Chef's tricks, or how to remove the smell from stale chicken

The odor from chicken meat is usually neutral, but as a result of prolonged or improper storage it can become unpleasant.

If you are sure that the chicken is not spoiled, you can try to remove the repulsive odor and make the product suitable for use.

We will tell you in this article how to remove an unpleasant odor from chicken meat (for example, if it suffocated in a bag).

Fight the rotten smell or throw it away?

Spoiled meat can cause serious poisoning. To prevent this from happening, the carcass must be meticulously examined.

Attention must be paid to the appearance of the product and its smell. If the color of the meat is pink and the unpleasant aroma is not too strong, then after appropriate processing the product can be used for food.

But in cases where the color has become grayish, and the layers of fat have acquired an unnatural yellowish tint, the chicken is clearly spoiled. Covering with mucus and stickiness can also signal unsuitability for consumption. It would be better to get rid of such meat.

How to remove unpleasant aroma from meat?

An unpleasant odor can be the result of a number of factors:

• storing meat near strong-smelling foods;
• as a result of the chicken being in a warm place;
• other conditions unsuitable for storage.

As soon as a problem is discovered, meat processing and cooking must begin immediately. The main ways to eliminate unpleasant odors are pickling and soaking.

Soak

By soaking, putrefactive bacteria can be eliminated. There are several common recipes, which you can choose based on the available products. The prepared solution is poured over the chicken for an hour and a half.

Common soaking solution options include:

1. For 1 liter of water – 1 tbsp. l. vinegar.
2. Lemon juice.
3. Pomegranate juice.
4. White wine.
5. Red wine.

An alternative soaking method is to soak in a saline solution (1 tablespoon of salt per liter) for a couple of hours. Potassium permanganate can also be used to prepare a solution of low concentration. After such treatment, the chicken should be washed well under running water.

Pickling

In addition to soaking, pickling can be used to eliminate odor. One of the following methods can be used:

• rubbing the carcass with a mixture of sugar and salt;
• smearing in table mustard;
• rubbing meat with a mixture of spices (thyme, rosemary, cardamom, basil, etc.);
• rubbing with a mixture of herbs with the addition of chopped garlic and chopped onions;
• aging in soy sauce.

Features of cooking not quite fresh chicken that smells

Heat treatment of meat should be the final stage after soaking or marinating.Without pre-treatment, fragrant chicken can be cooked only if the unpleasant odor is not very pronounced and the recipe uses a large amount of spices.

Cooking slightly spoiled meat should take into account the following rules:

1. You cannot reduce the cooking time for the selected recipe. If possible, it is recommended to increase it even a little.
2. The use of aromatic spices should be mandatory.
3. If possible, it is better to cook on the grill - in the open air.
4. It is advisable not to ignore marinating and soaking before cooking.

The best options for preparing slightly spoiled chicken are dishes from Vietnamese, Indian and other cuisines, which require the use of a large number of spices.

But if, despite all efforts, the meat continues to emit an unpleasant odor, it is advisable to throw it away, since the product may be more spoiled than it seemed at first glance.

Recommendations

To get the best results in removing odor from chicken, It is recommended to take into account the following tips:

1. The chicken should only be washed in cold water.
2. Before cooking the chicken, all entrails are removed from the carcass.
3. Old fat is often the source of unpleasant odors. It should be cut off. It may be necessary to remove the skin from the carcass, which is often a source of unpleasant odor.
4. The easiest and cheapest way to remove odors from chicken is to soak it in salted water.
5. Cooking chicken on the grill eliminates unpleasant flavors due to the aroma of smoke.
6. If the chicken has become dry in the refrigerator, it should be washed. This will refresh its interior and prevent other products from absorbing the unpleasant aroma of spoiled meat.You can use a soda solution for this (2 tablespoons of powder per liter of water) or other means.
7. The cutting board on which the meat was processed must also be thoroughly washed. The easiest way is to use a soda solution.

You will find a lot of useful and important information on how to remove smell from different types of meat and cook it correctly. Here.

Video on the topic of the article

This video will show you how to remove unpleasant odor from meat:

Conclusion

It is possible to remove the smell from chicken in cases where the meat has not yet begun to deteriorate. In this case, pre-treatment - soaking and pickling - will come to the rescue. The preparation itself is also important; heat treatment must be of high quality and use spices.