We all lead busy lives and so welcome short cuts that make our lives that little bit easier. So you may be wondering if it is OK to get ahead with your meal plans and part cook some chicken to finish cooking later and save time. Is it safe to part cook chicken and finish cooking later? NO! Part cooking chicken to finish at a later time should never be done. Part cooked chicken is a breeding ground for food borne pathogens that can cause food poisoning, and even result in death. Continue reading if you want to know exactly why you should never part cook chicken to finish cooking…
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No More Dry Cooked Chicken Breast – Moist & Juicy Every Time!
Do you find that when you cook chicken breasts they always seem to end up being dry? Well we aim to stop that from happening by offering you some simple cooking tips and techniques that will prevent you from having dry overcooked chicken breasts ever again. So why do Chicken Breasts become dry when cooked. Chicken Breast meat is very lean, and loses its natural moisture as it cooks. Removing the skin, and cooking for too long, are the main reasons why your chicken will dry out. Cooking to an internal temperature of 160oF/75oC will ensure that any harmful bacteria are destroyed, whilst your chicken remains moist and juicy. There…
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How Much Meat You Get From A Whole Chicken & Chicken Portions!
When buying chicken to use in a recipe to feed your family or guests, you may not know how much useable meat you will get from the whole chicken you have just bought. In this article we will look at the different yields of meat you can expect to get from a chicken , based on both raw and cooked whole chickens. So how much meat is there on a whole chicken? A general yield you can expect to get from a whole raw chicken after the bones have been removed is approximately 65% of the weight of the chicken. The yield from a whole cooked chicken drops to approximately…
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Serving Cornish Game Hens Vs Chicken – The Differences Explained!
If you’re looking for a chicken alternative for your next holiday meal, dinner party, or regular Sunday roast, it might be worth trying Cornish game hens. These little hens are a popular type of poultry similar to chicken though they are mostly white meat, making them very lean. But is that the only difference between these hens and chickens? The main difference between Cornish game hens and chickens is their size. When fully matured, game hens are the same size as broiler chickens, but the former is slaughtered younger, at around 2 lb. (900 g). As a result, they are more tender when cooked and are generally more expensive. This…
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Cooked Chicken Looks Pink! How To Tell if It’s Safe To Eat.
There is nothing worse than preparing cooked chicken for a meal, starting to carve, and seeing that it is still pink! Suddenly you are left wondering whether you are about to poison all your guests or family! Well don’t PANIC!!! Here we will explain when it is, and isn’t. safe to eat pink chicken. So how do you know if pink chicken is safe to eat? Cooked chicken that looks pink when you cut into it, does not necessarily mean that it is undercooked, or unsafe to eat. Although many people rely on clear juices to determine doneness, the only positive way is doing a temperature check. When probed in…
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Chicken Livers – Benefits, Preparation & Different Ways of Eating
I’m guessing if you are reading this that you have just discovered that chicken livers are a ‘thing’. Now you want to know what benefits are provided by eating them, and in what way you can incorporate them into your diet. Well, read on and we will cover everything you will need to know about these healthy little morsels. What are Chicken Livers? Chicken livers are the liver organ from a chicken. They are high in protein, and offer many vitamin benefits that will help to keep you in prime health. Chicken livers can be eaten in many different ways from pan frying to making Pâté. What Do Chicken Livers…
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Chicken Smells – Is It Safe To Eat Or Has It Gone Bad?
Chicken is probably the most often eaten meat around the world today. With the leaness of the breast and the versatility of the meat, it is consumed in vast quatities around the globe. One down side to chicken is that it can spoil much quicker than other types of meat, and people are never quite sure just how fresh their meat is, or whether the smell that it is giving off means it has gone bad. So if chicken smells, does it mean it has gone bad? Fresh chicken will always have a slight odor to it, even when it is at its freshest, however it will not be an…
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Difference Between Chicken Legs, Thighs and Drumsticks
There are many recipes out there that call for chicken legs, thighs or drumsticks, however not everyone knows what the difference is between these parts of the chicken. So what is the difference between chicken legs, thighs and drumsticks? Chicken leg refers to the whole leg portion of a chicken which is both the thigh and drumstick connected as one piece. When the whole leg is divided into 2 parts, it creates the thigh and drumstick portions. The chicken thigh is the top portion of the leg, and the drumstick is the lower calf section of the leg. Whole Chicken Leg Portion The whole leg of a chicken, or the…
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The Reason Raw Chicken Spoils Quicker Than Other Meats
You have probably noticed that when you buy fresh raw chicken, whether it be pieces or whole birds, that it has a shorter shelf life than other meats. So why does chicken spoil quicker than other raw meats? Chickens live with certain bacterial pathogens within thier system such as Campylobacter, Salmonella and E-Coli. These pathogens stay within the bird after it has been slaughtered and processed for sale. It is partly down to these bacteria that causes the raw chicken to go bad more quickly than other meats such as beef, pork & lamb. We will now look at what you should do to help extend the shelf life of…
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Chlorinated Chicken – If It’s Safe, Why Are The UK Saying NO?
With the United Kingdom leaving the European Union, they are looking to strike up trade deals with other nations around the world. One of these nations is the United Sates of America. Part of the discussions have centred around the USA saying that the UK will need to allow imports of chlorinated treated chickens as part of any agreement, however the UK are not keen on allowing these into their supermarkets and grocery stores. Why is the United Kingdom Against Allowing Chlorinated Chicken Into Their Country? In 1997 the UK, and indeed all EU State Members banned the use of chemical washes of poultry, and any chemically washed imports, in…
