How much chicken can be stored in the refrigerator

How to store cooked chicken

The shelf life of cooked chicken also depends on temperature and packaging.

So, boiled chicken that is stored at room temperature should be consumed during few hours... If this is not necessary, for example, the chicken is left after a festive feast, put it in the refrigerator. There it will remain usable for several more days. At the same time, boiled or fried chicken should not be stored for too long - just 2-3 days is enough - no more.

Store heat-treated chicken in an airtight container. Storing cooked chicken in plastic bags is not recommended. You can keep greens, salad, bread in a cellophane bag, but not chicken. Leftovers from boiled or fried chicken should be placed in a deep plate and covered with a lid so that the top of the meat does not dry out. Ideal if you find foil. Chicken in foil will retain its appearance and taste throughout the shelf life. In addition, the foil will relieve the chicken of extraneous odors.

If the chicken has been in the refrigerator for 3 days, fry it in a pan for 5 minutes or heat it in the microwave for 3 minutes before further use. This will get rid of possible pathogenic microorganisms that may appear by the 3rd day of storage of the chicken.

If you use vacuum packaging for storage, then the shelf life of boiled chicken will already be 5 days.

Now let's figure out how and how much to store smoked chicken. It should be divided here, smoked chicken bought in the store and chicken carcass, grilled or smoked at home. In the first case, you are already purchasing stale chicken, since stale meat is used for smoking on an industrial scale. Therefore, store-bought smoked chicken should be consumed immediately after purchase. But home-smoked chicken may well lie in the refrigerator for a week.

You can also freeze smoked chicken. To do this, it must first be cut into pieces, then placed in a bag so that it retains its taste and aroma as much as possible. In addition, portioned frozen chicken thaws faster. In this case, defrosted chicken should be consumed on the same day. In smoked chicken, after thawing, pathogenic microorganisms multiply rapidly.

Other site materials

How much milk can be stored in the refrigerator

Since milk is perishable, it is important to know how much you can store in the refrigerator.

How much eggs can be stored in the refrigerator

It is very important to know how much eggs can be stored in the refrigerator so that they do not spoil.

How to store beef tongue

Many delicacies are prepared from the beef tongue. Learn how to properly store beef tongue at home.

You can store dumplings in the refrigerator

Great article on storing dumplings. We share useful secrets and subtleties of storing home and store dumplings

How to store proteins

Do you know how to properly store egg whites? We will be happy to tell you about this in detail and clearly in a new article!

Goose storage

Have you bought a goose carcass? Be sure to read the storage conditions for goose meat!

How much to store pickled kebab

The shelf life of a kebab made from fresh quality meat is 2 - 3 days at a temperature of + 2 ° C - + 4 ° C. The lower the temperature, the longer the kebab can remain usable. For example, storing pork kebabs is possible for 60 days in a freezer at a temperature of -18 ° C.

Storing pickled meat

Before use, marinated meat should be kept exclusively in the refrigerator, regardless of whether it was bought in a store or marinated at home.

The shelf life of marinated meat in the refrigerator will depend on the composition of the marinade. If it contains vinegar, pepper, garlic, which have antibacterial properties, the storage of marinated meat for kebabs will be longer. You can also increase the storage time of this semi-finished product by using iodized salt instead of ordinary salt.

• If the meat is in kefir or mayonnaise, you can store the marinated kebab in the cold for no more than 1 day.
• The shelf life of a kebab in a marinade with the addition of a bite and lemon juice is 2-3 days.

• Adding wine or beer to the marinades will significantly speed up the marinating process, but at the same time, it will shorten the storage time of the kebab in such a marinade.
• Soda water marinade is used if pickling needs to be accelerated. Gas bubbles actively loosen the meat fibers, thereby speeding up the process. But the shelf life of meat before frying is reduced.
• To lengthen the marinating time of meat, you can use a little vegetable oil. In combination with seasonings and garlic, it will provide excellent taste to the finished dish and slightly extend its shelf life.

General storage table

Requirements for GOST and SanPin

According to sanitary standards, at temperatures from -2 to +2 degrees, raw meat and meat products are stored:

• 48 hours - beef, pork, lamb lamb, carcasses, drumsticks, wings, poultry fillets;
• 24 hours - marinated semi-finished products, minced beef, pork, offal;
• 12 o'clock - minced chicken.

