chronically-helpless primitive buys supermarket roasted chicken

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=236x80781

Oh my.

Paper Roses  (1000+ posts)      Fri Sep-17-10 07:02 PM
THE CHRONICALLY-HELPLESS PRIMITIVE
Original message

Grocery store rotisserie chicken question.

To save time and for about the same money as a small chicken to roast myself, I will sometimes buy one of the store cooked chickens. I think today was the last time. It seems they are always undercooked, no matter how browned they are. When I get home, I peek in the joints of wings and legs, there are always globs of yellow fat and they seem slimy.

This, to me is not a cooked chicken. Perhaps I am just used to my way of cooking but I find that I have to cook these chickens longer in my own oven. Defeats the purpose.

Anyone else find this is so?

Does my store have a defective timer and thermostat on their rotisserie cooker?

The empressof all   (1000+ posts)        Fri Sep-17-10 07:06 PM
THE IMPERIOUS PRIMITIVE, WHO IGNORES US
Response to Original message

1. The ones at my grocery are usually pretty puny

I have noticed I usually need to continue to cook the Costco Birds. I think they take them out a bit on the "rare" side to compensate for sitting time under the lights.

As an aside I noticed my local grocery has the cooked ones on sale for 3.99. That's the lowest I've seen them. I'm not eating meat right now but I was surprised and thought about getting one for my husband.

elleng  (1000+ posts)        Fri Sep-17-10 07:37 PM
Response to Original message
 
2. I like them a lot, and haven't noticed 'undercooking.' I remove noticeable fat.

grasswire  (1000+ posts)      Fri Sep-17-10 07:42 PM
THE FARMERETTE UP OVER THERE IN WISCONSIN
Response to Original message

3. I always put it in the oven for half an hour or so.

I totally agree with you. Not done enough.

Besides, I really don't like any of their seasoning flavors. They have lemon pepper, "savory", bbq. I don't like them.

cbayer   (1000+ posts)      Fri Sep-17-10 07:53 PM
THE BAYER ASPIRIN PRIMITIVE
Response to Original message

4. Mine are always pretty perfect and save a lot of time and energy.

I guess I would prefer undercooked to overcooked, as it is so easy to remedy. I sometimes get one that I think has sat under the lights too long and is dry.

Warpy  (1000+ posts)        Fri Sep-17-10 09:02 PM
THE DEFROCKED WARPED PRIMITIVE, #09 TOP PRIMITIVE OF 2009
Response to Original message

5. If you can stick the point of a knife into the thickest part of the thigh and the juices run out clear and not pink, that chicken is fully cooked. If the juices are pink, carve the bird into serving portions and put everything but the wings into the microwave for a few minutes, then let it rest.

Usually, unless they've just taken the chicken out of the rotisserie unit and you've hustled it home and cut into it without letting it rest, that chicken will have adequate time to rest and cook through.

The fat might not be rendered sufficiently for your taste, but that's not any indication that the bird is underdone. Pink juices and pink meat near the bones are, and that's nasty.

[JohnnyReb]

My wife will buy one of those nasty things every once in awhile....hate 'em.

[MrsSmith]

Our Wal-Mart deli makes a Hickory Smoked chicken that is wonderful.  The same deli makes a BBQ one that sucks...truly underdone, every time we've gotten it.  I can't figure out how they get one done through, but not the other.    :clueless:
 

[BlueStateSaint]

When we buy chicken (which is a lot), we do a fair amount of stuff with it.  Karin can attest to the reuben chicken.  If we ge the store-roasted, it's because we have absolutely zero time to cook, and even with The Heiress, that doesn't happen often.

[LC EFA]

Paper Roses  (1000+ posts)      Fri Sep-17-10 07:02 PM
THE CHRONICALLY-HELPLESS PRIMITIVE
...

When I get home, I peek in the joints of wings and legs, there are always globs of yellow fat and they seem slimy.

...

Our house at college used to purchase those supermarket pre-roasted chickens all the time - you could feed 4 people with one of them , some bread and some salad for cheap.

That aside...

All the congealed fat I see in chickens post roasting, including the fat skimmed off stock from remains - is yellow and "slimy" .

Somehow I doubt this tool does much cooking.

[true_blood]

I get one every once in a while from the BIG Y and they seem ok. Pretty salty as well. Maybe it's just the skin?
Whatever I don't finish, my dog gets he rest. She loves chicken!!

