How long is vacuum sealed chicken good for? Well, it depends on several factors. Keep going through the below paragraph to find out the factors and the average duration.
Vacuum sealing is now a popular technique to preserve meat. It helps to keep the property of the meat for a long time by preventing moisture from coming in or coming out. Furthermore, vacuum sealing also helps to lengthen the lifespan of the food.
If you are wondering about how long is vacuum sealed chicken good for, you have arrived at the right place. In the below part of the article, we will let you know how long it will take.
How Long is Vacuum Sealed Chicken Good For?
The vacuum sealing technique is a great way to preserve food. Especially, you can utilize it to preserve chicken. Usually, it doesn’t require more than 2 to 4 hours to spoil when it is raw. The cooked chicken might require more time, but it is also pretty perishable. So, it is important to preserve the chicken in the correct manner to keep it in the right shape and also increase the duration.
Even if you put the raw meat in the refrigerator, it will start growing bacteria and harmful molds. They will cause the taste and the hygiene of the food. If you leave the food for a long time, it will eventually become rotten. Eating that will cause a lot of issues. When it comes to preserving the chicken, vacuum sealing can be the best technique. By doing this, you can keep the food in perfect shape for around six to ten days.
Note that the duration might change based on several factors. These include the pH level, the freshness of the meat, cleaning, and other things. The fridge temperature will also vary in how long you can put it. Furthermore, the sanitation of the meat, the quality of the vacuum sealing, marination, etc. all can make the duration vary. The mentioned duration is for the normal condition.
As per the experts, the right temperature to store the chicken in the vacuum-sealed package and freezing is anything below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature helps to reduce the growth of bacteria and keep the meat in perfect shape. So, make sure that your freeze temperature is 40 F or less while preserving the chicken.
How To Determine The Chicken is Bad
As there is not an exact timeframe for this, you should check the chicken whether it is in the good shape or not. Here are some things that you can do to inspect the quality of the raw chicken in the freezer.
For Raw Chicken
- The first thing we will recommend is smelling the chicken. If the chicken is gone bad, then it will produce a distinct and pungent odor. Besdes, if not, it will smell like the usual chicken.
- If you have purchased the chicken from the super shop, it might include an expiry date or best by date. What you need to do is to check the date on the package. If the due date is not passed yet, then you shouldn’t hesitate to eat cook the chicken.
- The next thing we will suggest you is to check the color of the chicken. Usually, the color of the fresh chicken is pale pink. When it becomes rotten, it will become grey and you shouldn’t it this in such a case.
- You can also touch the chicken to check its condition. Usually, if the chicken includes anything slippery or like mucus, it is rotten. If it is in the right shape, it shouldn’t include anything similar.
For Cooked Chicken
Now let’s see what you can do to check the quality of the cooked chicken.
- Like earlier, we will recommend smelling the cooked chicken. There should be a bad smell if it is not alright.
- Check the color of the chicken. What you can do is cut a piece of the chicken. If it is white, then it is in the right shape. Besides, if it is discolored, then it’s rotten.
- If the chicken has any mold then you should never eat this. If you put the chicken for a long period in the freezer, it can grow black or green mold.
- The last thing you can do is to taste the chicken. Well, you might want not to do this, but taking a bit of it in your mouth will finally reveal its condition.
Right Way to Put Vacuum Sealed Chicken in the Freezer
Vacuum sealing the chicken usually consists of removing the air surrounding the meat. The goal here is to prevent the growth of fungi or bacteria to reduce the rate of spoiling. Let see what is the correct procedure to vacuum seal the chicken.
- The first thing you need to make sure that the meat is clean and dry. If you didn’t yet clean it, clean it first and then let it dry with a paper towel.
- Now you will require putting the chicken in the vacuum sealer bag. Place as much of the chicken as you while leaving some space in the edges.
- Once you are done, put the bag’s edge on the vacuum sealer and turn on the device. If requires, support the bag with your hand during the procedure.
- The bag will shrink a bit and become completely tight when all the air is eradicated from it. Also, there shouldn’t be any wrinkles or bubbles once you are done.
- Now you can take it off from the machine and put it on the refrigerator. That’s it, you are done.
Some people recommend writing the date on the package to remember when you have put it. We will also recommend doing this if you are going to store it for a good amount of time.
Conclusion
As we discussed above, the chicken will stay good for around six to ten days based on some factors. Make sure that you are making use of the procedure we have mentioned above to get the best shelf life and preserve the quality.