> Shelf life in the same temperature regime for ready meals:

• day - boiled, meat, boiled and fried offal;
• 36 hours - stewed, fried pork, beef;
• 2 days - stewed, fried, boiled poultry;
• 72 hours - smoked poultry carcasses;
• 5 days - vacuum packed meats.

The norm of humidity is from 85%, air circulation is 0.2-0.3 meters per second. The meat is stored in dark rooms. The longest shelf life is given to stewed meat - 10 years.

What are the risks of eating spoiled chicken?

Eating spoiled chicken can cause foodborne illness, also known as food poisoning.

Eating chicken has a high risk of food poisoning as it can be contaminated with bacteria such as Campylobacter, Salmonella and others ().

Usually, these bacteria are removed when you cook fresh chicken thoroughly.

However, you still need to avoid cooking and eating spoiled chicken. While reheating or cooking food can kill the bacteria in it, it will not eliminate some of the bacteria's toxins that can cause food poisoning if you eat them ().

Food poisoning can cause unpleasant and sometimes dangerous symptoms, including high body temperature (over 38.6 ° C), chills, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bloody stools, and dehydration ().

In some cases, a severe form of food poisoning may require hospitalization and even lead to death (,).

If you suspect your chicken is spoiled, do not eat it. It is always best to skip the chicken if you suspect that it has gone bad.

Meat selection

The time for how long the kebab can be stored depends on the freshness of the original product. Regardless of the type of meat, the main thing is that it is fresh and of high quality.

Going to nature, you should opt for chilled, not frozen meat.There should be no dry weathered crust on its surface. It is better to bypass such a product. But meat should not be in too much liquid. Spraying with water can be an indicator of artificially presenting stale meat.

An important purchase criterion should be the color of the product. It must fully correspond to the type of meat:

• beef - moderately red;
• lamb - bright red;
• pork, veal - light pink.

The smell of fresh meat should be mild, pleasant, without a tinge of mustiness and sour notes.

Pressing on fresh food will not leave dents on it. The meat should have a good degree of firmness and firmness.

Kebab meat should be stored at a temperature of 0 ° C - + 1 ° C for no longer than 3 days. When a longer preservation is expected, it is better to freeze the product.

Methods for preparing meat without freezing

Dried and salted meat can be stored from several months to 2 years without a refrigerator. Canning is also an affordable way to keep meat cool.

Salting

There are salting methods:

• dry - pieces 2-3 centimeters thick are rubbed abundantly with salt on all sides, laid out in layers in enamel pots, alternating layers of meat and salt, put oppression on top and put in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks;
• wet - the workpieces are kept in an aqueous saline solution.

Finished corned beef is soaked in clean water to remove excess salt. The dry salted product will last up to 6 months at room temperature, wrapped in foil or parchment.

Drying

Processing types:

• cold - freezing, holding in a vacuum for 6 hours until moisture and ice evaporate;
• hot - thin strips of pulp 0.5 centimeters thick are placed in a vinegar marinade, pressed down with oppression from above, insisted in a cool place for 10 hours, then kept in a convection oven for 8 hours at +60 degrees.

The shelf life of hot dried meat is 1.5 months, cold - 2 years at +25 degrees.

Canning

Homemade stew is prepared with the addition of pork, beef, lamb fat:

• spices are placed on the bottom of sterilized jars;
• meat is cut into cubes, salted, laid out in jars;
• add fat by filling in the internal voids;
• preheat the oven to 200 degrees;
• the container is covered with lids, placed in the oven on a baking sheet covered with coarse salt.

After 2 hours, the finished stew is taken out and the cans are rolled up.

How to extend the shelf life

If at the moment it is not possible to put the chicken in the freezer, then the following methods will help to extend the shelf life:

1. Ice. The chicken is placed in a container with ice, thus extending its freshness by 2 days.
2. Vinegar. A cotton cloth is moistened in it and the chicken is wrapped. Shelf life in the refrigerator is one week. You can also grease the sides of the pan with vinegar and put the bird in it. This will keep the chicken fresh for up to 6 days.
3. Salt and black pepper. This mixture is rubbed with chicken and placed in an airtight container. It is stored in this form for up to 5 days. Rinse off the spices before cooking.

If you choose between a bag and a container, then it is better to take a container for storage. The bird will remain in it for a couple of days longer. You can also add some ice to a plastic container.

