1 day Ago By [email protected] (Bobby Lewis)
A slow cooker is guaranteed to make succulently tender chicken, but its low-and-slow cooking method can be particularly dangerous with frozen meats like chicken. Eric Rowse , lead chef-instructor of culinary arts at the Institute of Culinary Education 's Los Angeles campus, told Daily Meal that cooking frozen chicken in a slow cooker has an unacceptably high risk of causing food poisoning. In other words, you should always thaw your chicken before putting it in a slow cooker.
Bacteria like salmonella grow most easily in what's known as the temperature danger zone, between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, which is why chicken must be cooked internally to 165 degrees. "There is a short window (four hours) during which food can be in the temperature danger zone, which is when bacteria grow fastest," said Rowse. The chef explained that, "If chicken is frozen, it's going to take much longer to get up to temperature to kill salmonella, all the while the salmonella is multiplying.
" There are a few ways to thaw chicken safely , the most common being to place it in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. Once defrosted, you should cook the chicken within one or two days. Don't put any frozen meat in a slow cooker One of the most important things to know about slow cooker chicken is that cooking it from frozen just isn't safe.
That said, no raw meat should be cooked from frozen in a slow cooker for similar reasons. As Eric Rowse explained, "a slow cooker's claim to fame is being low and slow. This is a possible problem for food safety in general if you aren't paying attention, regardless of what you're cooking.
" Don't abandon the concept of slow cooker chicken, though. Chicken wings can be one of the best unexpected foods to cook in a slow cooker . But if they're frozen, the chicken must be properly thawed first.
And don't forget to preheat your slow cooker before cooking . If you want to conveniently cook frozen meats, air fryers can safely cook frozen raw chicken and other proteins. They will require meat-appropriate fryer temperatures and extra cooking time, but should generally be ready within 30 minutes or less.
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