Don’t buy chicken if you have the following signs
Although chicken is a delicious and nutritious food, if you have the following signs, it’s best not to buy it if you don’t want to face health risks.
Chicken is a favorite dish of many people because of its delicious taste, can be processed into many attractive dishes, and has very high nutritional value. However, you need to know how to choose to buy fresh, clean, and safe chicken meat.
Chicken with the following signs should not be purchased
Chicken is sold a lot in markets, stores and supermarkets, but the quality is not uniform. If chicken meat has the following signs, it’s best not to buy it.
Unstable color
When choosing to buy chicken, the first thing that touches your eyes is its color. Fresh chicken meat will usually be pink or pinkish white. If the meat is pale, pale, green, or gray, it is a sign of spoilage.
For processed chicken, delicious pieces of meat are usually white to light brown, but you also need to check carefully to see if mold is growing from the inside, especially processed and preserved chicken pieces. in the refrigerator for more than 3 days.
In addition, when buying processed chicken, pay attention to see if the chicken pieces are mushy or too wet to avoid it. Chicken stored in the refrigerator remains firm, white and tender, meaning it is still safe.
Unpleasant smell
Pick up a piece of chicken to check, if you see a foul or fishy smell, that is a sign that it has gone bad. Don’t buy chicken if these signs appear. With such chicken pieces, you should throw them away, don’t try to prepare them or wash them with salt and then process them like many people do out of regret.
Strange taste
With processed chicken pieces left in the refrigerator, when trying to eat them, if they taste sour, metallic or bitter, it is best to throw them away because the chicken pieces are rancid. can eat anymore.
Chicken defrosted incorrectly
Many people have the habit of removing chicken from the freezer and leaving it for the entire session before processing, not knowing that unstable environmental temperatures are ideal conditions for bacteria to grow.
According to recommendations from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), food should be kept cold (below 4.5 degrees Celsius) until cooking. The “danger zone” for frozen chicken is any temperature between 4.5 and 60 degrees Celsius.
If you need to defrost chicken, do so safely by leaving it overnight in the refrigerator. Then when you take the chicken out, you need to put it in a plastic bag or box to defrost completely, avoiding placing it near other foods to prevent the possibility of the meat juices leaking out and affecting them.
Another way to defrost chicken is to soak the wrapped chicken in water, making sure it is completely submerged and changing the water every 20 – 30 minutes. Chicken should be cooked immediately after defrosting to minimize risks.
The packaging is punctured or torn
For consumer convenience, supermarkets often divide chicken into trays and then package them. However, when buying these chicken trays, you should carefully check the packaging, from the packaging date to whether the packaging is punctured or whether the chicken inside is watery.
If you see any tears, holes or openings on the chicken tray, it’s best not to buy it.
Health benefits of chicken
Chicken is a food that provides abundant protein and is low in fat (if the skin is removed), so it is popular with many people, especially those who need to develop muscles and want to lose weight healthily.
According to a post on the website of Vinmec International General Hospital, chicken meat has a very high content of the amino acid tryptophan, so it increases serotonin levels in the brain, helping to improve mood.
The amino acid homocysteine is dangerous for cardiovascular health, and eating a lot of chicken helps control this amino acid, protecting the heart and preventing cardiovascular diseases. Chicken is rich in phosphorus and calcium, which helps bones and teeth develop, preventing osteoporosis and dental diseases.
Chicken is rich in retinol, alpha and beta-carotene, lycopene derived from vitamin A so it is very good for eye health.
Vitamin B6 found in chicken also promotes metabolism, helps digest food without retaining fat content and helps lose weight effectively. Niacin found in chicken is an essential vitamin that helps fight cancer. Therefore, the habit of eating chicken will help protect the body from genetic damage as well as prevent the risk of cancer.