Chicken meat properties

Positive:

• chicken is a source of easily digestible protein, vitamins and minerals (potassium, phosphorus, zinc, iron);
• chicken meat contains the substance carnosine, which has a rejuvenating (antioxidant) effect on the body; it is necessary for the muscles, brain, and eye lenses.

Negative:

• Chicken skin contains a lot of fat, which is converted into cholesterol in the body. When cooking, trim off oily skin.
• Poor quality chicken can cause salmonellosis (food poisoning caused by the salmonella bacteria).

Negative properties are excluded when cutting and cooking. Trim oily skin when preparing meals.Long-term heat treatment ensures the destruction of bacterial contamination. After cooking, you need to thoroughly wash your hands, knives, cutting board, dishes.

Rules and methods for storing raw chicken

If you bought a chicken on the market that was slaughtered yesterday, you can safely put it in the refrigerator. If the bird was slaughtered recently, it should lie in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before freezing. At this time, chemical processes are still taking place in the meat, and if it is frozen, this will negatively affect the taste.

Chilled

The chilled carcass can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The same amount of time is stored in its parts: fillet, chicken legs, back, wings. Chilled poultry is immediately placed in the freezer after purchase. There it can last up to 7 months.

Frozen

Frozen poultry is stored in a household freezer for about six months. But only if it will not defrost.

Thawed

Poultry should not be re-placed in the cold after defrosting. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours. After thawing, its muscles lose their previous structure, so they will deteriorate much faster. The bird needs to be cooked and stored further ready-made.

Offal

On the shelf in the refrigerator, by-products are stored up to 18 hours. For long-term storage, the offal is placed in the freezer. At a temperature of -8 ° C, they are stored for up to 60 days, and when it reaches -18 ° C - up to six months.

Finished

Cooked poultry is stored in the same container in which it was boiled or stewed. If it was necessary to select a little meat and broth, then the chicken is boiled again, cooled and placed in the refrigerator.

It is forbidden to store ready-made food in the compartment with raw fish or vegetables. After defrosting, do not re-freeze, this will affect the quality of the product and its nutritional value.

Boiled

If a broiler has been cooked, the poultry should be removed from the broth and placed in a container. The broth must be discarded. Due to the rapid growth of the broiler, harmful substances accumulate in its cells, which are released during the cooking process and remain in the broth.

Frozen chicken is stored, both in broth and without it, for 90 days. Freeze it in small portions to make it easier to defrost. Plastic bags are not suitable for storing boiled poultry.

Fried

Fried chicken can also be frozen, only after defrosting it will be a little tough and suitable only for salads. It is frozen on the day of cooking, only the meat must be completely cooled beforehand. It is allowed to store no more than a month.

Smoked

Smoked foods should be treated with extreme caution. Even a slight violation of the cooking technology will cause spoilage of the product.

It is recommended to freeze only small parts, for example, wings. They should be packed in special freeze bags. This will prevent them from coming into contact with raw foods.

You should not buy a bird that has a white bloom in the folds, indicating the presence of a microbial reproduction process. When deep frozen, the finished product can be stored for 1 month at a temperature of -17 ° C.

Grill

The shelf life of grilled chicken is the same as that of a fried product - 1 month. Since the subzero temperature negatively affects the taste, it is recommended to use a refrigerator. But the thermometer in it should not show a temperature higher than +6 ° C. Chicken meat can remain on the shelf in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Before storage, it is placed in a container with a sealed lid. So the meat will not come into contact with other foods and will not absorb foreign odors.

At room temperature, grilled chicken will go bad within a few hours. Therefore, you should not put a bird in the refrigerator that has been on the table for more than 6 hours, this will not save it. The grilled chicken should be put into the refrigerator as soon as it has cooled down.

Pickled

If pickled chicken is placed in the freezer, this will not affect its taste. Poultry should be frozen along with the marinade. Just do not add onions to the marinade, it can give a sour taste. Chicken should be marinated for two hours before freezing to enhance the flavor.

We recommend storing pickled poultry in the freezer for 2 weeks. Then it is thawed at room temperature or in the microwave. Many housewives add pickled pieces to their first courses, which makes them more savory. Pickled poultry is stored in the refrigerator for no more than a day, then decay processes start, which can cause serious damage to health.

Cold storage

The best solution would be to cook the chicken right after purchase. But when this cannot be done, the bird should be stored in the refrigerator, in the following packages:

• vacuum;
• glass with a lid;
• polyethylene;
• plastic vacuum.

