Food-safety guidance on handling, cooking, storage, spoilage signs and when food should be discarded.
USDA says chicken can be cooked from frozen in the oven or on the stove. Cooking may take about 50% longer, and the thickest part must reach at least 165 °F. USDA does not recommend starting raw frozen chicken in a slow cooker.
Chicken can remain pink even after reaching a safe internal temperature. USDA says color is not a reliable doneness test: poultry should reach at least 165 °F (73.9 °C) in the thickest appropriate area, measured away from bone.
USDA advises against washing raw poultry. Running water can splash bacteria from chicken onto the sink, faucet, counters, utensils or ready-to-eat food. Safe handling and cooking to at least 165 °F in the thickest part are more effective than rinsing.
USDA recommends using cooked fish and other seafood within 3–4 days when refrigerated at 40 °F (4 °C) or below. Refrigeration slows bacterial growth but does not stop it, so prompt chilling matters as much as the calendar.
Fresh fish is highly perishable. USDA recommends keeping raw fish and shellfish at 40°F (4°C) or below for only 1–2 days before cooking or freezing. FDA similarly says seafood that will be used within two days should be kept on ice or in a clean refrigerator at 40°F or below; otherwise, freeze it.
Smell is one of the most useful signs: FDA says fresh fish should smell mild and fresh, not strongly fishy, sour, rancid or ammonia-like. Flesh should be firm and spring back when pressed. In fillets, darkening, discoloration or drying around the edges indicate loss of freshness, although no home test replaces correct cold storage.
Ground beef that is red on the outside and gray or brown inside can be normal. Oxygen turns surface myoglobin into bright-red oxymyoglobin, while the interior receives less oxygen and can remain purplish or gray-brown. If the entire package is brown and there is also a bad odor or sticky texture, spoilage becomes more concerning.
A brief odor when opening vacuum- or low-oxygen-packed chicken does not automatically mean it is spoiled. Research describes confinement odors, sometimes sour, sulfurous or metallic, that can diminish after opening. A strong odor that persists, especially with slime or questionable storage, is a reason to discard the chicken.
Meat color changes with the chemical state of myoglobin. Without oxygen it can look purplish; with oxygen, bright red; with further oxidation, brown. USDA says these color changes alone do not mean spoilage. Persistent bad odor and a sticky or slimy texture are more concerning.
Yes. Salmon skin is edible. When cooked well it can become crisp and contains some of the fish's fat. There is generally no blanket safety reason to remove the skin from commercial salmon, although locally caught fish from waters with contaminant advisories can require different guidance.
As a conservative guideline for cooked leftovers, lentils should be used within 3–4 days when promptly refrigerated at 40 °F (4 °C) or below. Cool large batches in shallow containers and do not leave them at room temperature for more than two hours.
Cooked chickpeas fit the same conservative leftover rule as other cooked foods: 3–4 days at 40 °F (4 °C) or below when refrigerated within about two hours. Once opened, canned chickpeas also need refrigeration.