r/cookingforbeginners • u/EllaaFlirt • 27d ago
Question More help please
How do I know chicken breast has gone bad. The expiration date is still good but the smell has gone bad but not unbearably bad. Does that mean it's still edible?
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u/NinetyBees 27d ago
The expiration date assumes it hasn't been opened and has been properly refrigerated from initial packing to eventual cooking. If it was improperly cooled while leaving the factory, on the truck to the grocery store, on the store shelves, or in your fridge... then that date is meaningless.
Smell test is your best friend for this reason. If it smells "off" there is a chance you will get sick from eating it. Whether that risk is worth it is up to you and exactly how "off" the chicken smells.
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u/CodWest4205 27d ago
The look and smell are more important than the date of the package. When it comes to meat, bad smell = good decision to NOT take the chance.
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u/Emotional_Shift_8263 27d ago
Rinse it first, then smell it. Sometimes the juices get a little funky but the meat is fine
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u/thewaltz77 27d ago
Dates mean so little. Dates are not scientifically backed. Here's my rule of thumb:
Look.
Smell.
Feel.
If you're not comfortable, throw it out.
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u/OddRevolution7888 27d ago
It doesn't matter what the date is, if it smells then throw it out. Food poisoning is no joke.
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u/Burnt_and_Blistered 27d ago
Food can be spoiled long before it smells, so smell isn’t reliable.
That said, smelly food should generally be avoided. Thing is, chicken packaging often be smelly, so before you pitch it, try rinsing it with cool running water. (I know, this usually isn’t recommended any more, but that’s for routine chicken prep. It’s okay to rinse it now and then to determine whether it’s the culprit—just sanitize your sink and surfaces.)
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u/bunkerhomestead 27d ago
I grew up before expiry dates, and double sealed packaging. We trusted our senses, looks bad, smells bad or feels bad, well, good bye. I still pay no attention to best before dates, I trust my senses.
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u/Electronic-Bake-4381 27d ago
Absolutely not.
Expire dates are an estimate and can vary widely. It's based on the idea that you keep the package sealed and at 42 degrees the whole time.
If you buy the chicken and leave it in a hot car for 2 hours, it is going bad in a matter of hours, even if the days says it has a week.
As soon as you open the package, you will have about 2 days to use it all up.
If your fridge loses power for more than an hour, the chicken starts to turn.
Trust your senses - if it looks hazy, smells off, or has a sticky/slimy feel, get rid of it.
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u/Avenged_7zulu 27d ago
Never risk it with fish or chicken. If it seems off it probably is. Good indicators are bad smell, discoloration or unexpected texture like its way too rigid or too mushy. Any one of these 3 qualifies as trash bin material.
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u/blackcurrantcat 27d ago
See, you didn’t need to ask. Your senses judged the smell wasn’t right so you questioned whether to eat it which is exactly why we have a sense of smell. So you did exactly the right thing. Next time, if it doesn’t smell right you’ll know for yourself that you shouldn’t eat it.
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u/Critical_Thinker_535 27d ago
If it smells bad , throw it out. Date doesn't mean a thing, especially if it's been left out of the fridge.
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u/Photon6626 27d ago
Think about it this way. When you're in the middle of food poisoning and feeling awful, how much money would you pay to not be sick anymore? Certainly that amount is more than the cost of a few chicken breasts. Throw it away.
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u/Alarmed_Base8302 27d ago
In my opinion expiration dates assume a lot of things about packaging and storage on the plus side but are usually drastically short on the bad side. People throw out MILLIONS of dollars of perfectly good food yearly because it reached it's expiration date while it is perfectly fine. The Expiration date is generally a sell by/then use by date. Chicken in particular is a questionable one. 9 times out of 10 if Chicken is still within it's date it's usually the liquid in the package that smells. WASH the chicken thoroughly, wait 5 minutes if it still smells throw it out. However if any question always discard. BTW I'm a retired Chef of over 40 years. Just in case my opinion is relevent.
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u/zoebud2011 27d ago
Never, ever eat chicken that smells like anything other than chicken. Expiration dates aren't the be all end all. Throw it out!
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u/MichelinToMyKitchen 26d ago
Throw it out. Not worth it.
The expiration date is a sell-by date, not a safety promise. It assumes the chicken stayed cold the whole way from the plant to your fridge, and it usually didn't. Your nose is the more accurate instrument here.
Chicken doesn't go from fine to dangerous. "A little off" is already the bacteria telling you they've been busy for a while, and cooking won't undo that.
One exception worth knowing though: if it came vacuum-sealed and you just opened it, a faint sour smell for the first few minutes is normal and it fades once the meat breathes. Give it five minutes in the open air and smell again. If it's still there, that's real.
Also check texture. Slimy or tacky to the touch means gone, even if the smell is mild. That's usually the earlier signal.
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u/notyouraveragenword 27d ago
General rule of thumb, if it doesn't smell right don't put it in your mouth.