It is best to place the chicken in a vacuum bag, then in a larger plastic container, and fill the remaining voids with ice cubes.

The shelf life of chicken in the refrigerator will depend not only on the storage temperature and the initial state of the bird, but also on its size and type of storage (in whole or in parts, with or without bones). Chicken storage time in the refrigerator at a certain temperature:

• 3-4 days at -2 ° C - 0 ° C;
• 3 days at 0 ° С - + 4 ° С;
• 1 - 2 days at + 4 ° С - + 7 ° С;
• 8 - 24 hours at + 7 ° С - + 10 ° С.

Freeze-free storage

• It is best to store meat in a food container with a lid on the top shelf of the refrigerator.
• Shelf life of tenderloin, boneless, longer. It should also be borne in mind that a whole piece has a better chance of retaining freshness than a cut into small pieces.
• Storing raw meat in the refrigerator should take place on a separate shelf, away from other foods. This will keep it fresh for longer.
• Storage in closed plastic packaging is undesirable. The product needs air access.
• Treating with vinegar will help prolong the freshness. Natural fabric is impregnated with it and a piece of meat is wrapped with it. Such processing does not allow bacteria to develop, which increases the shelf life by 2 - 3 days.
• Pork or veal is poured with fresh lemon juice and placed in a non-metallic dish without a lid. This can extend the shelf life by another couple of days.
• There is also such a storage option: wrap a piece of paper. And then wrap the bundle with a still damp cloth. This will increase the freshness of the product by 2 to 3 days. The napkin must first be soaked in water with a lot of salt.

Storage rules

How long crustaceans are good for food depends on the container and storage conditions. To extend the shelf life of a product, you must adhere to the rules.

At room temperature

Uncooled raw food cannot be stored at room temperature; it will deteriorate in a few hours. To prolong the freshness of the shrimp, they must be placed in salted water. This will help extend the shelf life by one day. Chilled seafood should be wrapped in foil (at least 3 layers), placed so that direct sunlight does not fall on them. The shelf life of cooked crustaceans is no more than 5 hours. At the same time, it is forbidden to dip them into salted cold water.

In fridge

Fresh shrimps are stored in the refrigerator at a temperature of + 2 ... 6 ˚С for no more than 3 days. You can increase the period to 4-5 days by placing crustaceans on a shelf located above the freezer. At the same time, they need to be kept in a food container, abundantly overlaid with small algae, pieces of ice (change as it melts), covered with a cloth to reduce evaporation. There should be no other products in the neighborhood so that they are not saturated with their smell.

In the freezer

At a temperature of -20 ˚С, shrimps retain their taste for 2 months.Seafood wrapped in foil and placed in the freezer can be stored for up to 4 months.

Before eating, shrimp is defrosted not in the room, but in the refrigerator. The product is placed on the shelves where the temperature is highest. It takes up to 24 hours to thaw, so you should get the crustaceans out of the freezer in advance. The original packaging is opened just before preparation.

How long can cooked chicken be stored in the refrigerator

The finished product is not subject to long-term storage. Bacteria quickly begin to multiply here, this can cause serious harm to health. Adherence to a number of tricks will extend the shelf life of chicken meat.

Boiled chicken

Cooked chicken is not the best product for long-term storage. Boiled chicken is stored at room temperature for no more than three hours. Place it on the refrigerator shelf and it stays healthy for 3 days (at 4 degrees).

To prevent the product from absorbing extraneous odors, store it with a lid, previously wrapped in food foil. Polyethylene is not very suitable for storage, here the meat will quickly become sticky. After three days of storage, pre-fry the product to kill any pathogenic bacteria that have developed.

Do not put chicken meat next to strong-smelling food, it will easily absorb their smells.

Boiled chicken in broth

Boiled meat, along with broth, is stored on the refrigerator shelf for up to 48 hours. Provided that the inside of the device is maintained at a temperature not exceeding 5 degrees. It is allowed to freeze the broth in portions, defrosting it as needed.

Expiry date of chicken soup

A fragrant, tasty broth often becomes the basis for the preparation of all kinds of soups. Ready chicken soup is stored for no more than 48 hours. Provided that the pan is tightly closed with a lid.

How much fried chicken is stored

Eat the fried product immediately after cooking, as long as it tastes best. When there are uneaten pieces left after a meal, put them in a plastic container and in the refrigerator.

