Anyone who often eats chicken would know how tough it is to get your hands on fresh raw chicken. Not many people line up outside butcher shops to buy meat these days. Despite the fact that local butcher shops sell freshly cut meat, it is no more a preferred option to buy chicken. Over the years, most people have started to rely more on processed frozen chicken available online or at super markets. And though it has made life simpler and quicker and is, perhaps, a more hygienic alternative, the freshness of store-bought chicken has become the point of debate.
At most of these shops, there’s not much scope to ensure the freshness of chicken as most of the meats are processed, frozen or packed. If the chicken isn’t fresh, it can lead to several health problems post consumption. But fret not, there still are certain ways to ensure the chicken you buy is fresh.
Here, we have curated a list of four things to keep in mind when it comes to checking the freshness of raw chicken while buying.
1. Smell
Fresh raw chicken will come with a very mild smell or no smell at all. But a chicken that has gone bad will have a strong potent odour, with a slight sour hint. If the chicken you are about to buy smells like rotten eggs, discard it immediately. Usually, such odour develops due to the pathogens in the chicken.
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2. Colour
Colour is one of the foremost, and best ways to judge the quality of the chicken. A chicken with a fleshy and pink colour, with a firm texture is a fresh one that you should go with. However, a chicken with pale greyish colour is definitely old and shouldn’t be bought.
3. Texture
Despite the fact that store-bought chicken is straight away sold as packed or frozen foods, do try and give a touch test to the chicken you are buying. Fresh chicken should be firm in texture. Washing the chicken gives the best check. Chicken is known to have a glossy, slime-like texture, but if upon washing it becomes too sticky and mushy, it is best to discard it.
4. Ice Crust
Store-bought chicken usually comes with an icy crust around it, this usually happens due to the loss of moisture in the freezer, which ultimately impacts the quality of the chicken. While some crust is okay, if the chicken has an unusually thick layer of ice around it - it is no longer good.