When is a chicken really out of date?

skipkoo

Any adviece gratefully received!! Last week I bought some boneless, skinless chicken breasts that were on offer. I kept them in their usual packing, put them in the fridge and promptly forgot all about them I re-discovered them this morning and saw that they were out of date. I have opened the pack and they dont smell and aren't slimey or anything, but I dont know......what do you all think??
Thanks in anticipation
Skipkoo

TOBRUK

To start with, what is the date on them? Is it eat by, best before etc. When you buy from a butcher, they are fresh, but you don't get a date on them.

The way you describe them, they seem ok as long as you cook them as soon as you can. You can tell if chicken is 'OFF'.

HOLsale

skipkoo wrote:

Any adviece gratefully received!! Last week I bought some boneless, skinless chicken breasts that were on offer. I kept them in their usual packing, put them in the fridge and promptly forgot all about them I re-discovered them this morning and saw that they were out of date. I have opened the pack and they dont smell and aren't slimey or anything, but I dont know......what do you all think??
Thanks in anticipation
Skipkoo

the fact that they don't smell is a good sign. from what i've read many times in the past, freezing meat for 14 days will kill off nearly all bacteria. if you feel fairly confident that the meat is ok then i'd give it a quick rinse and freeze it up then forget about it for a few weeks. when you do defrost it make sure you do it in the fridge or the microwave vs leaving it out on the counter. then cook it til it's completely done all the way through and piping hot. at this point give it a wee taste and sniff, if it's still ok then enjoy it

LearningToSave.

hmmmmmmm chicken-i must admit-is the one thing im funny about and usually stick to date.
how far out of date are they? if it was yesterdays or day before and they seem fine then i may be inclined to use them for me and my husband but would never use them for my children.

pollys

Not Sure Skipkoo, chicken is a dodgy one. I don't eat chicken if it smells as a rule, but as I tend to buy from the farmshop and it hasn't got a date on, I buy and cook usually on the same day.

Sorry not much help

skipkoo

Sorry,I forgot the most important thing....the date The use by date was yesterday. 9th of April.
Thanks for your replies
S

TOBRUK

If the date is yesterday, I would cook them this minute and you should be fine skipkoo, especially if you have had a good smell and they feel fine - go cook! If it had been a couple of days I would have thrown them.

I am very funny about chicken, but in your case I would cook them quickly.

comping_cat

If it smells and looks ok, i would use it. Its only one day out of date, and shops have to protect themselves, so will put 'early' dates on, so they know the meat will be ok if used on the last day, they dont want to risk meat going off and then being sued!!!. As long as you have stored it properly, and cook it well today, im sure it will be fine.

LearningToSave.

i'd use them if they seem fine and it was only yesterday.

doddsy

Is the 'sniff' test reliable though? I agree that if it smells off then it is off, but surely going off is a process, it might not smell but is already a breeding ground? Just something I have wondered about

TOBRUK

I understand your concern doddsy, but seeing that the date was yesterday, it's not even a day out of date, it's hours when you think about it. What if skipkoo had decided to cook just before midnight last night - it would have been inside the date.