How to Buy Chicken

Опубликовал Admin
25-07-2021, 04:20
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With so many options available at the grocery store, it can be slightly overwhelming to decide which package of chicken to pick up. You might wonder if you should focus on descriptive labels, the chicken’s coloring, or keeping it cool until you get it to your fridge. Luckily, there are answers to all of these questions and a few essential tips to follow to make sure you buy healthy chicken that is safe for you and your family to eat.

Best Buying Practices

  1. Grab the chicken last so it stays cool for as long as possible. For safety purposes, the chicken should go from the grocery store to your fridge in the smallest amount of time. Get everything else you need before stopping by the meat department, then head directly to the checkout counter.
    • If you have one, bring along an insulated tote bag to bring your chicken home in. It will keep the chicken cooler while it’s transported, which can be especially helpful on hot days.
  2. Pick chicken that has at least a few days until it reaches its “best by” date. This gives you some time to either cook the chicken or get it into the freezer without worrying about it going bad right away. The last thing you want is to grab that package from your fridge only to realize that the chicken is past its prime!
    • Wrap the packaged chicken in foil and a resealable plastic bag, and pop it in your freezer for long-term storage.
  3. Check the chicken’s coloring for a healthy pinkish hue. Steer clear of any chicken with a gray tint, which means it is probably past its prime or at least heading that direction. If you need to, look at packages of chicken further back in the display case to find one that looks good.
    • Trust your instincts! If a package of chicken looks dubious, play it safe and don’t put it in your cart.
  4. Buy enough chicken based on how many people you need to feed. Sometimes the weight of the package might not match what your recipe says you need, so the best way to plan is to think about how many pieces of meat each person will eat, especially if you’re buying thighs or breasts rather than a whole chicken.
    • For example, if you need to feed 4 people and expect that each person will eat 2 pieces of chicken, look for a package with at least 8 pieces in it. Or, plan on buying multiple packages.
  5. Look for full-skin coverage if you’re planning a skin-on chicken dish. Because let’s be honest, if you want delicious chicken skin, it should be plentiful and cover the entire piece of poultry. Some brands package their chicken skin-side down, but try to get a peek or find a package where the skin is fully visible before making your choice.
    • Here’s a tip: use a hot skillet and sear your chicken skin-side down, then roast it in the oven to give it a juicy, flavorful finish.
  6. Purchase a whole chicken to roast or break down for all its parts. Buying a whole chicken is usually less expensive than buying specific parts separately, plus it allows you to use every bit of the bird.
    • For the best-tasting bird, look for one that has been air chilled. In addition to having better flavor, it’s also less likely to have bacteria.
  7. Buy USDA certified organic chicken for an antibiotic-free bird. This label means your chicken was fed with antibiotic- and pesticide-free feed, that it spent time outdoors, and that it was processed in an organic slaughterhouse. It’s the best way to ensure you’re purchasing healthy, humane chicken.
    • Some other labels you might see are “certified humane” or “animal welfare approved.” These labels come from independent companies and aren’t regulated by governmental standards.
    • Labels like “free-range,” “natural,” and “hormone-free” sound great but don’t mean as much as you might think. Those categories are largely unregulated. Plus, it’s illegal to use hormones in any poultry, so that claim is valid for all birds.
  8. Place the chicken into a disposable bag before it goes into your cart. This bag keeps any leaks from getting on your other groceries and prevents bacteria from spreading. Lots of grocery stores have these bags available in the meat section, or you could bring one from home to use and then throw away.
    • When you check out at the store, keep the chicken with other raw meats, but don’t put it into the same bag with fresh produce or household goods.

Storage Tips

  1. Put raw chicken into containers or plastic bags to prevent leaks. When you get home from the grocery store, put your chicken away as soon as you can. You can leave it in its original packaging, but give it a little extra protection with a lidded container or resealable plastic bag. This way, any leaks won’t cross-contaminate other items.
    • Put raw chicken on the bottom shelf of your fridge so that, if it does leak, the juice won’t drip onto anything else.
  2. Keep raw chicken in the fridge for 1-2 days before using or freezing. If you get home from the grocery store and know that you won’t use that chicken within the next 48 hours, go ahead and put it in the freezer. It’s the safest way to handle poultry, and it’s easy to safely defrost in the fridge once you’re ready to cook it.
    • Even if the “best by” date is later in the week, it’s wise not to let raw chicken sit around for too long before either using or freezing.
  3. Wrap chicken in foil and a plastic bag before storing it in the freezer. Doing this helps prevent freezer burn and keeps the chicken as fresh as possible. Label the bag with the content and date frozen so that it’s easy to take stock of what you have.
    • For example, label a package of drumsticks “16 drumsticks, frozen 5/5/20.”
  4. Use frozen chicken within 9-12 months for the best taste. Chicken stored at 0 °F (−18 °C) is safe to eat indefinitely, but the flavor will be better the sooner you use it. Chicken pieces are generally best within 9 months, while whole chickens are best within 12.
    • If you think chicken might get lost in your freezer only to be found several years down the road caked in ice, set a reminder on your phone! For example, a reminder to sort through the freezer every 6 months will keep things from sitting for too long.

Food Safety

  1. Scrub your hands before and after handling chicken. Use warm, soapy water and wash your hands for 20 seconds, or the amount of time it takes to sing the “happy birthday” melody twice. Wash after you put the chicken away in the fridge, before opening the package to prepare the chicken, and after touching the chicken before handling anything else.
    • Speaking of washing, there’s no need to wash raw chicken. Doing so risks spreading bacteria to other parts of your kitchen. If you need to, blot the chicken with a paper towel, and throw that towel straight into the trash afterward. Then, rewash your hands!
  2. Keep raw chicken on its own cutting board away from other produce. Don’t use the same cutting board for fresh veggies as you do for chicken. If you only have one cutting board and need to reuse it after prepping raw chicken, thoroughly wash it with hot water and soap, then dry it off with a clean kitchen towel.
    • It’s a good idea to invest in at least 2 cutting boards. Use one only for raw meats and fish, and use the other one for fresh produce.
  3. Thaw frozen chicken in the fridge rather than on the counter. It’ll take longer, so you might need to take it out of the freezer the day before. It’s much safer to let chicken thaw gradually in the cold fridge than faster at room temperature, where bacteria is much more likely to grow.
    • Bacteria grows most quickly when it’s in what’s called the “danger zone.” Anywhere between 40 to 140 °F (4 to 60 °C) is too warm for chicken to be left sitting out for long periods of time.
  4. Cook chicken to 165 °F (74 °C) to kill any bacteria present. Use an internal meat thermometer to test the temperature and make sure the chicken is hot enough before serving it. Even if you’re heating leftover chicken that was previously cooked, you should still get it to 165 °F (74 °C).
    • After the chicken is prepared, put any leftovers into the fridge within 2 hours.

Tips

  • Keep your fridge set to 40 °F (4 °C) or lower, and set your freezer to 0 °F (−18 °C) or lower.
  • Once chicken is cooked, keep it in the fridge and eat it within 3-4 days.
  • If your fridge loses power, raw chicken will be safe for about 4 hours. After that, you’ll want to throw it out. Frozen chicken will last for about 48 hours in a full freezer, and 24 hours in a half-full freezer.

Warnings

  • Fresh chicken shouldn’t have much of a scent when you take it out of its package to cook it. If you notice an unpleasant odor, throw it out.
  • Go to the doctor if you suspect you have food poisoning. Symptoms include a high fever, vomiting, gastrointestinal distress, and dehydration.
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