Buying Poultry
When buying fresh poultry, you should first check the freshness label. This label will tell you the date that you should use the poultry by. Try and purchase the freshest poultry.
Besides the freshness label, you can do a visual inspection of the poultry.
- When buying chicken keep in mind that chicken skin varies based on their diet. If the chicken has yellow or white skin that is completely normal.
- When buying duck keep in mind that duck is available in various breeds and depending on the breed of a duck the duck meat can be dark in color.
When buying poultry in general, you should avoid any poultry that has a gray color. If your poultry has any purple or green discoloration around the neck area, or if it has any discoloration on the tips of the wings, then that poultry should not be purchased.
Now if you are buying frozen poultry, just like other proteins, do not buy it if it has excess ice crusted on the outside because that could mean that it was defrosted and frozen at some point.
Finally, if you are buying canned poultry, do not buy any canned food that has any dents, bloating, or rust. This could be an indicator that bacteria are forming.
Buying Processed Duck
When you go to the store you may see some different prepared duck cuts available. Let’s break them down so that you know what they are used for!
- The circle sliced duck (냉동로스) is used for grilled and stir fried dishes.
- Thin sliced, shingled duck meat (슬라이스 정육) is used for grilling, soups, and skewers.
- Larger cuts of duck such as a broken-down thigh (오리도리육) can be used for soups and different steamed dishes.
- If you buy a whole duck, then you can break it down and use different sections for different uses. Refer to the duck cuts and uses.
Besides the meat cuts, ducks can vary based on the breed. The most popular kinds of ducks are Pekin ducks, Moulard ducks, and Muscovy ducks.
Poultry Freshness
Just like beef, there are ways to check poultry freshness. I will cover the time frame, visual, and physical inspection.
The first thing to check is how long you have had the poultry in the fridge because there is a general freshness time frame as to when you should use poultry.
Besides the “use by” label on your package of poultry, there are general time frames that poultry should be used by.
- Fresh chicken should be used within 1-2 days.
- Cooked chicken should be used within 4 days.
- Frozen Whole and Sectioned Poultry can be stored in the freezer for 9 months.
- Frozen Ground Chicken can be stored in the freezer for 3 months.
- Fresh duck lasts 1-2 days
- Cooked duck lasts 4 days
- Frozen whole or sectioned duck lasts 6 months in the freezer.
If your poultry passed this time frame of freshness, then you can do a visual inspection. Chicken that is grayish in color should not be eaten. Any discoloration around the neck or tips of the wings is an indicator that the chicken is not fresh. Remember that duck has darker red meat naturally but you want to avoid duck that has a gray or yellowish color to the meat.
The second way to check freshness is to do a physical inspection of the poultry.
When you feel your piece of poultry it should have a relatively dry texture, some moisture is okay but if you feel full-on slime, do not eat that poultry. Any stickiness under the wings or joints of the poultry is also a sign that the poultry should be discarded. Finally, if there is any kind of weird/bad smell coming from the poultry, then throw it away.
Storing Poultry
Now that you purchased the best freshest cut of poultry, let’s cover how to store that poultry.
When storing poultry in the freezer, keep the air from touching the poultry by wrapping it in plastic wrap or wax paper and then placing it in a freezer bag. When storing poultry in the fridge, store it in plastic wrap, in an airtight container, or in both.
