Knowing the right ways of storing raw chicken will help you to minimise the chances of getting food poisoning. This is because when the juices of raw chicken contaminate other foods you could ultimately get sick. Therefore, it is essential to learn how to store chicken in such a manner that the chicken juice does not contaminate other foods. The thrust of this article is to discuss the various ways of storing raw chicken so as to help minimise any catastrophic incidences. So checkout the article below in order to get a few tips and tricks for storing cooked chicken.
Contents
Storing raw chicken in the fridge
The first way of storing raw chicken is by using the fridge. This method stores raw chicken for only 2 days. Therefore only use this method if you are certain that you will cook the raw chicken within a short space of time.
Step 1
When storing raw chicken in the fridge the first thing is to wrap it using plastic wrap of with a plastic bag. This will help to ensure that the juices from the meat to do not drip out and contaminate other foods.
Step 2
Once you have wrapped the chicken, the next thing is to place the chicken at the bottom shelf of the fridge. This is because if you place it at the top shelf, the juices will drip down and contaminate other foods. When juices from raw chicken mix with other foods it could ultimately lead to sickness. So when you place the raw chicken on the bottom shelf, ensure that it is not sitting on top of any other foods or drinks.
Step 3
Once you have placed the raw chicken at the bottom of the fridge make sure you use it within 2 days. This is because if you use it at a later date, it might have turned bad and because of that you may need to throw it away.
NB: When storing raw chicken in the fridge make sure the temperature of the fridge is 4 degrees Celsius or lower than that. This is because if the temperature of the fridge is higher, the raw chicken will easily turn bad.
Storing raw chicken in the freezer
The other way of storing raw chicken is in the freezer and this is actually the best method. This is because it extends the shelf life of the raw chicken for up to 6months or a year.
Step 1
When storing raw chicken in the freezer you need to start by dividing your raw chicken into meal portions. This will help you especially when thawing the meat. This means you can simply thaw the portions you want to use instead of the whole chicken.
Step 2
Once you have portioned your chicken, the next step is to take freezer bags and place the raw chicken inside. Before sealing the freezer bags, take out as much air as possible, this helps to prevent freezer burn.
Step 3
When you have sealed the bags you need to label them. Use a permanent marker and indicate the date in which you are placing the chicken into the freezer. Also indicate how many pieces of meat are in each bag. This will help you to recall just in case you forget.
Step 4
The last step is to store the raw chicken in the freezer. The temperature of the freezer should be 0 degrees Celsius or below so make sure you check the temperature of the freezer before placing the raw chicken. This is because if the temperature of the freezer is above 0 degrees Celsius, the raw chicken will not reach its expected life span.
How to store cooked chicken
Apart from raw chicken, cooked chicken can also be stored for some time in either the fridge or the freezer. The freezer does a pretty decent job in extending the shelf life of cooked chicken as compared to the fridge.
Storing cooked chicken in the freezer
Step 1
When storing cooked chicken in the freezer, the first step is to let it cool down at room temperature. However, do not wait for longer than 2 hours as the chicken may get contaminated by unwanted bacteria.
Step 2
Once the cooked chicken has cooled down, the next thing is to take freezer bags and place the cooked chicken inside. You can divide it into meal sized portions before placing it into freezer bags.
Step 3
Label the freezer bags with the date in which you are placing them in the freezer. This will help you to recall when they are most likely to turn bad. Also indicate how many people each portion feeds, just in case you forget this important information.
Step 4
The last step is to store the cooked chicken in the freezer and it will last for about 4 months before it starts to turn bad.
Storing cooked chicken in the fridge
Step 1
When storing cooked chicken in the fridge the first thing that you need to do is to let the cooked chicken cool down at room temperature. This is because if you place it in the fridge while hot, the temperature of the fridge will change. This will then affect the shelf life of other foods in the fridge.
Step 2
Once the cooked chicken has cooled down, the next thing is to place the chicken in a plastic container or a freezer bag.
Step 3
Place the cooked chicken in the fridge. The fridge should be below 4 degrees Celsius, this will help the cooked chicken to last for a few days. Cooked chicken that is stored in the fridge will last for approximately 3 to 4 days. Therefore, you need to use it within that time frame.
NB: always reheat cooked chicken that is stored in either the fridge or the freezer. This will help to get rid of any unwanted bacteria.
Conclusion
There are 2 ways of storing raw chicken as discussed in the above article. The most favourable way of storing raw chicken is in the freezer. This is because it really extends the shelf life of the raw chicken.