Food Storage Tips For Chicken For Safe Handling
Chicken is a wonderful ingredient to cook with and whether you are a
budding chef or completely new to chicken cookery, there are a few very
important things to know about chicken safety before you start cooking
chicken recipes.
Choosing and Buying Chicken
Choosing and Buying Chicken
You should choose chicken, which is within its expiration date and cold
to the touch. You should not buy fresh chicken, which is damaged or
leaking.
Chicken is chilled during its distribution to retail stores to keep it cool and fresh. If you need to buy fresh chicken, it is a good idea to make it the last item you buy before heading to the checkout so it does not get warm. Double bag the chicken separately from your other groceries and put it in the refrigerator as soon as you get home, in its original packaging.
How to Chill, Freeze and Defrost Chicken
When you get home, you can refrigerate the chicken for up to two days or freeze it. To thaw chicken, you can either do it in the refrigerator, in the microwave or in cold water. Thawing it slowly in the refrigerator is the safest way. Boneless chicken breasts defrost overnight but a whole chicken might take a day or two. If you do not use all the thawed chicken, it is safe to refreeze it.
If you want your chicken defrosted quicker, you can do it in water. Place the chicken in a Ziploc bag if it is not in sealed packaging and submerge it in cold water. You will need to change the water every half an hour to keep it cold. A whole chicken should be thawed in two or three hours and a pound of chicken breasts will be done in an hour.
Only defrost chicken in the microwave if you are going to cook it immediately after because some parts might get warm and start cooking while the chicken is defrosting and partial cooking will encourage any bacteria to multiply.
You cannot cook chicken from frozen in a slow cooker or in the microwave but you can cook it from frozen on the stove or in the oven if you allow for a 50% longer cooking time.
If you want to stuff, a chicken you will need to cook it right away but you can marinate chicken in the refrigerator for up to two days. It is important that cooked chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. This ensures that any bacteria are killed.
If you have made a Kentucky fried chicken recipe and you have some left over, you should put it in the refrigerator within a couple of hours to keep it safe for enjoying the next day.
How Long Can You Keep Chicken?
A whole raw chicken keeps for two days in the refrigerator or a year in the freezer. Raw chicken parts will keep for two days in the refrigerator or nine months in the freezer. You can keep cooked chicken parts or a cooked whole chicken for four days in the refrigerator or for four months in the freezer.
Chicken is chilled during its distribution to retail stores to keep it cool and fresh. If you need to buy fresh chicken, it is a good idea to make it the last item you buy before heading to the checkout so it does not get warm. Double bag the chicken separately from your other groceries and put it in the refrigerator as soon as you get home, in its original packaging.
How to Chill, Freeze and Defrost Chicken
When you get home, you can refrigerate the chicken for up to two days or freeze it. To thaw chicken, you can either do it in the refrigerator, in the microwave or in cold water. Thawing it slowly in the refrigerator is the safest way. Boneless chicken breasts defrost overnight but a whole chicken might take a day or two. If you do not use all the thawed chicken, it is safe to refreeze it.
If you want your chicken defrosted quicker, you can do it in water. Place the chicken in a Ziploc bag if it is not in sealed packaging and submerge it in cold water. You will need to change the water every half an hour to keep it cold. A whole chicken should be thawed in two or three hours and a pound of chicken breasts will be done in an hour.
Only defrost chicken in the microwave if you are going to cook it immediately after because some parts might get warm and start cooking while the chicken is defrosting and partial cooking will encourage any bacteria to multiply.
You cannot cook chicken from frozen in a slow cooker or in the microwave but you can cook it from frozen on the stove or in the oven if you allow for a 50% longer cooking time.
If you want to stuff, a chicken you will need to cook it right away but you can marinate chicken in the refrigerator for up to two days. It is important that cooked chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. This ensures that any bacteria are killed.
If you have made a Kentucky fried chicken recipe and you have some left over, you should put it in the refrigerator within a couple of hours to keep it safe for enjoying the next day.
How Long Can You Keep Chicken?
A whole raw chicken keeps for two days in the refrigerator or a year in the freezer. Raw chicken parts will keep for two days in the refrigerator or nine months in the freezer. You can keep cooked chicken parts or a cooked whole chicken for four days in the refrigerator or for four months in the freezer.
