Cheap chicken breasts - Watery/Jelly like texture

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  • Robbie_CraigRobbie_Craig Posts: 1,515
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    They may be irradiated. although the process is illegal in many countries the majority of Chicken imported from South America / Some Eastern European Countries are irradiated and are not labled as such as it's not required,
    I know from personal experience most large Catering Frozen Food suppliers supply them.
  • molliepopsmolliepops Posts: 26,821
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    Quite possibly and obviously I would not buy them if I could afford better but I say again we buy what we can afford and do our best to make it nice.
  • Stevie_DonaldStevie_Donald Posts: 394
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    molliepops wrote: »
    You do need a certain level of income though, I think most people would buy good quality if we could afford it. We just make the best of what we can afford.


    Quality over quantity every time.
  • molliepopsmolliepops Posts: 26,821
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    I was very nearly rude there.
    I get a £3.48 chicken and get 6 meals out of it we have small meat portions and as a veggie I have none, we then fill up with vegetables. We don't eat huge meals or big portions we eat cheap.

    If you can get me quality for £1 a meal I will listen if you can't then stop now because you are missing the point of not being able to afford quality completely.
  • JulesFJulesF Posts: 6,461
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    molliepops wrote: »
    I was very nearly rude there.
    I get a £3.48 chicken and get 6 meals out of it we have small meat portions and as a veggie I have none, we then fill up with vegetables. We don't eat huge meals or big portions we eat cheap.

    If you can get me quality for £1 a meal I will listen if you can't then stop now because you are missing the point of not being able to afford quality completely.

    You can get a Sainsbury's Freedom Food chicken for under a fiver, though it would be a small one. Barn-raised chickens aren't as good as free-range, of course, but will still be more tasty and more nutritious than the cut-price battery ones.

    Plenty of people who are on a budget still care about the quality of their food. You'd be surprised at the improvements you can make if you shop around a bit, although I do appreciate that many people just don't have the time or inclination to do it.
  • molliepopsmolliepops Posts: 26,821
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    Sainsburys don't deliver to flats here so not an option. Although unless it was under £3.30 I wouldn't be interested as I can get a chicken for that easily in Tesco.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 188
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    Your buying cheap crap food and this is why its watery and jellylike. It will have been in a battery cage and probably had no feathers and broken legs etc. After it was killed it will have been injected with water. Do you really have to ask why it is like this??
    You can buy free range chicken and you wont have this problem. You get what you pay for and this is a consequence of wanting dirt cheap food.
  • molliepopsmolliepops Posts: 26,821
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    Your buying cheap crap food and this is why its watery and jellylike. It will have been in a battery cage and probably had no feathers and broken legs etc. After it was killed it will have been injected with water. Do you really have to ask why it is like this??
    You can buy free range chicken and you wont have this problem. You get what you pay for and this is a consequence of wanting dirt cheap food.

    Wanting or needing ?
  • c4rvc4rv Posts: 29,538
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    tokenting wrote: »
    i used to work in a takeaway -- we used to use these same cheap chicken breasts that have little texture -- huge blocks imported from some scandanavian country.

    I call it frankenstein's chicken and i see it used all the time in chinese and indian food establishments.

    i for one would like to see them banned.

    why ? Its a free market. If you don't want to buy it then don't.
  • NoseyLouieNoseyLouie Posts: 5,651
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    LostFool wrote: »
    I saw some in Tesco which were labelled "Marinated in water for extra succulence". Marinated? I think they mean "pumped full".

    Really? Good grief that made me laugh out loud! I will be on the lookout for that in Sainsburys next time I am in!

    In answer to the op I wonder if the maggi seasoning bags would help the chicken out a bit, they seem to draw a lot of the moisture out during cooking in the oven.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 283
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    degsyhufc wrote: »
    You could try leaving it uncovered in the fridge overnight to see if it dries out.
    More likely though the injected water is mixed with some chemical to keep it in the chicken.


    You could try salting it for an hour or two to draw out the moisture. Give it a wash off and a pat dry before cooking.

    I do this with thick pieces of fish.



    Alternitavely you could try brining the chicken in water, salt and sugar.

    Do not brine already wet chicken, brining ads moisture. Personalty i would just squeeze on kitchen towels. Leave to sit for a bit.
  • Stevie_DonaldStevie_Donald Posts: 394
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    molliepops wrote: »
    I was very nearly rude there.
    I get a £3.48 chicken and get 6 meals out of it we have small meat portions and as a veggie I have none, we then fill up with vegetables. We don't eat huge meals or big portions we eat cheap.

    If you can get me quality for £1 a meal I will listen if you can't then stop now because you are missing the point of not being able to afford quality completely.

    I am not missing the point.

