The Best Food Storage Tips for Chicken
Chicken is a wonderful ingredient to cook with and whether you are a budding chef or completely new to chicken cookery, there are a few very important things to know about chicken safety before you start cooking chicken recipes.
Selecting Your Chicken
When you are buying chicken, make sure it is cold to the touch and still within its expiration date. It is unwise to buy a package of fresh chicken, which is leaking or looks damaged.
Chilled food storage vans transport fresh chicken to retail stores so it stays cool. If you are going to buy chicken, make sure it is one of the last things you add to your grocery cart before going to the checkout, so it does not have a chance to warm up. You can double bag your chicken or just make sure it is bagged away from your other groceries. Leave the chicken in its original packaging and put it in the refrigerator when you get home.
Chilling, Freezing and Thawing Chicken
When you get home, you can refrigerate the chicken for up to two days or freeze it. To thaw chicken, you can either do it in the refrigerator, in the microwave or in cold water. Thawing it slowly in the refrigerator is the safest way. Boneless chicken breasts defrost overnight but a whole chicken might take a day or two. If you do not use all the thawed chicken, it is safe to refreeze it.
If you want to defrost the chicken in water, submerge it, still in the packaging or in a Ziploc bag, in cold water. Change the water every half an hour so it stays cold. You can defrost a pound of boneless chicken breasts in an hour or a whole chicken in two or three hours.
Only defrost chicken in the microwave if you are going to cook it immediately after because some parts might get warm and start cooking while the chicken is defrosting and partial cooking will encourage any bacteria to multiply.
It is possible to cook frozen chicken on the stove or in the oven but you cannot safely cook frozen chicken in a crockpot or in the microwave.
You can marinate chicken in the refrigerator for a couple of days if you like but if you want to stuff a chicken, it will need to be cooked immediately. Cooked chicken has to reach an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F to ensure any bacteria are killed.
If you have leftover Kentucky fried chicken after your delicious homemade meal, you should refrigerate it within a couple of hours so it is safe to enjoy the following day.
How Long Does Chicken Keep?
Raw chicken parts will keep for a couple of days in the refrigerator or nine months in the freezer. A raw whole chicken keeps for a couple of days in the refrigerator or a year in the freezer. Cooked chicken parts or a cooked whole chicken will keep for up to four days in the refrigerator or four months in the freezer.
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Cinco de Mayo Food and Traditions
Lots of residents in the US know a little bit about Cinco de Mayo. Some even celebrate it each year in one way or another. There are many who do not understand its history, however. If you were to ask an average American about why Cinco de Mayo is celebrated, they will likely guess it is Mexican Independence Day. That is not right. Mexican Independence Day falls on September 16.
In the 1950s, the United States’ Good Neighbor Policy encouraged its people to reach out to neighboring lands. This is when Americans were introduced to Cinco de Mayo. In the ’60s, the holiday was pushed further into the public eye by Chicano activists as a way to spark cultural pride amongst Mexican-Americans.
Through the following decades, this celebration kept growing with the “popular culture” movement. The commercialism of Cinco de Mayo finally pushed it into the mainstream, advertising it as a fun new holiday for food and alcoholic beverages. The correct meaning for this holiday, the victory over the French by Mexico in 1862, has gotten a bit watered down.
As Cinco de Mayo became more mainstream, more Americans wanted to explore better ways to celebrate. They began researching the Mexican traditions, foods, and music that would make Cinco de Mayo a holiday to anticipate every year.
Cinco de Mayo has become a wonderful reason to indulge ourselves with margaritas, nachos and all things Latino. You can get all dressed up in bright traditional clothing, grab some sombreros, throw a Mexican flag up on the wall, hang dried chilies around the house and just have fun. The schools teach about this holiday, so have your children share what they have learned and incorporate it all into your celebration.
