5 Ways to Test the Freshness of Raw Chicken
Here are some simple guidelines to help you determine whether the chicken you’re purchasing is fresh or not.
If you like chicken, you know how difficult it is to find fresh raw chicken. While local butcher shops sell freshly cut meat, it is not the most popular place to buy chicken. Nowadays, we usually buy our chicken from supermarkets. While it is unquestionably the easier option, ensuring the freshness of store-bought chicken can be difficult because most chicken in supermarkets is processed, frozen, or packed. If you, too, blindly trust or struggle to determine whether your raw chicken is of high quality, you’ve come to the right place.
1.Look for Colour
Changes One of the most obvious signs that raw chicken has gone bad is a change in colour. Freshly cut chicken pieces have a pink fleshy colour, whereas dull greyish or pale colour indicates poor quality. If this is the case, it’s time to throw out the meat.
2. Feel the Chicken’s Texture
Because store-bought chicken is mostly packaged or frozen, there is little room for inspection. However, before cooking, give it a touch test. The best way to accomplish this is to wash it. Chicken has a naturally glossy and slimy appearance.
However, if the chicken remains unusually sticky and mushy after washing, there is a good chance that it has spoiled.
3. Inhale the Chicken
Fresh raw chicken has a very faint odour or no odour at all. Chicken that has gone bad has a powerful odour. If your chicken smells sour or sulphurous, like rotten eggs, throw it out! The development of pathogens in the chicken is responsible for the foul odour.
4. Search for an Ice Crust
Have you ever noticed an icy crust on frozen chicken from the store? This is usually caused by moisture loss in the freezer and can have an impact on the quality of your chicken. However, if the chicken is surrounded by an unusually thick layer of ice, it is no longer edible.
5. Search for Spots
Another thing to remember when purchasing or cooking chicken is to look for spots. Is there any unusually coloured spots on it? While it is normal for raw chicken to change colour over time, white, red, yellow, or any other type of dark spot indicates spoilage and may not be safe to consume.
