To ensure that the prepared dish is not only tasty, but also healthy, it is important to use exclusively fresh ingredients. To a greater extent, this recommendation concerns meat ingredients that can cause serious poisoning. Therefore, today we will try to figure out how to understand that the chicken has gone bad.
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.
Appearance and color
Depending on whether you have raw or cooked chicken, there are a few important things to pay attention to regarding its appearance and color.
Raw chicken
Before you cook chicken, it is important to inspect it for signs of spoilage.
Raw chicken should be light pink in color with white bits of fat. If the flesh is gray or green or if the fat is yellow, it is a sign of spoilage and the chicken should be discarded.
However, if the chicken meat is slightly discolored, this is normal.
For example, you may observe slight darkening or discoloration of the pink flesh, a normal result of the conversion of oxymyoglobin—a red protein and pigment—to metmyoglobin after exposure to oxygen ().
While this isn't always a sign of spoilage, it can mean the chicken isn't as fresh.
Generally, as long as the chicken is stored safely in the refrigerator or freezer, slight color changes are normal.
Finally, if you notice any visible signs of spoilage, such as mold growth, discard the chicken. Unlike hard cheese, you can't simply cut off a small piece that has mold growing on it, so you should throw out the entire piece or batch of chicken.
Cooked chicken
Cooked chicken should be white with no pink bits of flesh. Pink flesh is a sign that the chicken is not fully cooked.
If you are storing chicken for leftovers, store it in the refrigerator at 4°C or colder in a covered container for up to 3 days.
And don't forget to put it in the refrigerator straight after cooking or eating it - chicken can spoil if left in the "danger zone" of 4°C to 60°C for more than a few hours.
This is the temperature range in which bacteria grow exponentially and increase the risk of foodborne illness ().
If you notice any visible signs of mold growth or discoloration between the time you put the chicken in the refrigerator and when you are about to eat it, throw it away ().
If the chicken has any seasonings or dressings on it, it may be difficult to detect mold or discoloration.
This is why you should eat the chicken within 3 days of cooking it. Be sure to reheat the chicken to at least 74°C using a food thermometer to measure its internal temperature (, ).
Conclusion:
If raw chicken is grey, green or any color other than light pink, it is a sign that the chicken has gone bad. Cooked chicken should be white with no visible mold or residue.
The smell of meat
Be sure to pay attention to the smell coming from the meat. If a meat ingredient is repulsive with a sharp and unpleasant aroma, the meat is spoiled and it is better to get rid of it.
Sometimes it is not possible to recognize a spoiled meat product in time, but during cooking such an ingredient can become a source of an unpleasant aroma. In this case, it is better to stop cooking and discard the meat.
Recommendations
To get the best result in removing odor from chicken, it is recommended to take into account the following tips:
- The chicken should only be washed in cold water.
- Before cooking the chicken, all entrails are removed from the carcass.
- Old fat is often the source of unpleasant odors. It should be cut off. It may be necessary to remove the skin from the carcass, which is often a source of unpleasant odor.
- The easiest and cheapest way to remove odors from chicken is to soak it in salted water.
- Cooking chicken on the grill eliminates unpleasant flavors due to the aroma of smoke.
- If the chicken has become dry in the refrigerator, it should be washed. This will refresh its interior and prevent other products from absorbing the unpleasant aroma of spoiled meat. You can use a soda solution for this (2 tablespoons of powder per liter of water) or other means.
- The cutting board on which the meat was processed must also be thoroughly washed. The easiest way is to use a soda solution.
The quality of the purchased product must be analyzed before purchase.
You will find a lot of useful and important information on how to remove smell from different types of meat and cook it correctly here.
Presence of mold
An indisputable fact of spoilage of chicken meat is the appearance of spots with signs of mold.
Such formations on the product have a greenish or black tint and cause a characteristic odor, indicating decay processes. It is strictly not recommended to use such chicken in cooking.
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.
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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.
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 bad odor from chicken
Before you get rid of the foul odor, you need to make sure the chicken is fresh and ready to eat. High-quality chicken pulp has a pink structure and a white tint to the fat layer.
To get rid of an unpleasant aroma, they resort to using simple and accessible techniques:
- You can “mask” the stench with chopped onions and garlic cloves. Peeled garlic is crushed in a garlic press, and the onion is grated. Rub the chicken with the prepared mixture and leave for 30 minutes in a cool room.
- If there is no time to soak the chicken, it is prepared using available means - salt and wheat flour. The two components are mixed and the mixture is rubbed onto the meat pieces. Flour absorbs unpleasant aroma, and salt cleanses the skin of the chicken carcass.
The “odor” is combated by marinating chicken. You need to take vegetable oil, wine or vinegar, add basil and place the product in this solution for 30 minutes. Wash with cold water and start cooking.
After soaking the meat pieces in wine, they are fried for piquancy and better taste.
Some summer residents and owners of country houses are hesitant to purchase chickens for raising on the farm, believing that they give off an unpleasant odor. However, here they are deeply mistaken. In fact, laying hens do not smell at all. And the stench can come from where they live, from the chicken coop. And this is quite natural. To rid yourself, and especially your neighbors, of the stench coming from the poultry house, you need to regularly clean the premises.
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.
Summarize
Being able to tell when your chicken has gone bad can help protect you and your family from foodborne illnesses.
Fresh raw chicken is usually light pink in color with white bits of fat, has little to no odor, and is soft and moist. If your chicken is slimy, has a foul odor, or has changed color to yellow, green, or gray, these are signs that it has gone bad.
Throw away any chicken that is past its best before date, has been refrigerated for more than 2 days raw or 4 days cooked, or has been in a dangerous temperature zone for more than 2 hours.
While these signs are good to be aware of, a good saying goes: “When in doubt, throw it out.”
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.
Texture
Fresh raw chicken has a glossy, somewhat soft texture.
It should not be slimy or sticky. If there is a slimy residue on your hands after touching raw chicken, it is a sign that it has gone bad.
Cooked chicken is tougher and drier than raw chicken. If you notice any changes in texture, such as softness, sliminess, stickiness, or coating, it is likely no longer safe to eat.
Conclusion:
Raw chicken should not be slimy or sticky, but rather glossy and slightly soft. Cooked chicken that has gone bad is usually slimy, sticky and too soft.
Determining the freshness of a packaged product
If chicken is purchased in a store, being packaged, then it is not possible to smell and touch it. Some nuances are considered indirect signs that help to understand that the meat has begun to spoil.
Read also: Is a mushroom a vegetable or plant?
Ice crust
Freshly frozen chicken usually has a thick ice crust - its presence indicates that the product was frozen in compliance with all rules and requirements. If the crust has a whitish tint, then most likely the chicken was frozen. If the ice is pinkish in color, this is a clear indication that the frozen chicken was thawed and then re-frozen. In this case, most likely, the meat will be unfit for consumption.
Even if the product has not begun to rot, its taste will still be greatly undermined.
