How Long Can Chicken Be Kept in the Freezer
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Toilet paper, diapers, chicken...sometimes it just makes sense to purchase in bulk. The first ii can hang effectually forever but poultry? Not so much. So before you come up home with a big booty of this dinner staple, permit's become one thing out of the manner: How long can y'all freeze chicken? Well, friends, we take the answer—and it'southward good news for you and your 'family pack' of craven thighs.
How Long Tin can Y'all Freeze Chicken?
The brusque respond is...forever. According to the USDA, chicken will keep indefinitely equally long as it is stored at a consistent temperature of 0 degrees Fahrenheit. (Hint: That'due south how common cold your freezer should exist.) Merely just because you can keep a bird in the freezer for two years doesn't mean that y'all should. Although chicken that has been properly frozen for years won't make you sick, it will undergo some unappetizing changes in texture and gustation. For this reason, the USDA has some more practical guidelines: A whole chicken volition taste fresh after up to one yr in the freezer, while frozen chicken pieces should exist consumed within 9 months for optimal texture and flavor. That's still a pretty good run, so it'southward unlikely y'all'll ever demand to toss your frozen craven. (Notation: Poultry that has been cooked prior to freezing doesn't fare quite likewise—if you sautéed that chicken breast before you lot stuck it in the freezer, be certain to eat it within four months.)
How to Tell If Your Frozen Chicken Is Even so Skillful
Reminder: If your chicken was nevertheless fresh when yous put it in the freezer (and your freezer is working properly), then it is highly unlikely that your frozen chicken will be bad. However, things tin become awry when yous're defrosting (see below for best practices) so it's important to be able to identify spoiled poultry just in case. Per the USDA, "Spoilage bacteria tin can crusade meat or poultry to turn a dark colour, develop an objectionable odor, and get slimy from the loftier bacterial numbers." Bottom line: If your craven smells off, has a sickly gray-green hue or feels unusually slick after thawing, so it'due south all-time not to take a take a chance.
How to Freeze Chicken
The good news is that freezing raw chicken is refreshingly straightforward. In fact, all you demand to practice is transfer your poultry to an closed container and stick information technology in the freezer. Avert storing craven (or any meat for that matter) in the door or the front of your freezer, where temperature fluctuation can be a trouble. Instead, tuck you lot sealed up poultry in the dorsum where it will stay safe and fresh for the maximum amount of time.
How to Safely Defrost Frozen Chicken
When you're ready to cook your bird, choose from one of the post-obit 3 methods for thawing poultry that have been approved by the Food Prophylactic Inspection Service.
1.Use the fridge. The best and nigh fool-proof method for thawing frozen chicken is just to transfer it to the fridge. This slow and steady defrost ensures a fresh piece of poultry—but information technology does take considerably longer than the other two approaches. A whole, frozen (3 to 4 pound) chicken tin can accept ii full days or longer to defrost in the fridge, simply craven that has been cut into pieces volition probable be ready within 24 hours. You accept to plan your repast ahead for this selection, but in that location's a bonus: You tin refreeze chicken you transferred to the fridge up to 2 days after information technology has defrosted. In other words, planning alee pays off even when your plans alter.
two. Submerge in cold h2o. OK, it's 5 p.m. and y'all realized you have null thawed and ready to go...and you really can't justify ordering out yet again. No problem—place your water-proof bag of poultry in a stockpot, or any vessel big enough to accommodate the portion, and submerge it in common cold water. (Notation: If you stored chicken in a difficult plastic container, yous might desire to transfer information technology to an air-tight freezer bag for faster thawing.) The FSIS says that a large quantity of poultry (like a whole bird or the equivalent in parts) will thaw in 3 to 4 hours, while smaller portions volition exist thoroughly defrosted in an hour or less—just be sure to keep the leaner at bay by irresolute the water every 30 minutes and so it stays chilly. Finally, the FSIS says that this method requires follow-through: Cook that chicken as soon every bit information technology has thawed...and do not re-freeze.
iii. Enlist the assistance of the microwave. Ah, the microwave—our trusty appliance that always saves the day. This handy kitchen helper doesn't accept much street cred when it comes to cooking up an impressive meal, only it can practice a blindside-upward chore of defrosting a bird. Follow the settings on your microwave—this will likely require an estimated weight—to thaw your chicken in a flash. Merely exist sure to cook and consume your poultry promptly (i.e., put that protein on your plate, just not the refrigerator or freezer once it has been nuked).
RELATED: How Long Can Cooked Craven Stay in the Fridge? (Hint: Not as Long equally Y'all Think)
Source: https://www.purewow.com/food/how-long-can-you-freeze-chicken
0 Response to "How Long Can Chicken Be Kept in the Freezer"
Post a Comment