Store the dish here up to 12 hours. Freezing chicken is allowed, but after thawing, the meat will become tough.

Store baked poultry meat according to the same rules as fried. On the refrigerator shelf - up to 12 hours.

Smoked chicken

Cook smoked chicken especially carefully. If the technology is violated, the carcass inside will not warm up to the required degree, this will affect the possibility of its consumption. It is better to eat small pieces such as wings.

Store smoked chicken on the refrigerator shelf for no more than a day.

Manufactured smoked chicken is usually vacuum packed to increase shelf life. Eat it, focusing on the expiration dates indicated by the manufacturer.

Sometimes unscrupulous sellers try to sell clearly damaged goods. To avoid poisoning, the chicken is carefully examined before purchase.

Store the product in the refrigerator for a week, provided that a temperature of 6 degrees is maintained inside. After defrosting the finished product, eat it immediately, because bacteria begin to actively multiply inside.

Grilled chicken

Grilled chicken, cooked in street fast food establishments, is loved by many. It is advisable to eat the whole chicken right away, without leaving it for later.

If not all the pieces have been eaten, they are stored for up to two days, with a temperature of up to 6 degrees.

Marinated chicken

Sometimes it becomes necessary to store already pickled meat in the refrigerator. For example, when plans change and the picnic is postponed for some time.

Can marinated meat be stored? This storage option is allowed, most importantly, put the container in the refrigerator, keep it there for no more than a day.

Pilaf with chicken

Pilaf with chicken meat can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours.The main thing is to tightly cover the pan with a lid or wrap it with plastic wrap.

How long is kfc chicken stored

Chicken wings or thighs purchased from the KFC fast food chain should be eaten immediately. Fresh product tastes best.

If the food was not eaten right away, wrap it in cling foil, put it on the refrigerator shelf, store it until 24 hours.

Signs of meat spoilage

In a spoiled product, various processes take place with characteristic features:

• rotting - a gray, sluggish surface, an unpleasant odor indicate protein breakdown and the accumulation of toxins;
• slimy film - occurs as a result of the vital activity of bacteria, which are activated at high humidity and above-zero temperatures. If you put the product in the cold, the activity of microorganisms will subside, but the formation of mucus will not stop;
• pigmentation - red, whitish, gray spots also appear due to the spread of bacteria, fungus;
• mold - the appearance of a fungus is accompanied by a bloom on the surface of the pulp.

Meat spoils if the storage temperature is violated. External cleaning from mold, soaking meat in vinegar and marinade does not guarantee its complete safety when eaten.

Common mistakes

Violations during storage of meat stocks:

• rinse meat before freezing;
• leave ready meals on the stove at room temperature;
• store canned food on the balcony at sub-zero temperatures;
• freeze the remnants of thawed meat;
• keep meat and fish together.

When freezing meat, you need to put the expiration date on the package. Re-frozen meat products lose their nutritional value and taste, as ice crystals destroy their structure. When freezing for a long time, the condition of the product must be checked. Gray spots from shrinkage may appear on the pulp - cold burns. Damaged workpieces must be thawed and cooked. Shrinkage occurs due to leaky packaging and evaporation of moisture. The effect is similar to weathering. Therefore, despite the stains, such meat is good for food.

Rules and Recommended Dates

When deciding how much and how to store meat in the freezer, first of all, you need to pay attention to the temperature at which it will be carried out. Regardless of whether the chicken needs to be stored or beef, the following maximum aging times should be kept in mind:

• At temperatures from 0 to -6 ° C, the product will remain fresh for no more than 2 days.
• In conditions from -6 to -12 ° C, the component will remain edible for 4 months.
• If you keep the products at -12 ..- 18 ° C, they will be able to hold out in their original state for up to 8 months.

At a temperature of -18 ..- 24 ° C, the products can be kept in the freezer for up to a year, but this does not guarantee that their original conditions will be preserved.

In addition, the shelf life of meat depends on the type of product. If beef and lamb do not spoil in the freezer for a year, then it is recommended to eat chicken and turkey at least 10 months in advance. The shelf life of pork, despite its fat content, does not exceed 8 months. Rabbit, duck, goose (and other waterfowl) should be used within six months after freezing. If you keep the product longer, it will not deteriorate, but its taste characteristics will noticeably suffer, and the meat will have an unpleasant odor.