Some people plan big parties for the 5th of May. It is no longer a holiday just for the Mexican community. People from all ethnic groups join in the fun. Some communities have festivals and parades to help the celebration mood. In some big cities, the celebration has grown to large proportions. Los Angeles, New York and Port Huron, Michigan are sites of very large Cinco de Mayo celebrations.
For those who prefer to celebrate closer to home, it is easy to make their own preparations for the celebration. They may cook Cinco de Mayo food, put up decorations, and listen to traditional mariachi music. Private parties are almost as popular now as the public parties held in restaurants, bars, and communities around the country.
Cinco de Mayo is a great reason to explore those Mexican recipes you have been curious about. Make some great food for your family to enjoy and share some Mexican culture. Invite your friends to come over and have them bring some snacks.
For those who like to go out, check out the local Mexican restaurants for menu specials and parties they may be planning. You can always go out for a great meal, margaritas, and dancing to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. If you prefer a quieter celebration, enjoy some home cooked tacos and pop Zorro into the DVD player. You do not have to do what everyone else does to celebrate.
If your only experience of Mexican food is Tex Mex or fast food, you will be pleasantly surprised when you try your hand at some traditional Mexican recipes such as chicken fajitas, Mexican tortilla soup or authentic Mexican salsa. All these dishes are easy to make and they taste gorgeous.
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Mexican Food
What pops into your mind when you think of Mexican food? Probably the first thing you thought of was a taco, burrito, or enchilada. These dishes from Mexico are popular all over the world. They can also be made easily with a variety of ingredients. It does not matter if you have chicken, pork, beef, or seafood in your refrigerator… all of them will work for these familiar recipes.
Most everyone has made tacos at home, but how many make enchiladas? The recipe really is not too difficult at all. Heat up a corn tortilla in hot oil. Roll it around a filling and set it in a baking dish. Fill it with cheese, meat, beans, vegetables, or eggs. When the baking dish is full, pour enchilada sauce over the top, and sprinkle on some of your favorite cheese. Bake it in the oven until done. It is easy to find enchilada sauce at the store if you do not want to whip up some of your own.
Another food that is extremely popular in Mexico is tamales. You need to make a dough using masa, which is a corn flour. Small amounts of dough are shaped by hand and filled with meat, cheese, vegetables, or chilies. The “dumplings” are now wrapped up in corn husks or plantain leaves before they are steamed. This delicious treat is so popular that some Mexican communities celebrate it with festivals every year.
Burritos may be a bit more challenging than tacos since they must be folded securely. With a taco, all you need to do is fill the tortilla with your meat and toppings. Burritos must be filled and wrapped. They make an excellent choice when you need to eat on the go since they are so portable. Burritos can be filled with almost anything you have on hand. Add meat, beans, cheese, or eggs to make a filling meal.
If you have never made Mexican food before, do not worry about doing it wrong. Many recipes are very simple, like those described above. Most grocery stores carry a wide selection of spices and ingredients for Mexican cuisine. If you are worried about it being spicy, you can rest assured that not all Mexican food is spicy. Besides, when you make it yourself you can control the amount of spice you put in. You do not need to make it hot if you do not want to.
You do not have to be stuck with the most common recipes, either. Mexican casseroles are easy to make and can give you the flavors you are craving. Layering your favorite ingredients will create a delicious dish. Use whatever you have on hand, like beef, potatoes, onions, carrots, and herbs. Do not forget to spice it up with a few chilies and some cheese.
Check online and you will find a myriad of Mexican casserole recipes to choose from. These simple dishes are perfect for a night when you need a delicious meal that is also fast and easy. You will soon be enjoying delicious Mexican food from your own kitchen.
Once you have gained some confidence in cooking this cuisine, you can branch out and try some of the more authentic recipes. Try some Mexican soup, a casserole, or a delicious rice dish. Your family will love this.
Most of us know what fresh chilies look like but what do dried ancho chilies look like? Actually, they are very dark brown, almost black in fact, and wrinkly looking. If you cannot find ancho chilies, you can substitute pasilla, California, New Mexico, or mulato chilies instead because they are all similar.
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