Smelly chicken question

dannys · August 2021

Over the years I’ve noticed that when I guy chicken too far ahead of time, when I go to cook it it has a funky small to it. I’ve read the seriouseasts.com page about “warmed over flavor” and I understand what is going on with there. My questions are:

is WOF strictly for cooked foods? I think that it applies to raw food.

Is there some mitigation to the funky smell to raw chicken?

How long is too long before it is unsafe? Is a few days ok? How about a week? What’s is your experience?

TIA
Dan

RRP · August 2021

sorry that the “bright foodies” haven’t replied, BUT obviously I have to ask…why buy so far in advance? If it was because it was on sale AND at the “best by date” then if that was me I just go ahead and freeze it, even if I won’t cook in until a couple days later!

As for that funky smell I believe that was the gas sealed in under the cryovac packaging which you could notice if you had even punctured the package the very day you bought it.

Otherwise having once experienced food poisoning then I guess I’m very leery of stinky chicken and seafood! OTOH since I love aged beef I don’t even blink at the earthy smell emitted from 45 to 60 day dry aged beef!

nolaegghead · August 2021

You can't smell most of the common food pathogens. When food doesn't smell good it's mostly from stuff that doesn't give you food poisoning.

In a nutshell, how clean the surface of the meat is from the processing and the whole chain-of-custody (if it had existed) of temperature history being closer to 0C (where bacteria experiences an almost exponential growth rate as the temp increases, esp over 4C (40F)), coupled with time are really the determining factors. They can be favorable for chicken, beef, fish, etc.

That said, enjoy:

https://www.foodandwine.com/chefs/dry-aging-chicken-ultimate-roasting-trick

GregW · August 2021

According to @PigBeanUs foods are safe to eat well after their expiration date. You have to ask yourself, do I feel lucky? For me, I err on the side of safety and don't risk it.

nolaegghead · August 2021

GregW said:

According to @PigBeanUs foods are safe to eat well after their expiration date. You have to ask yourself, do I feel lucky? For me, I err on the side of safety and don't risk it.

He is correct. Most food poisoning was already there when you bought it before the best buy or whatever date.

So you are really saying "do I feel lucky?" whenever you buy fresh food. FWIW

GregW · August 2021

@nolaegghead, I don't take chances where chicken and pork are concerned. If it doesn't look or smell right, I throw it out.
I'm aware of the food illnesses from fresh produce, the one's that can't be smelled. Some risk is unavoidable when produce is purchased from the stores, that risk is something I can't control if I choose to buy. Funky smelling chicken and pork is something I can readily identify and choose to throw out and avoid the risk.

PigBeanUs · August 2021

GregW said:

According to @PigBeanUs foods are safe to eat well after their expiration date. You have to ask yourself, do I feel lucky? For me, I err on the side of safety and don't risk it.

Actually never said that.

The phrase “expiration date” is always wrong. There isn’t any food sold in the US with an “expiration date”

and the “best by” or “use by” date is NEVER meant to be the day it is thrown out. It’s the last date that the maker says it is STILL perfect, with no difference at all from day one.

That’s not my interpretation. It’s the FDA definition.

It really is disheartening that people know so little about their food that they gladly toss food while it is literally still perfect (by definition, not by some subjective opinion).

The United States wastes more food than it eats.

I personally have no problem keeping food well beyond this date. Because my fridge works

i find it absolutely laughable that people will post an instagram photo of a dry aged steak they ate at a restaurant, proclaiming it the best they ever had, and then they toss a steak in their fridge when it goes brown.

Anyway…

PigBeanUs · August 2021

Hey Nola. Hang in there man. Been watching the hurricane news. Feel for
you guys down there

and your dry aged chicken is correct!

i don’t age so much as dry it. Have gone a week, but only because we delayed the cook

if anyone wonders why the skin on their butcher-shop chicken is so good, it’s because it is exposed to air in the cooler. It’s drying out the skin. They even brag it’s “air chilled”.

And yet people freak out at the idea of unwrapped meat in their fridge.

Shrug

nolaegghead · August 2021

PigBeanUs said:

Hey Nola. Hang in there man. Been watching the hurricane news. Feel for
you guys down there

and your dry aged chicken is correct!

i don’t age so much as dry it. Have gone a week, but only because we delayed the cook

if anyone wonders why the skin on their butcher-shop chicken is so good, it’s because it is exposed to air in the cooler. It’s drying out the skin. They even brag it’s “air chilled”.

And yet people freak out at the idea of unwrapped meat in their fridge.

Shrug

Thanks bigpenis. People here are fueled on alcohol and anxiety. We have a bit of PTSD from Katrina, since we rode it out at Touro hospital and had a nightmarish time. What happens at this point is out of our control. Everything is insured except my shop. Might lose some stuff, but I'll rebuild/restock or just say eff-it and sell whatever remains. Hopefully won't come to that but there's always the possibility.

bluebird66 · August 2021

I would throw it out. I've had food poisoning twice, first by Bumblebee brand canned tuna and the last time was from either under cooked chicken or cross contamination from raw chicken at a Mexican restaurant. Neither was any fun.