[NHSparky]

First off, there's this thing called an OVEN.  It's powered with electricity, or gas--unless you're Coach, in which case you're deathly afraid of the latter.

Chickens come whole and uncooked in the meat section of your favorite grocery store, warehouse store, or what have you.  These chickens are usually quite reasonably priced.  Just the other day I saw them at BJ's (think Costco or Sam's Club, you dirty-minded West-coast bastards) for 59 cents per pound if you bought 2.  Freeze one for later, and cook the other--whoda thunk it!?!?

And when you make your own chicken, you've done several things--you've made sure you've cooked it to YOUR satisfaction, using a method YOU like, with spices or rub YOU want (or don't), at a cost FAR less than that of "deli" chicken, which BTW, are the ones that are JUUUUUSSSSTTTTTT about ready to be thrown out because they're going bad. 

Yup, you heard me right--those chickens you get in the deli section are the ones they're trying to pawn off because the next step was the garbage dumpster.

[Godot showed up]

First off, there's this thing called an OVEN.  It's powered with electricity, or gas--unless you're Coach, in which case you're deathly afraid of the latter.

Chickens come whole and uncooked in the meat section of your favorite grocery store, warehouse store, or what have you.  These chickens are usually quite reasonably priced.  Just the other day I saw them at BJ's (think Costco or Sam's Club, you dirty-minded West-coast bastards) for 59 cents per pound if you bought 2.  Freeze one for later, and cook the other--whoda thunk it!?!?

And when you make your own chicken, you've done several things--you've made sure you've cooked it to YOUR satisfaction, using a method YOU like, with spices or rub YOU want (or don't), at a cost FAR less than that of "deli" chicken, which BTW, are the ones that are JUUUUUSSSSTTTTTT about ready to be thrown out because they're going bad. 

Yup, you heard me right--those chickens you get in the deli section are the ones they're trying to pawn off because the next step was the garbage dumpster.

I didn’t know that Spark, although it makes sense. Still, my local supermarket chain—Stop and Shop—does rotisserie chickens all day long, from morning until 7pm. They must do at least 100-150 rotisserie birds every day.  Could there really be that many birds on hand so close to going bad, every day? They do a great job on them—fully cooked, very tasty, not overseasoned, and on Fridays just $5.

I’m a pretty good cook and yes, sure, I can make an oven bird, but 1) rotisserie birds are more evenly cooked, and 2) of course it’s a time saver for working people.

[Peet]

Our Wal-Mart deli makes a Hickory Smoked chicken that is wonderful.  The same deli makes a BBQ one that sucks...truly underdone, every time we've gotten it.  I can't figure out how they get one done through, but not the other.    :clueless:
 

Dunno if this applies to the WalMart chicken, but...

We have the GREATEST folks in our town who run "Holy Smokes" -- BBQ and smoked everything.  They had to put up signs in the store and notes on their menus that the pink near the bone is normal for smoked chicken.  Yes, theirs is fully cooked and not to worry.

Again, check with the WalMart folks and see what they say...

[IassaFTots]

First off, there's this thing called an OVEN.  It's powered with electricity, or gas--unless you're Coach, in which case you're deathly afraid of the latter.

Chickens come whole and uncooked in the meat section of your favorite grocery store, warehouse store, or what have you.  These chickens are usually quite reasonably priced.  Just the other day I saw them at BJ's (think Costco or Sam's Club, you dirty-minded West-coast bastards) for 59 cents per pound if you bought 2.  Freeze one for later, and cook the other--whoda thunk it!?!?

And when you make your own chicken, you've done several things--you've made sure you've cooked it to YOUR satisfaction, using a method YOU like, with spices or rub YOU want (or don't), at a cost FAR less than that of "deli" chicken, which BTW, are the ones that are JUUUUUSSSSTTTTTT about ready to be thrown out because they're going bad. 

Yup, you heard me right--those chickens you get in the deli section are the ones they're trying to pawn off because the next step was the garbage dumpster.

Yup.  Used to date a guy that worked at the deli counter in the grocery.  The chicken salad was made from the leftover rotisseries.....   Same thing with Fried Rice at the Chinese Takeout.  Stay away!

[ColonialMarine0431]

Hmmmm. Lesse. People bitching about something they bought. More than once apparently. If it's so bad then WHY THE FOOK ARE YOU BUYING IT TIME AND TIME AGAIN!?

Get a life DUmmies.

[zeitgeist]

First off, there's this thing called an OVEN.  It's powered with electricity, or gas--unless you're Coach, in which case you're deathly afraid of the latter.

