Do I need to chuck the chook?

hanb

Hi all,


Roasted a chicken on Monday evening and had leftovers Tuesday. Then last night I used the rest of it to make a pie but our visitors couldn't make it so now there's half a very tasty pie sat in the fridge and I don't know whether it can be eaten?


I've searched here and online with varying outcomes about reheating chicken twice so thought I'd start a post to ask - apologies if there's something more recent that I've missed!


Can we reheat the pie meaning the chicken would be reheated twice? Or do I need to just chuck it out? Seems such a waste when we've been trying really hard to stop that but I really don't want to be ill I know the government suggest only reheating anything once but they are bound to be cautious with advice to the masses!

Slinky

I'd eat it but only after it's been thoroughly reheated again.

Slowly57

From what I've read, it isn't the reheating (as long as it is thorough and hot enough) - it's the cooling and storing each time where the probs start (bacteria party lol).

I'd be inclined to chuck it. I'd rather waste it than be sick - and you've already had the roast and half a pie anyway.

And if you heated the pie (with the roast chicken leftovers in it) then the chicken in the remaining half will be on reheat number 3 (1 cook roast, one heat pie and potentially another for the remaining half of pie).

I find it very hard to chuck food so I know it doesn't feel right - but gastric probs aren't worth risking.

NewShadow

Eat it cold?

Love cold pie I do...

I'd eat it either way personally.

ETA - I can't find ANYTHING official that says you can't reheat chicken safety twice.

Just that reheating mean's 'recooking' - not 'rewarming'.

Lot's of forums with 'my mother always said' type advice (no offence).

Anyone seen anything official on this?

hanb

food.gov website says:


"Remember, reheating means cooking again, not just warming up. To make sure that cooked or reheated food is safe to eat, always check it is very hot (steaming) all the way through and then, if you need to, let it cool a little before serving it to a child. You should only reheat food once."


But that can't make sense with all cases. Things like soup - lots of people use tins of soup for sauces and would reheat more than once because it's cooked when you open the tin, reheated when made in to a sauce and then reheated again as leftovers - maybe not the best example but saw it elsewhere when looking for an answer for my pie!


They also say not to eat food after it's use by date but that's not always the case either!


Hmmm still on the fence on what to do!


Thanks for your advice/opinions though!

ivyleaf

If it's any help in making up your mind, when we roast a chicken I always make a curry using the leftover cooked meat, and we eat half of it and the rest goes in the freezer, then I make sure the frozen curry is very hot before we eat it
We've never suffered any ill effects

ariarnia

I'd also just heat it and eat it.

It's only been a day and it's been in the fridge.

[Deleted User]

I too would reheat it and eat it as its been in the fridge and not sitting around .piping hot throughout would be the best, although cold chicken pie with salad is delicious

Slowly57

hanb wrote: »

But that can't make sense with all cases. Things like soup - lots of people use tins of soup for sauces and would reheat more than once because it's cooked when you open the tin, reheated when made in to a sauce and then reheated again as leftovers - maybe not the best example but saw it elsewhere when looking for an answer for my pie!

Umm ... well, I think for me, it would be the fact that it's chicken, given that campylobacter seems to be rather common in it. Mind you, I'm a bit paranoid as I had to avoid eggs and some dairy stuff because I have had horrible stomach probs in the past :eek:

I think with commercial kitchens they'd have chillers and all kinds of kit to enable it to be done to health + safety standards (ie ready meals). It seems to be how rapidly it has been cooled after being cooked in the first place rather than how it has been stored since. How the hell did our great, greats get on without all this science ?:rotfl::rotfl::eek::rotfl::rotfl:

Butterfly_Brain

Freeze it or eat it cold, as long as it has been in the fridge it will be perfectly safe

JIL

I would wimp out and it would be in the bin. I'm sure it would be ok, but if I cook a chicken on a Sunday it has to be all gone by Wednesday at the very latest. However I have made a chicken lasagne with cooked chicken, then it's cooked again, then I freeze it so in effect that gets a third cooking.