Cooking a whole chicken when you live alone

HappyMJ

As long as your freezer is a 3 or 4 star freezer then you can freeze foods for a very long time. If your freezer is one of those that is inside the fridge and has one star then yes the maximum time you can freeze the food for is about one or two weeks. A 2 star freezer can hold foods safely for 1 or 2 months.

I would always opt for a 4 star freezer that keeps food at -20 degrees. The ice cream is too hard and needs to sit out on the worktop for 10 minutes before I can scoop it but that's it's only disadvantage to me.

[Deleted User]

I too have only had food poisoning once and that was from prawns from a restaurant meal.Never ever had it from anything I have cooked ,eaten or frozen.But then I have never bought a chicken breast either I would rather buy a whole chicken and cook and portion it up, then freeze.

Need2bthrifty

Fusspot wrote: »

How long do you keep the meals in the freezer before your eat them? I know what you mean about it being worth it money wise as I paid three pounds for a full chicken last week and have paid that amount for a chicken breast.

Generally I try an use up my freezer stock within a 3-4 month period

Linda32

I cook a whole chicken all the time and freeze in portions.

If you are worried then just make sure you freeze it within a certain time
When I cook one, once I've checked that it is cooked I leave it to cool down for about half an hour. Then I start to pull it apart and put into food boxes. When I've finished about 15 minutes later I put the lid on and put it in the freezer.

To defrost I pop in the fridge the night before I want it. Then we either have it cold as chicken salad or re-heated in gravy as a roast, or in a jar of curry sauce (I have tried making my own and whilst it smells lovely it tastes of nothing) so I use jars.

As far as re-heating goes I put it in the oven at gas mark 6 for 30 minutes buy which time it is bubbling hot.

HTH

elsien

Need2bthrifty wrote: »

Generally I try an use up my freezer stock within a 3-4 month period

Me too. However at the weekend I found a gammon joint from last August which cooked and tasted fine.

meritaten

Fusspot - NOBODY is more wary of food poisoning than I am! I had campylobacter poisoning (usually caused by chicken - which I suspect was from a meal out) and was very very ill with it.
I am however happy to eat chicken I have cooked and frozen myself.
I usually cook the chicken with that days meal in mind (btw its only myself and OH), depending on whether I am going to use more the next day I will then portion up the rest of the bird. some will be sliced for sandwiches or to eat with salad, some will be 'chunked' for curries or pies. it will then be in the freezer as soon as it is cold enough. I take out what I need the night before and defrost in the fridge. As long as it is fully defrosted I will happily use it in curry or pies or soups. I am also happy to eat it cold.
I have been left from the food poisoning with Irritable Bowel Syndrome - and have never ever had a problem after eating chicken that I have frozen.
Please don't waste good chicken - if you follow the guidelines then it IS perfectly safe to eat.

torbrex

I am 56 and I have never cooked a whole chicken, there, I've said it

If I want a whole chicken, I buy it ready roasted, usually with a price reduction label on it, I then split it into portions, freeze some and eat the rest over the next few days.

mum2one

meritaten wrote: »

Fusspot - NOBODY is more wary of food poisoning than I am! I had campylobacter poisoning (usually caused by chicken - which I suspect was from a meal out) and was very very ill with it.
I am however happy to eat chicken I have cooked and frozen myself.
I usually cook the chicken with that days meal in mind (btw its only myself and OH), depending on whether I am going to use more the next day I will then portion up the rest of the bird. some will be sliced for sandwiches or to eat with salad, some will be 'chunked' for curries or pies. it will then be in the freezer as soon as it is cold enough. I take out what I need the night before and defrost in the fridge. As long as it is fully defrosted I will happily use it in curry or pies or soups. I am also happy to eat it cold.
I have been left from the food poisoning with Irritable Bowel Syndrome - and have never ever had a problem after eating chicken that I have frozen.
Please don't waste good chicken - if you follow the guidelines then it IS perfectly safe to eat.

Another one with IBS from food poisoning, - again agree with others, cook chicken and freeze remaining portions.

Same with most things, Sunday - roast beef dinnner (half price joint -loads left), made a massive batch of stew - Monday tea and 2 icecream containers of stew in freezer x

indsty

I always buy a whole chicken, cook, then portion and freeze. Actually the last time I decided to chuck the whole chicken in a pan of water and boiled it for two hours as I wanted really good broth to help my IBS symptoms. Then I just took all the meat off and portioned as usual. I was worried the "boiled" chicken meat would be tasteless but honestly could not tell the difference and was so much cheaper than roasting in the oven. (And it made a lovely thick jelly-like broth).

Usually I would just make the broth by boiling up the chicken carcase, but I think I may try this again.

krlyr

If you're too wary or find it too much work to cook a whole chicken, consider buying bone-in cuts like thighs instead of breast. They're cheaper, the bone will impart more flavour, but it's already portioned and much easier to debone than stripping a whole chicken.