# Is this chicken safe to cook and eat? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 12, 2011, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-safe-to-cook-and-eat/599428 "2011-10-12T15:29:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BTEzra04](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9f8e36/32.png) [@BTEzra04](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BTEzra04)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-safe-to-cook-and-eat/599428/1 "2011-10-12T15:29:23Z")
Hey everyone, First off, I’m sorry if this is in the wrong place–I’m not sure if here or IMHO is a better place, since I’m kinda asking for advice. So I bought some chicken a few weeks ago, and stuck it in the fridge. I semi-forgot that I had it (okay, completely forgot I had it :smack: ). This morning, when I was trying to decide what to cook for breakfast, I found it, and thought “Oh…yeah. That.” Its sell-by date is listed as September 30th. Since today is October 12th, will transferring it to the freezer and cooking it later be all right? I just wanna make sure anyone who eats it isn’t gonna run into any, ah, issues. (Yes. I am a college student, why do you ask?) ---
**Author:** ![Vihaga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Vihaga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vihaga)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-safe-to-cook-and-eat/599428/2 "2011-10-12T15:37:36Z")
Hell no. ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-safe-to-cook-and-eat/599428/3 "2011-10-12T15:40:20Z")
Again i quote DeNiro “If there is any doubt, there is no doubt”. Toss it. ---
**Author:** ![Vihaga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Vihaga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vihaga)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-safe-to-cook-and-eat/599428/4 "2011-10-12T15:42:15Z")
And there’s less than no doubt for chicken you bought a few _weeks_ ago. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-safe-to-cook-and-eat/599428/5 "2011-10-12T15:44:39Z")
How does it look/feel/smell? ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-safe-to-cook-and-eat/599428/6 "2011-10-12T15:45:46Z")
I wouldn’t eat it. Surprised it hasn’t stunk up the entire fridge… ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-safe-to-cook-and-eat/599428/7 "2011-10-12T15:46:25Z")
Hell no. If you’re going to freeze something, you freeze it the day you buy it. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-safe-to-cook-and-eat/599428/8 "2011-10-12T15:51:46Z")
[Probably about as safe as trying to cook and eat this one…](http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/19100000/Ernie-The-Giant-Chicken-peter-griffin-vs-giant-chicken-19163501-600-750.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Vihaga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Vihaga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vihaga)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-safe-to-cook-and-eat/599428/9 "2011-10-12T15:51:57Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > I wouldn’t eat it. Surprised it hasn’t stunk up the entire fridge… Me too. I highly recommend not breaking the seal on the package if you haven’t yet. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-safe-to-cook-and-eat/599428/10 "2011-10-12T15:53:17Z")
Given proper cooking equipment and care not too swallow bones, your only problem will be violent illness after cooking and eating the chicken. ---
**Author:** ![Vita\_Beata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@Vita\_Beata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vita_Beata)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-safe-to-cook-and-eat/599428/11 "2011-10-12T15:54:20Z")
> [@MikeG](#): > > Again i quote DeNiro “If there is any doubt, there is no doubt”. Toss it. Yup. Remember this rule: When in doubt, toss it out. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-safe-to-cook-and-eat/599428/12 "2011-10-12T15:56:44Z")
I’m fortunate, insofar as I live one block from a supermarket, but I really try not to buy raw meat more than a day before I plan on cooking it. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-safe-to-cook-and-eat/599428/13 "2011-10-12T15:59:44Z")
Funny how these sorts of questions only ever take one of two forms: I left some meat unrefrigerated for 15 seconds while I sent a text. It’s going to kill me if I cook it, right? or I left meat out in the sun for umptybillion weeks and now it’s blue and furry and talking to me. I’m good to cook it, right? ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-safe-to-cook-and-eat/599428/14 "2011-10-12T16:28:46Z")
Chicken is teeming with deadly poisons to begin with, so I’m told, and it turns bad notoriously quickly. I once bought a huge package of chicken wings, the next day I unwrapped, washed and trimmed them, put them in a tupperware container, drove 15 minutes to the boyfriend’s house and put them in the refrigerator. An hour later, ready to cook, took off the lid, and we were nearly knocked off our feet by the smell. So throw that chicken out, it hasn’t improved as time passed by. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-safe-to-cook-and-eat/599428/15 "2011-10-12T16:31:01Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > How does it look/feel/smell? Wrong question. If this has been in the fridge for “a few weeks”, the only question should be “do I throw it out now or wait until garbage collection day?” Chicken has a short shelf life when raw. Even refrigerated, a few days is about max. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-safe-to-cook-and-eat/599428/16 "2011-10-12T16:36:19Z")
In most of these “is it okay?” threads, I think people are being paranoid. In this case? ! Hell no! Throw that out! ---
**Author:** ![Vihaga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Vihaga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vihaga)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-safe-to-cook-and-eat/599428/17 "2011-10-12T16:39:09Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Wrong question. If this has been in the fridge for “a few weeks”, the only question should be “do I throw it out now or wait until garbage collection day?” I would wait for garbage day. You could also knit it an outfit and wait to see if it becomes sentient, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![brainstall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@brainstall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainstall)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-safe-to-cook-and-eat/599428/18 "2011-10-12T16:43:37Z")
If it’s been vaccuum packed it will have a longer shelf life than if it was cut and wrapped by the store butcher, but I can’t imagine that even vac pak chicken two weeks past its best before date is still ok to eat. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-safe-to-cook-and-eat/599428/19 "2011-10-12T18:24:58Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > In most of these “is it okay?” threads, I think people are being paranoid. My personal favorite was the person who wanted to know if the bottled water he opened the day before was still OK. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-safe-to-cook-and-eat/599428/20 "2011-10-12T18:43:17Z")
I’m very sensitive to things that might make me sick (probably too much so) and I just recently asked the butcher at my supermarket how long chicken would keep. He told me not to keep it longer than 5 days. So yeah, that clucker’s history. Toss it! When thinking about things like this I always remember the quote from Linus in “Peanuts”: “I have no desire to be racked up by a bad cheesecake.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-safe-to-cook-and-eat/599428.md?page=2)