to its original state, this indicates that the meat is spoiled. On fresh meat, the pressure mark will disappear and the meat will return to its shape.
Video - how to choose fresh chicken
Frozen
How to determine the freshness of frozen chicken:
- Color. Frozen chicken meat may be pink or yellowish. If frozen chicken is gray in color, it is better not to use it for cooking.
- Presence of ice crust. If the technological standards are observed, when freezing chicken meat, it will be covered with a thick ice crust, reminiscent of ice on the walls of a freezer that has not been defrosted for a long time.
A white icy “rash” appearing on the chicken meat, near which the skin of the bird is bristling, will indicate that the chicken has been frozen.
It is preferable to buy chicken meat in packaging from the manufacturer, paying attention to its integrity.
Quite often, unscrupulous sellers repackage chicken carcasses after the expiration date and set a new packaging date - in this case, you need to ask the seller for documents about the date of purchase of this product.
Fried chicken
- Smell. Spoiled fried chicken will have a hydrogen sulfide smell. In this case, you should pay special attention - spices added during the cooking process can mask the unpleasant odor.
- Color. When cut, fried chicken that is unfit for consumption will have a gray tint. This is especially noticeable on “white” meat – fried chicken breast.
Boiled
- Smell. Chicken cooked without spices will have a pronounced sulfur smell.
- Taste. In order to determine the freshness of chicken, you can taste a small piece of meat by chewing it without swallowing. Spoiled meat will have a sour taste.
If the chicken has been cooked in a marinade, breading, or sauce, it will make it much more difficult to determine its freshness by smell.
The dangers of stale meat
A chicken carcass that has spoiled is exposed to pathogenic microorganisms that release toxins that are dangerous to human health. These poisons enter the consumer’s body and disrupt metabolic processes, which leads to diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration and poor circulation.
Another danger is the proliferation of microorganisms (bacteria, salmonella, staphylococci) in the body of a person who could not understand that the chicken had gone bad. These pathogenic organisms affect the mucous membranes of the intestines and stomach and cause infectious diseases in humans, the microflora of the digestive organs changes and dysbacteriosis develops.
How to properly store chicken
Raw
Raw chicken meat is stored at home chilled or frozen in the refrigerator.
The shelf life of chilled chicken in the refrigerator should not exceed 3-5 days at a temperature of 2 to 6 degrees. If the temperature is reduced to 0, the permissible storage time increases to 10 days.
Do not store chilled chicken uncovered in the refrigerator. If particles of previously spoiled products get on it, the meat will become unusable faster.
It is best to pack the chicken in a container, cling film or plastic bag, from which the air must first be released.
When frozen, the shelf life of chicken increases - up to a year at temperatures from -18 to -24 degrees, but already at -5, chicken can be stored for no more than one month.
Poultry that has been stored no more than a few hours at room temperature or no more than two days chilled in the refrigerator can be frozen.
Chilled chicken stored in a container will last 2 days longer than chicken packed in cling film or a plastic bag.
Ready
Cooked chicken does not last long, as it is not advisable to freeze it. At room temperature, the permissible storage time for cooked chicken does not exceed 3 hours.
In the refrigerator, fried and boiled chicken will be suitable for consumption within 48 hours, stewed - 72 hours. Prepared chicken dishes should be stored in tightly closed containers, without leaving the meat exposed.
❌ You should not store ready-made chicken dishes on a balcony or loggia during the cold season, since there, unlike a refrigerator, the appropriate air humidity is not maintained, which can lead to premature spoilage of the food product.
Before each holiday, in anticipation of the pleasure of the feast, we begin to think through the menu. Cutlets, homemade sausages, chops, stews, pilaf with lamb, cabbage rolls and dumplings, oven-baked chicken, rabbits, ducks and, of course, the fragrant, long-awaited smoky kebab!
The main product for all this deliciousness is meat. Now we will figure out how to identify spoiled meat and choose a fresh, high-quality product.
We look carefully
Usually spoiled meat is immediately visible during a visual inspection.
Fresh meat of all types of large animals, such as beef or veal, goat, pork, lamb, should have a color ranging from dark pink to brown. In no case should there be rainbow tints or gray tints.
The poultry should be pinkish-white to pink in color. If the bird is young, the color may even have a bluish tint.
The color of the entire piece of meat or poultry carcass should be uniform, without dark or gray spots. The edges of the cut parts of the carcass should not be dried out or weathered. If the pieces of meat have bones or joints, pay close attention to their color. Only white!
When buying any type of meat in a store, keep in mind that the lighting of display cases greatly distorts the real picture. Be sure to ask the seller to take out the piece you like and examine it carefully.
Using touch and smell
Be sure to touch and smell the product to identify signs of spoiled meat and avoid becoming a victim of poisoning. The structure of good, proper meat is dense, not loose. If you try to press a piece with your finger, your finger should not go into the meat like butter!
Under no circumstances should the meat be sticky!
Remember that the correct smell of good meat is almost imperceptible and has notes of milk in its aroma. If you buy minced meat, know that its smell should not be different from whole pieces of meat. If this is not the case, it means that spices or flavorings have been added to the minced meat. Careless sellers use this method to hide the putrid smell of a stale product.
One more tip. Do not hesitate to ask for a certificate of quality for the selected ham or ribs in a store or market. If the meat is fresh and not spoiled, every conscientious seller will definitely provide you with all the necessary documents.
It may happen that a lot of time has passed from the moment of purchase to preparation; and you had no way to store meat in the refrigerator. Make sure it is cooked or fried well!
How to understand staleness when cooking
During the cooking process, how can you tell if the chicken fillet is spoiled? Before cooking, the meat is washed and wrapped in a paper towel. If the pulp has been stained with chemical reagents, the dyes will appear on the paper in the form of colored spots within 5 minutes.
The fillet is cut with a knife, the odors are removed from the blade by immersing it in boiling water for 1 minute. You need to understand that the processes of decay begin in the depths of the muscle mass. It is more difficult to remove the odors accompanying decomposition by chemical treatment, so it is easier to detect unpleasant odors.
We recommend: What to do with expired sausages?
Poor-quality meat begins to smell stronger during heat treatment, so spices are added to the prepared dish after 3-5 minutes, after making sure the chicken is safe.
