Is Chicken with a Sell By Date of 2 Days Ago That Has Been in a Refrigerator That Promises Me It is 36 Degrees Still Safe?
I purchased it 5 days ago. I know I should have frozen it if not used within 2 days but this is one of those things that did not go as planned. It looks ok. If it passes the smell test am I good? I'm planning to use it in a chili so it will cook for a good 40 minutes or so - could be longer. Thanks in advance!
Recommended by Food52
10 Comments
I'm guessing you asked this question because you have your own doubts about the safety of this chicken.
Which side of the argument carries more weight with you?
After you get through the Wednesday dinner, safely, and if you have the interest, find one of several good articles about the differences between best buy, use by, expiry dates.
And maybe a chart or website on those dates by a reputable source.
But let's look at that Sell By date. "The “sell-by” term you often see on food product labels refers to the last day that a retailer can have the product on display on a store shelf. It is believed that food items are safe to eat for up to 10 days after the “sell-by” date, if kept properly stored.
Meat and Poultry usually have “sell-by” dates to look for. If you do not intend to use the meat you purchase within 1 or 2 days of purchasing it, it is recommended that you freeze it. The same recommendation pertains to poultry within in 3 to 5 days of its purchase.
So, according to Quicklabel.com, you should be good to go with that chicken. https://blog.quicklabel.com/2011/05/sell-by-date-use-by-date-and-expiration-date-labels-%e2%80%93-what%e2%80%99s-the-difference/
I hope this helps
Having said that, it's important to understand the regulations -- what is meant by sell-by, and other terms that the Feds have deemed important. In your case, that chicken can cheerfully sit in the fridge for the next 3 days (if I'm reading the timestamps on this site correctly).
In addition, please understand that these are Federal Regulations -- in other words, they are the results of countless hours spent in mind-numbing Federal committees, sub-committees, and sub-sub-committees resulting in regulations that are so conservative that they look more like strangulation to people in the food industry. I know. I was one of them.
Just remember that none of this is directed at you -- the consumer. All of this regulation is directed at them -- the mopes that would dearly love to extract one more quarter of a penny of profit per pound (or ounce) of whatever the f**k it is that they are trying to sell to you.
They are the ones that don't care if the meat (I'm using the term loosely) they sell you is writhing with poisonous, bacteria-laden microbes that will cheerfully kill you.
Thus, the timestamp was born. And it's a good thing. But it's up to you to understand the "sell by", "good until" and most of the terminology, so you can figure out WTF is going on in at the supermarket shelf.
It's not so much Buyer Beware as Buyer, get your head in the game and figure out the rules (or at least, the terms). It's not difficult, but it will require a modicum of web searching for terms and definitions. You can do it. If I can do it, anyone can do it . :-)
Best of luck!
pressure cooking does raise the temperature in a pressure pot.
Whether that increase kills all the parasites depends. I worked in a sushi restaurant, and there we bought fresh salmon, gutted, skinned and prepared it for sushi and then froze it for maybe 32 days. I can7t remember the state regs but in New York, fresh salmon must be frozen below a certain temp (I forget the exact degree) for a long time before it can be defrosted and cut for service. All salmon carry parasites that are dangerous to humans. The long-duration freezing temps kill the parasites. So that's the long way of explaining that heat doesn't always kill the bad things lurking in fish and meats. Please remember that these regs are geared toward restaurants and specifically restaurants in New York. You can serve freshly caught salmon within 3 days of catching it, or so they say, but they don't say why.
Meat packing plants are notoriously dirty places, and as consumers, we are all protected by FDA regulations and inspectors who inspect the stores and restaurants that sell and serve these products. If the plants would follow clean-kill rules, we'd all be better off but the meat you buy would be more expensive -- think Kosher chicken vs. standard store chicken. More on salmon here: https://www.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/news/2017/01/how-to-make-sure-the-salmon-you-eat-is-safe
Here's one take on the FDA regs on processing meat: https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/foodlaw/safe-408-608/foodprocessingregulation Also, consider taking your state online course for becoming a Food Manager or handler. It's an eye-opening experience that's basically free and may give you some peace of mind.