To be pissed off everytime I buy chicken

[spudholes]

Everytime I buy those raw chicken breasts from Tesco/Asda they go off after two days, even though the use by date is another 3-4 days. They smell like sulphur, especially underneath when I take it out of the packet. I have the same problem with beef. Could the meat be off or is it just letting off natural gasses after being injected with water/preservatives? Seriously pissed off with this now.

I have had the same problem with Aldi beef mince and smoked haddock.....so much for saving some cash! Any explanations welcome.

Chicken often smells weird when you open the package due to the stuff they put in it to keep it fresh. Mine often smells funky too but is absolutely fine to use. Off chicken smells completely different.

This is why I don't buy chicken from supermarkets any more. Do you have a butcher where you can buy a lot of them and freeze?

If it's within the 'best before' or 'use by' date and has been stored properly then I'm sure it'll be safe to eat.

The fact that this has happened to you several times, with different meats from different supermarkets, suggests that you might be over sensitive to natural odours.

The next time it happens could you return it? If it is indeed off they will replace or refund (I have done this).

When I have used the chicken within 2 days of buying it it smells very clean, like saltwater. There isn't an odour. However, this smells like rotten eggs/sulphur there is no mistaking it, it's very distinct and strong.

Is your fridge at the right temperature? It really shouldn't be going off that quick.
Also how long after you take it out of the fridge at the supermarket is it unti, it goes into your fridge at home? If you put in ibto your shopping basket, plod around tge shop, drive home (maybe pop to another shop on the way) it could easily be out of the fridge for a couple of hours and in this hot weather it really won't help it last.

When you unwrap prepacked meats there will be an odour. It states that on a lot of packaging. It is not the smell of rotten meat. I worked at a large scale butchers in the office. There was a bones skip. That smell was unmistakable.

Is your fridge cold enough, OP?

the asda ones say to expect this smell on the label. It's to do with the atmosphere where it's packed.

I have had off chicken before - it smelled like bleach. There's no mistaking it for us now!

Packaged meat has sulphur dioxide inside the pack as it inhibits bacterial growth. Regular air in the pack would allow bacteria to flourish.

It's a preservative and totally normal

I buy frozen chicken breasts at the moment because of this.

I had off chicken once - it reeked like bad bad fish and had a yellowish tinge on the surface. It went in the bin.

Chicken has a normal smell, so does beef. I find that the smell goes a few minutes after opening the packet though.

Are you pg or particularly sensitive to smells? Are you CERTAIN this keeps happening by which I mean CERTAIN it's actualy off, not just you thinking a smell = bad?) - the laws of probability suggest you would be very unlucky for this to keen happening to you if there was not some other "reason" - like your fridge being knackered??

Check your fridge temperature with a thermometer a surprising number of people don't realise when their fridge is not chilling properly.

keen keep!

I just bought a big pack of chicken breasts from Muscle Food and they stank of eggs when I opened them, despite being vacuum sealed. When I emailed to complain they told me that the gas they pump into the package to keep the chicken fresh smells of sulphur and that the smell should disappear if aired for ten minutes.

I've just made the fridge colder. It was on Number 3 and now I've put it onto number 5 which is the coldest it will go.

I cooked the chicken and it smelled fine, just eaten it. Tasted fine too. I bought it online from Tesco and it was put in the fridge within 5 minutes of being delivered.

Is it chicken that is air packed? And it smells after a few days when you open the packet? If so then the chicken isn't off it's just the way they are packaged.

Alot of meat has a gas sealed in with it to help keep it fresh. Can't remember what's it called. But its smells like eggs. Best to open in and let it air a bit then check.

sometimes packaged meat smells 'farty'
I leave it open for a short while and if it still smells after a few mins I bin and rethink the meal plan

I get mine out of the box and wrap in greaseproof paper, write the date on the paper and it stops that awful smell.

Actually get a fridge thermometer, to make sure.

My fridge doesn't have a thermometer, just numbers (1-5 I think). What number should it be on? I probably should buy a thermometer as I often have the same issues with chicken breasts, so much so I've stopped buying them.

People love leaving the freezers! and fridges open I just walk around slamming/ sliding the doors.
I know which smell you mean, OP and any meatbsmelling like that is nit good to eat. Also when they transport the food from the back of th store to the fridges, the store workers often leave the trollies fir ages in the aisles!

How long can you keep a chicken in the fridge for?

I put one in last night and it was dead this morning.

Sulphur dioxide gas is put into the packaging of most foods to keep it fresher for longer, it is a commonly used preservative and doesn't affect the taste of the food when cooked. It smells like eggs so I think this is what is happening. If the chicken is slimy and smells like rotten meat then it's off. I tend to freeze all the meat I buy when I get it home and defrost what I want each morning to either by leaving on the kitchen worktop or in the microwave. That way I don't have heaps of meat in the fridge slowly going off.