IS this chicken ok to cook - use by 18th Feb?

minnie123

I forgot to check the date on my chicken I was going to do a roast tonight. It says use by the 18th Feb. But it looks and smells fine. Would you cook it or chuck it?

malcolm000

It should be fine - as you said it still smells and looks ok. Use by dates play it safe and hence a couple of days later should be ok (more so especially with the current cold weather).

pigpen

it'll be fine if it doesn't smell like it is about to run off.. though I think raw chicken smells like bottom sneezes anyway! .. it is absolutely fine.. believe me if you don't know it is ok by the smell then you have NEVER smelled gone-off meat!!

Actually gross as this is... take off one of the wings and leave it raw and leave it in a covered dish on the worktop until saturday.. then you'll know for future reference the difference between ok meat and not ok meat!!

minnie123

Thankyou - I am just cautious because once I had some precooked chicken drunsticks from M&S and I got food poisoning it was awful. On a positive note though I did lose 1/2 stone in 2 days.

pigpen

I know a few people who have had food poisoning from cooked M&S stuff... you'd think they would be ok wouldn't you.. I think they rely more and more on their reputation of old!