Investing in a meat delivery service has made it easy to have everything I need to make dinner delivered right to my door. But there are still times when I don’t always finish — or even cook — everything I’ve ordered right away. I’ve found myself eating leftovers for lunch the next day. While I knew chicken (even cooked) didn’t have a long shelf life, I had no idea I was potentially flirting with food poisoning by eating poultry that had already started to turn.
Poultry is a higher-risk meat than beef because of its tendency to develop E. coli and other foodborne illnesses. That’s why you never want to eat spoiled chicken, and storing it properly is key to avoiding illness.
The USDA only gives chicken 48 hours to cook and consume after purchase, but this time frame errs on the safe side and isn’t the final word on when a bird goes bad.
If you’re wondering if your chicken is going bad or how long it’s good in the fridge, we’ve got the answers. Here, we explain how long chicken typically lasts in the fridge and freezer—both cooked and uncooked—and how to know when it’s time to put that poultry out to pasture.
How long does raw chicken last in the refrigerator?
The USDA recommends cooking chicken within one to two days of when you buy it. If that seems conservative and sooner than the sell-by date on the package, that’s because it is—but there’s a reason for it. The sell-by, use-by, or freeze-by date can be as long as a week after you buy it, but that’s just the chicken producer’s guess as to how long the chicken will be at its optimal flavor before it starts to deteriorate.
As many in this Reddit thread and others argue, you can probably split the difference without serious consequences, but you should never eat chicken that’s been in the fridge for more than three or four days. The reason chicken isn’t necessarily safe to eat until it’s past that sell-by date is two:
First, this date is not issued by a regulatory body, but by the brand. While poultry brands have to consider consumer safety, their main goal is to entice retailers to buy their product. The longer it is “good for,” the better chance they have of making more sales.
The second reason is that grocery store meat refrigerators and coolers are usually colder than your average home refrigerator. A normal refrigerator is supposed to keep meat cold without freezing delicate vegetables and other food items. Supermarket meat coolers are only supposed to keep meat so it can be at a lower resting temperature. Chicken kept at a colder temperature will naturally last longer.
How long does cooked chicken stay good in the refrigerator?
Cooked chicken has a much lower chance of growing bacteria, but it can still make you sick if you wait too long to eat it, even if it’s been refrigerated. The USDA recommends eating chicken within four days of cooking it. Like raw chicken, it should also be stored below 40 degrees F to prevent rapid spoilage.
How long can you keep chicken in the freezer?
Vistas gaļa, kas tiek turēta sasaldēta (zem 0 grādiem F), ir tehniski droši ēst apmēram vienu gadu saskaņā ar FoodSafety.govbet tas nenozīmē, ka jums vajadzētu gaidīt gadu vai pat mēnešus, lai to apēstu. Pat sarukt iesaiņota gaļa galu galā padosies sals un saldētavas sadedzināšanai. Lai gan tas, iespējams, neizraisīs vistas nedrošu, tā ietekmēs tās gardumu. Gaļai var attīstīties gumijota vai miltay tekstūra.
Saldēta vārīta vistas gaļa var ilgt uz nenoteiktu laiku bez slimības riska, bet tā gandrīz nekavējoties sāks zaudēt aromātu saldētavā, un tās tekstūra arī kļūs apdraudēta, ja tā tiks pakļauta saldētavas apdegumam.
Ja rodas šaubas, izmantojiet smaržu un acu pārbaudi
Kaut arī pārdošanas datums un USDA ieteikumi ir labi ceļveži, lai droši ēst vistu, smaržas pārbaudi vienmēr jāizmanto kā rezerves kopiju. Vistas gaļa var sastapties ar visa veida uzglabāšanas neveiksmēm un pārkāpumiem savā ceļojumā uz jūsu virtuvi. Ja jūs vistas smaržo neskarts, akls vai sapuvis, iespējams, ir pienācis laiks to sagraut.
Tāpat uzmaniet visas gaļas izskata izmaiņas. Vistas gaļa, kas jebkādā veidā parādās gļotaina vai mainīta (dzeltena, brūna vai zaļa), nekavējoties jāizmet.
Vai neapstrādātai vistas gaļai ir dabiska smarža?
Parasti. Lielākā daļa neapstrādātas vistas nesmaržo daudz, un, ja tai ir spēcīga smaka, tā varētu būt zīme, ka kaut kas ir nepareizs. Tas nozīmē, ka daži vistu fermas un mājputnu ražotāji pievieno rozmarīna ekstraktu maltai vistas un tītaram, lai samazinātu lipīdu oksidāciju gaļā. Ja jūs smaržojat vāju herby smaržu savā maltajā vistas vai tītarā, bet tā ir pareizi glabāta un tā ir pārdošanas datumos un arī vienas vai divu dienu laikā, kopš jūs to iegādājāties, tā var būt rozmarīns, kuru jūs smaržojat un nesaturējat vistu.
FAQ
Vai es varu ēst vistu, kas ir bijis ledusskapī vairāk nekā divas dienas?
USDA iesaka vairāk nekā divas dienas neuzglabāt neapstrādātu vistu ledusskapī. Pēc mūsu pieredzes trim līdz četrām dienām vajadzētu būt ok, ja vien jūs izmantojat vai pārdodat datumu. Turklāt izvairieties no vistas patērēšanas.
Vai ir labi ēst vārītu vistu pēc tam, kad to uzglabāja dažas dienas?
Pēc vārīšanas jūsu vistu noteikti būs lielāka iespēja nesabojāt. Tomēr, pamatojoties uz USDA ieteikumiem un mūsu pašu pieredzi, neēdiet vārītu vistu pēc tam, kad to glabāja ilgāk par četrām dienām.
Kādi ir labākie veidi, kā pateikt, ka manai vistas gaļai ir kļuvusi slikta?
We recommend two methods for testing any piece of chicken. First, look for a slimy film that may have formed on its surface. Second, give it a sniff test. This is where you smell a sour or rotten egg-like odor. If any are present, it’s better to say goodbye to the piece of meat than to eat it.
