The chicken, both the whole carcass and its individual parts, is important to properly store and process. This question should be approached very seriously, since the chicken is a carrier of some bacteria that can cause food poisoning. But if you do everything right, you can avoid infection.
What do you need to pay attention to when choosing a chicken in a store or market? First, the skin of the chicken should be without dark spots and damage, be moist, Secondly, have a fresh smell; third, chicken must keep the shape. There are still some rules of choice: there should be transparent packaging, meat pale pink, peel pale yellow, pale yellow fat, on the package mark "without chlorine", it should smell fresh. Read more about how to choose a chicken. If you do not observe at least one condition, then do not buy such meat.
So, you chose and bought a fresh chicken, brought it home. It is best to cook dinner from it immediately, if you are not going to cook it now, then we send the chicken to the refrigerator or to the freezer.
How to store the chicken
You can store chicken meat in the refrigerator in the meat zone for up to two days. Keep the chicken in the freezer for up to three months.
But before storage it is necessary to prepare it. Remove from the package, wipe inside and out, wrap in food film. All these actions will allow you to avoid the multiplication of bacteria. In your kitchen, there must be a cutting board exclusively for raw meat. And do not forget to observe the rules of hygiene when storing and processing chicken. Before and after contact with chicken meat, wash your hands with soap and water in hot water.
In the refrigerator, the raw chicken should be stored in a special area, so that the bacteria from it do not move to other products. It should not touch other products, especially those ready. Do not store stuffed chicken in any way, germs can multiply in the filling, and even a low temperature can not destroy them.
How to defrost a chicken
It is necessary to completely defrost a chicken just before its immediate preparation. It is best to start defrosting by placing the chicken on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. Put the chicken in some container, so that there was a lot of fluids to drain off. A container larger than a chicken is a good choice.
A bird weighing up to 2 kg is thawed in the refrigerator for about 24 hours. Weighing in excess of 2 kg, the chicken will be required to defrost hours 30. After the bird is thawed, check that there is no ice in it and its legs are easily bent, then cook it quickly.
If you follow these simple rules, then do not worry about your health.