Chickens come whole and uncooked in the meat section of your favorite grocery store, warehouse store, or what have you.  These chickens are usually quite reasonably priced.  Just the other day I saw them at BJ's (think Costco or Sam's Club, you dirty-minded West-coast bastards) for 59 cents per pound if you bought 2.  Freeze one for later, and cook the other--whoda thunk it!?!?

And when you make your own chicken, you've done several things--you've made sure you've cooked it to YOUR satisfaction, using a method YOU like, with spices or rub YOU want (or don't), at a cost FAR less than that of "deli" chicken, which BTW, are the ones that are JUUUUUSSSSTTTTTT about ready to be thrown out because they're going bad. 

Yup, you heard me right--those chickens you get in the deli section are the ones they're trying to pawn off because the next step was the garbage dumpster.

Ding Ding Ding. I agree, I am always highly skeptical of supermarket prepared anything, rotisire chicken in particular for that very reason.  Another thing to watch for is stuff which has been frozen then thawed to sell (I have found this to happen with some BJ's turkey breasts although it may just be the case not holding temp).  Doesn't really work out well if you buy and re-freeze it.  I usually buy in bulk and freeze meat and chicken.

[VivisMom]

I find this disappointing! I love the rotisserie chicken from Costco! It's great when I am super busy and forgot to thaw something for dinner.

[Ballygrl]

After reading this thread I got a craving for rotisserie chicken and salad, so before Church I picked it up and just got done eating dinner.

[Randy]

After reading this thread I got a craving for rotisserie chicken and salad, so before Church I picked it up and just got done eating dinner.

We buy them every so often too.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. 

[Ballygrl]

We buy them every so often too.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. 

I have picked them up at the grocery store before and BJ's, my cousin goes to Costco and he usually picks 1 up for me, we mostly pick them up when we just don't feel like making dinner.

[AllosaursRus]

I'm sorry, but how lazy do ya have to be to not roast yer own chicken?

"Toots" has one o' those tabletop rotisseries. I can't imagine buyin' one of those moldy oldies out of the Deli!

Yuuuuuuuuuukkkkkkkkkkk

[Chris_]

Chicken doesn't re-heat very well.  I would never use a microwave for any kind of meat.

If I need to re-heat something, I put it in a 200° oven tightly wrapped in foil or a covered dish for 15-20 minutes.  If I got stuck with some undercooked chicken, I would leave it in for half an hour or 45 minutes.  My leftover chicken doesn't taste like a Firestone radial when I'm done with it either.

[AllosaursRus]

Chicken doesn't re-heat very well.  I would never use a microwave for any kind of meat.

If I need to re-heat something, I put it in a 200° oven tightly wrapped in foil or a covered dish for 15-20 minutes.  If I got stuck with some undercooked chicken, I would leave it in for half an hour or 45 minutes.  My leftover chicken doesn't taste like a Firestone radial when I'm done with it either.

I don't eat much chicken, but I know a micro turns it into rubber!!!!!!!!

[crockspot]

Unless I'm really desperate, AND they are practically giving them away, I try to avoid the roasted chickens.

The life of a dead chicken in a store goes something like this:

-Sit in a bag until expiration date.

-Get covered with spices and sit in another bag until new expiration date.

-Get cooked and stuck in a plastic container for most of a day.

-Go on sale!

[Chris_]

I remember the first time you posted that.  I've been giving those chickens a wide berth at the grocery store since then.

[crockspot]

I remember the first time you posted that.  I've been giving those chickens a wide berth at the grocery store since then.

I'm sure the ones at Costco are probably a little fresher. Although, I did buy two whole raw chickens at Costco once. I had to toss one out because its liver had some kind of green tumor, which had spread to the body cavity of the chicken. If they hadn't been individually wrapped, I would have tossed them both.

[diesel driver]

I don't eat much chicken, but I know a micro turns it into rubber!!!!!!!!

Microwave ovens turn just about everything into rubber.  Try cooking an egg in one.   

They do make a decent "baked" potato, but that's about it.

[Randy]

Microwave ovens turn just about everything into rubber.  Try cooking an egg in one.   

They do make a decent "baked" potato, but that's about it.

My Mother claimed they were only good for making popcorn

[diesel driver]

My Mother claimed they were only good for making popcorn

That too, but I have to set mine for about 45 sec less than what the bag says, else I'll have BURNT popcorn, and man, that odor stays in the house for at least a month!