Bird

Poultry meat is a tasty dietary product. But dishes prepared from it are not always eaten immediately.

There are certain subtleties of storing the meat of a particular bird.

These features must be taken into account before placing food on the freezer or refrigerator shelf.

How to store it correctly?

The shelf life of such a product depends on several key indicators:

• air humidity and temperature;
• carcass storage areas;
• packaging (manual or store-bought);
• Methods of preparation: frozen, raw, dried, boiled fried.

Each type of poultry meat has specific requirements regarding shelf life.

Chicken

In chicken meat, decomposition processes begin within a few hours after the bird is slaughtered. Therefore, it is very important to immediately process the carcasses and freeze them or place them in the refrigerator.

Chicken stored in refrigerators at temperatures from 0 °C to 4 °C for 3 days. If the temperature rises to 4-7 °C, the shelf life is reduced to 2 days. At 7-10 °C, you can keep chicken on the refrigerator shelves for no longer than 24 hours.

Read about storing chicken in the refrigerator Here, about the shelf life of chicken meat - here. This will tell you how to remove the smell from stale chicken. this article.

Goose

Before marinating the goose carcass for further cooking, it must be kept in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Before that it needs to be wrapped in foil, parchment or a piece of cloth previously soaked in vinegar.

A goose wrapped in this way can be stored on the refrigerator shelf for up to 2 weeks if the temperature does not exceed 0 °C. If the air temperature drops even slightly, the shelf life of the goose is reduced. You can learn about storing goose fat from this articles.

Duck

Duck meat should not be left in the refrigerator for more than 3 days at a temperature of 0 - 4 °C. Outside the refrigerator, duck can be stored for up to 24 hours. Provided that the carcass was previously wrapped in cloth soaked in vinegar. Read more Here.

Turkey

The meat of this bird stored on refrigerator shelves at a temperature of at least -3 °C. In such conditions, the carcass can be stored for 2 days. A turkey carcass with bones spoils much faster, so it is not worth storing it in this form.

Terms, conditions and storage temperature for the finished product

If boiled or fried poultry has been stored at room temperature, it should be eaten within a few hours.

If there is meat left over, for example, after a festive feast, it needs to be put in the refrigerator. Fried or boiled poultry product can be stored here for 2-3 days.

Heat-treated poultry is best stored in an airtight container. Do not use plastic bags. The remains of the fried or boiled product are placed in a deep plate and covered with a lid. This way, air will not get on the upper parts of the meat and it will not dry out.

It is also permissible to store cooked poultry in foil.. Such a wrapper will not only remove foreign odors from the product, but will also preserve its taste and appearance. If vacuum packaging was used for storage, boiled poultry can be stored for up to 5 days.

If the finished product has been in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, before eating it is better to fry it in a frying pan for 5 minutes or heat it in a microwave oven for 3 minutes. This treatment will kill pathogenic microorganisms that can settle in the meat at the end of 3 days.

How to store boiled chicken, read Here, fried - here.

Smoked meats

Before specifying shelf life, First you need to decide what type of meat is used. That is, whether the smoked poultry was purchased in a store or prepared independently, at home, by smoking or grilling.

Will tell you about storing smoked chicken this article.

Semi-finished products

Such products are stored in refrigerated rooms where the air temperature does not exceed -6 °C for 12-72 hours. Frozen semi-finished products can be stored at temperatures from 0 to - 20 °C. The lower the temperature, the longer the shelf life of the product.

Peculiarities storage of semi-finished poultry products depending on their type:

1. Products made from large pieces of poultry meat are stored for up to 2 days at 4°C.
2. Portioned products packaged in special trays are stored at a temperature of 6 °C for no longer than 36 hours. Breaded products - up to 24 hours.
3. Semi-finished products, cut into small pieces, are stored on refrigerator shelves at a temperature of 6 °C for up to 12 hours.

Details - in this article.

Where is the best place to keep it?

Within 5 hours after slaughter, poultry meat should not be frozen or refrigerated.But after this period, the product must be stored in the cold.

Carcasses can be stored on refrigerator shelves for several days.. The specific period depends on the temperature of the cooling device and packaging. The product, placed in vacuum packaging, can be stored at 0 °C for up to 14 days. Provided that the package has not been opened and the contents have not been exposed to air.

Poultry can be stored the longest in the freezer. The shelf life varies depending on the temperature set in the freezer. If the product is stored on the freezer shelves for too long, its taste may change.

Freezing

Before putting the bird in the freezer, It is useful to consider several recommendations:

1. The carcass should not be washed before putting it in the freezer. If there is excess moisture on it, you can dry it with napkins.
2. On the freezer shelves, meat is stored in a closed food container. An alternative is to wrap the carcass in cling film or foil.
3. Before placing the carcass in the freezer, it is better to cut it up, portion it and package it.If you plan to cook a whole duck, chicken, turkey or other bird, you can store the whole carcass.
4. Only poultry that has been in the cold for no more than 2 days can be frozen. If the product has been stored in the refrigerator for longer, it should not be frozen.

When storing meat in the freezer, the product must be protected from temperature changes. Only in this case will it remain fresh for a long time.

Defrosting features

To defrost housewife's poultry meat, the following methods are used:

1. Microwave. The device is already equipped with the necessary defrosting program. But a microwave oven does not always heat the contents evenly. At the exit, the housewife may be faced with the fact that, on the one hand, the product was poorly defrosted, and on the other, it was practically cooked. The microwave also removes a lot of moisture from the meat and the finished dish may turn out tougher.
2. Water. The carcass can be placed in water. This method is good if the product will later be used for broth or other dishes that require sauce. In other cases, this option is not relevant - the meat may lose its juice, but will not lose its beneficial properties.
3. In the oven, steamed. A safe way to defrost, but the housewife should always carefully monitor the condition of the defrosted product. Otherwise, under the influence of temperatures, the meat may begin to cook. Also, poultry thawed in this way may change its taste.
4. Fridge. The longest, but at the same time the safest way of defrosting. The product gradually thaws, maintaining elasticity and internal juices. When defrosting meat, it is better to place it in a special tray to drain water. Do not place the product on shelves in the appliance door.

Will tell you how to quickly defrost chicken fillet this article.

Conclusion

Poultry meat must be stored separately from other products, especially if the latter have a strong odor. Raw meat should not be stored next to cheese, cottage cheese and other products that do not need to be processed before eating.

In order for meat to retain its nutritional and taste qualities during storage, it is better to separate it from the bones. Poultry meat stays fresh longer if it has been pre-marinated in vinegar.