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Cooking chicken safely is important but even more so with chicken when compared to red meat, for example. Bacteria can live throughout the chicken meat and it therefore needs to be cooked properly. Chicken is a very popular and inexpensive method of creating meals whether it is for a starter, main meal, lunch or snack. It is very safe to eat it, unless it hasn't been cooked properly and you end up eating the raw, pink meat.
The article below give tips about cooking chicken safely, chicken thawing, and defrosting chicken. Basic food safety tips for working with chicken include:
- Washing your hands thoroughly with warm soapy water before handling poultry, whether it's raw or cooked.
- Washing your hands thoroughly again, after you've handled raw or cooked poultry.
- Using different kitchen equipment for cooked and raw poultry, such as chopping boards, knives, plates and bowls.
- Cleaning all your equipment and work surfaces thoroughly, including knives or and other utensils used, chopping boards and kitchen worktops.
If the poultry you want to cook is frozen, you must defrost it thoroughly before you cook it. If you cook poultry before it's properly thawed, it may not be cooked thoroughly throughout the chicken and bacteria that cause food poisoning could possibly survive the cooking process.
With a whole frozen bird, such as turkey or chicken, allow plenty of time for it to thaw. The larger the bird, the longer it will take to defrost. For a chicken fillet, or breast, for example, it could easily be defrosted in the microwave.
When you thaw frozen poultry, lots of liquid comes out. The liquid spreads bacteria to anything it touches, including other food, plates and work surfaces, as well as your hands. So good hygiene is very important.
Defrosting chicken and cooking times differ with chicken and cooking method or, for example, with oven type. Cooking times should be available on the label. To check if it's cooked, pierce the thickest part of the bird's legs with a clean skewer or knife. The thickest part is usually between the drumstick and the thigh.
Check the colour of the juices that come out. If the bird is cooked, the juices will be clear, not red or pink. If any of the juices are not clear, or any part of the meat is pink then the chicken hasn't been cooked properly and it needs to be done for a bit longer.
Cooking chicken safely isn't hard; you just need to pay attention to the little details such as chicken thawing, the washing of equipment and hands and checking it before eating.