    If I have to have quality chicken less often, owing to the costs, than cheap chicken then fine.

    It is all about choices.

    As I said enjoy your cheap chicken.
    Or more specifically the meat eating members of the family should continue to enjoy it.
  • molliepopsmolliepops Posts: 26,821
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    I am not missing the point.

    If I have to have quality chicken less often, owing to the costs, than cheap chicken then fine.

    It is all about choices.

    As I said enjoy your cheap chicken.
    Or more specifically the meat eating members of the family should continue to enjoy it.

    Not a lot of choice if you are looking for cheap meals though if you ignore cheap chicken, at least it is real chicken not reformed from odd bits and covered in bread crumbs which seems to be even cheaper.
  • whoever,heywhoever,hey Posts: 30,992
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    molliepops wrote: »
    Not a lot of choice if you are looking for cheap meals though if you ignore cheap chicken, at least it is real chicken not reformed from odd bits and covered in bread crumbs which seems to be even cheaper.

    You seem to missed to suggestion of eating less chicken. It is still about choice.
  • molliepopsmolliepops Posts: 26,821
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    You seem to missed to suggestion of eating less chicken. It is still about choice.

    Chicken is one of the cheapest meats what would you suggest I serve instead ?
  • whoever,heywhoever,hey Posts: 30,992
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    molliepops wrote: »
    Chicken is one of the cheapest meats what would you suggest I serve instead ?

    Chicken thighs are cheaper than breasts.

    Theres other things to eat other than meat aswell.
  • molliepopsmolliepops Posts: 26,821
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    We buy thighs and legs too big 1kg bag from tesco I am told they are very nice too, still prefer breast for some recipes though.

    Also I am happy just to get my husband to eat anything, meat is the only thing he really enjoys.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 188
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    molliepops wrote: »
    Wanting or needing ?
    .

    Wanting, because you can buy vegetables reasonably from markets etc.
    Nobody needs to eat battery produced meat- they eat it out of choice.
  • molliepopsmolliepops Posts: 26,821
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    .

    Wanting, because you can buy vegetables reasonably from markets etc.
    Nobody needs to eat battery produced meat- they eat it out of choice.

    Not everyone can get to these markets, and feeding my husband as I have said on various threads isn't easy he has apsergers and his diet is very restricted because of that, rituals and nothing touching etc. Getting veggies into him is a task he will eat frozen brocolli and peas, and he will eat fresh cauliflower and tomatoes. He won't eat much else. Not by choice as I know if he could he would eat just like everyone else.

    Markets round here are not much cheaper if at all really, when you add in the cost of getting to them and parking etc.

    From what I can see in the supermarket all cheaper meats are in some way battery or intensively raised - do I like this ? NO can I afford to buy better ? NO.
  • Robbie_CraigRobbie_Craig Posts: 1,515
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    The only Market's round here are Organic Farmers market's and they are way too expensive for my wife and I to use as a Vegetarian my other half would prefer we shopped there and who wouldn't prefer Organic Sussex Lamb or Beef but at the prices they charge it's just not possible.
  • molliepopsmolliepops Posts: 26,821
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    The only Market's round here are Organic Farmers market's and they are way too expensive for my wife and I to use as a Vegetarian my other half would prefer we shopped there and who wouldn't prefer Organic Sussex Lamb or Beef but at the prices they charge it's just not possible.

    Now don't be silly we should all be either able to afford those prices or not eat seems to be the most popular idea here. ;)
  • Robbie_CraigRobbie_Craig Posts: 1,515
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    Molliepops your Husband wont eat Vegetables and neither will my wife and she's vegetarian (strict but not vegan) it doesn't make shopping easy..but not to worry Dave's big society will sort it all out the land of milk and honey and cheap organic food...
  • whoever,heywhoever,hey Posts: 30,992
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    molliepops wrote: »
    Not everyone can get to these markets, and feeding my husband as I have said on various threads isn't easy he has apsergers and his diet is very restricted because of that, rituals and nothing touching etc. Getting veggies into him is a task he will eat frozen brocolli and peas, and he will eat fresh cauliflower and tomatoes. He won't eat much else. Not by choice as I know if he could he would eat just like everyone else.

    I do apologise. I was talking about the average fussy person that just likes meat for the sake of it, more like a fussy teenager.
  • molliepopsmolliepops Posts: 26,821
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    I do apologise. I was talking about the average fussy person that just likes meat for the sake of it, more like a fussy teenager.

    No apology needed.
  • Stevie_DonaldStevie_Donald Posts: 394
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    molliepops wrote: »
    Now don't be silly we should all be either able to afford those prices or not eat seems to be the most popular idea here. ;)

    Don't recall anyone suggesting that you don't eat.
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