When is a chicken really out of date?

toria27

Hi all, just went to get chicken breasts out of fridge for dinner as I thought they went off today they actually went of on the 13th!

1) If they smell ok are they still ok to use?
2) Can I freeze 2 of them or should I cook them all now

Thanks in advance

toria27

sorry meant to post this on old style board feel free to answer though lol or move

in-trouble_3

I wouldnt personally use them

jessicamb

trust your nose - if they smell ok cook them. I wouldnt freeze them raw but cooked should be ok

immoral_angeluk

If they'd been in the freezer they would've been fine but if they're just been in the fridge then no.
Is the day on the packaging a use by date or a best before date?

nearlyrich

toria27 wrote:

sorry meant to post this on old style board feel free to answer though lol or move

Will move it as you will get more response there....


My chicken comes from a butcher so no sell by dates, I would use it if it doesn't smell off and if you can cook the rest into something you can freeze (curry perhaps?) it would be better than just freezing at this point.;)

The sell by date doesn't mean it is off after that day, use you senses to check for yourself. I would be more careful with meat than say cheese but the food manufacturers have got people throwing away perfectly good food.

toria27

thanks for the replies.
It says use by on the packet, would hate to throw them such a waste of money and then nothing much for dinner.

RainbowsInTheSpray

The nose test is usually ok - personally I never buy film-wrapped chicken without first surreptitiously breaking through the plastic and having a sniff!

Nevertheless, take extra care about cooking it RIGHT through - and cook it all NOW.

rog2

Hi Toria - it is very difficult to give advice on this as chicken is one of the most 'volatile' of meats in that there are salmonella bacteria present in probably 50% of all chickens. This usually causes no problems as it is totally killed through the cooking process - hence the advice to thoroughly cook all poultry.
Sell by dates are given on all foods in order that it is sold/eaten at its best, and, generally producers will err on the side of caution, as they don't want lods of lawsuits for selling unfit produce. Therefore, generally, there is a safety margin built into these sell/use/best by dates.
As it is, in your case, only 2 days past the date, and, provided they still look and smell fresh, I would suggest that, provided they are thoroughly cooked, they probably are okay.
However - if you are the slightest bit concerned - don't eat them - cook and dice them and feed them to the cat.

Toxic_Lemon

I also trust my nose as the guide. I believe that things smell bad as a warning to you not to eat it.