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Silly question; chicken thawing etc

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  • 28-08-2009 12:53am
    #1
    Lockstep
    Registered Users Posts: 9,030 ✭✭✭


    I've realised I've made a pretty big mistake when cooking;

    After buying chicken breasts, I'd just put it straight in the fridge in order to seperate them(as they were frozen together in the packet) and then cook them over the week.


    Apparently, this is very bad; my question is how can you seperate the chicken when they're frozen together (seeing as I need to be able to thaw them individually in order to cook them)

    Thanks for the help


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    #2
    Seaneh
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 18,300 ✭✭✭✭Seaneh


    Defrost all, cool all, freeze seperately, defrost as needed is your best bet if you're not going to use them all within 3 days.


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    #3
    CJhaughey
    Registered Users Posts: 14,907 ✭✭✭✭CJhaughey


    I would not buy frozen breasts thaw, and refreeze them. You are asking for trouble if you do that IMO.
    Better to buy loose frozen breasts and use them that way or maybe you can break the frozen ones apart by banging them off a hard surface?
    I know that Lidl do IQF breasts in a bag.


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    #4
    olaola
    Registered Users Posts: 4,139 ✭✭✭olaola


    Attack them with a big knife, while frozen, if you want to seperate them.


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    #5
    Seaneh
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 18,300 ✭✭✭✭Seaneh


    Mental images of olaola, clever in hand, decimating a lump of frozen chicken breasts...


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    #6
    Dizzyblonde
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Politics Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators, Regional East Moderators Posts: 12,110 CMod ✭✭✭✭Dizzyblonde


    I usually fling that sort of thing on the floor a couple of times (in the wrapper) until they separate. When my eldest daughter was little she thought you had to bash sausages off the floor before cooking them because she'd seen me do it so often :rolleyes:


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    #7
    olaola
    Registered Users Posts: 4,139 ✭✭✭olaola


    Seaneh wrote: »
    Mental images of olaola, clever in hand, decimating a lump of frozen chicken breasts...

    Attack the the right word here, as it would be accompanied by much cursing at why didn't I bl**dy seperate the f****ng things before I f****ing put them in the c***ting freezer :D


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    #8
    Faith
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,657 Mod ✭✭✭✭Faith


    I'd buy non-frozen chicken, firstly. There's chicken breasts in the fridge section. I divide them up and put them seperately into freezer bags and freeze. That, or I buy the ones that are already in their own bags.

    I didn't actually know you could get frozen chicken breasts, come to think of it...

    Like Seaneh said, you need to cook defrosted chicken breasts within about 3 days.


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    #9
    rubadub
    Registered Users Posts: 32,382 ✭✭✭✭rubadub


    CJhaughey wrote: »
    I would not buy frozen breasts thaw, and refreeze them. You are asking for trouble if you do that IMO.
    The only real "trouble", is that the cells expand and can alter the texture of the meat, best defrosted in the fridge, but there is no reason you cannot refreeze once frozen meat - as long as it was defrosted correctly. There is a myth that bacteria magically grows somehow, not sure what you meant by "trouble".
    Faith wrote: »
    I'd buy non-frozen chicken, firstly. There's chicken breasts in the fridge section. I divide them up and put them seperately into freezer bags and freeze. That, or I buy the ones that are already in their own bags.
    I also pat them out or butterfly them out and freeze them flat, layered up in individual bags. Nothing worse than a mangled frozen fillet. If they are flat and thin they defrost faster, I have them so thin I can fry them right out of the freezer.
    Faith wrote: »
    I didn't actually know you could get frozen chicken breasts, come to think of it..
    Tesco have them, but they are pumped with water & soya. But I would expect ones like these are easy enough to separate with a bit of bashing. While if you get a bag from the butchers it will form a giant ball of ice.


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