# Poor planning



## elitova (Dec 14, 2017)

So, I started defrosting this chicken at around 2pm this afternoon intending to cook it and keep it in the fridge for eating tomorrow. It's now 9pm here and I'm exhausted. If I cook it now (I normally cook on 180C for like 2 hrs-ish), it will be too hot to put straight in the fridge before bedtime. 

I'd like to slow roast it overnight instead, but most recipes I've seen recommend slow cooking a whole chicken for around 3-4hours. I need about 6-7 hrs 

Anyone got any ideas what I should do?


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## GotGarlic (Dec 14, 2017)

I would put it in the fridge and cook it tomorrow. If you roast it for 6-7 hours, it will be overcooked and dry.


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## otuatail (Dec 24, 2017)

In the mid 60s, my brother worked for AEI (Amalgamated Engineering Industries) . He won a turkey in a prize and received on Christmas eve, a 25lb frozen turkey. Mom was not amused.

My post More poor planning might help.


In the mid 60s, my brother worked for AEI (Amalgamated Engineering Industries) . He won a turkey in a prize and received on Christmas eve, a 25lb frozen turkey. Mom was not amused.

My post More poor planning might help.


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## Kevin86 (Dec 24, 2017)

You can put a hot bird in the fridge why not. If it can rest on a plate or board to get closer to room temperature it’d be better but not the end of the world. 
Don’t put a hot dish in the fridge so you may need to transfer to a new dish. 
Condensation will likely happen but oh well or put a couple paper towels in to to absorb. 
Of course cooking, resting, carving and eating is always the freshest but life happens. Also pour your drippings into a bowl or pot for the fridge to. 

To serve hot and fresh as possible  I like to carve it cold the next day cold stacking it into a casserole dish with an oven ok lid. I prefer deep over wide and shallow but whichever works. If no lid use tight fitted tinfoil. 
Remove excess fat from your dripping and add on top of the meat so it can remedy back through. If you’re keeping it specifically for gravy you can use chicken broth instead not water keep your flavour going about 1/2” or so across the bottom and if you’re using stock and it’s not enough top off with broth. Put that back in low and slow to warm up because everything is already cooked. 
Again keep that juice with the meat crumbs for making homemade soup later freeze it if it’s going to be a while. Good base for turkey, chicken, veggie soups and so many more especially if you cook with herbs that stock will be dynamite in soup. 

Good luck


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## GotGarlic (Dec 24, 2017)

Kevin86 said:


> You can put a hot bird in the fridge why not.



It can heat up the fridge and the other food in it too much and possibly cause food safety problems.


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## CWS4322 (Dec 24, 2017)

In one of the commercial kitchens where I worked was to put the chicken in a zippy back and run cold water over it for about 45 minutes. I thaw all my meat that way.


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## Kevin86 (Dec 28, 2017)

That’s correct my bad. I was thinking warm standing room temperature kinda thing. Not fresh hot.


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## Termy (Jun 30, 2021)

Actually after cooking it will sit overnight and be fine in the morning. Leave it in the pan. Covered. It will take most of the night to get to room temperature, the "NO" zone. It will not spend much time like that, in the morning if you are cooking later put it in the fridge. 

T


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## GotGarlic (Jun 30, 2021)

Termy said:


> Actually after cooking it will sit overnight and be fine in the morning. Leave it in the pan. Covered. It will take most of the night to get to room temperature, the "NO" zone. It will not spend much time like that, in the morning if you are cooking later put it in the fridge.
> 
> T


It would be terribly overcooked and dry.


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## dragnlaw (Jun 30, 2021)

Termy, I totally disagree with you.  Leaving a 'just cooked chicken' in the pan, on the counter, overnight, even covered goes against all food and kitchen health rules.  

You/we have no idea of the ambient temperature in that kitchen/house and influenced from the exterior and how they would all come into play.  

What's worse is that this sounds like a whole chicken - with a cavity which can hold temperatures far longer than exterior pieces. This is generally where the ickies start to multiply - and in the pan as well!

Should this be a cut up chicken, cooling on a rack, and covered with something is still not right but would be less likely to start nasties growing.

Hopefully by now - that chicken has been safely cooked - mostly eaten - left overs being packed away - burps galore on a beautiful _and by the safely cooked method that had been chosen._


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## Bitser (Jun 30, 2021)

When I was cooking for a student group at a ski lodge in summer, one of the kitchen crew left a pan of roast chickens out overnight, and by morning they were poisonous.  Bad odor, slimy:  yuck!  I was planning to make chicken salad sandwiches, but no way.


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## Termy (Aug 5, 2021)

GotGarlic said:


> It can heat up the fridge and the other food in it too much and possibly cause food safety problems.



Also trowing in that much heat it will make the compressor work harder and longer. You are making the evaporator evaporate more. That is a load on the compressor. 

It may accelerate other problems, depending on the thermostat system. Is the sensor in the freezer or the fridge ? If in the fridge that will have the freezer overfroze. That leads to moisture/drainage problems. 

A long time ago I was about to put something hot like a pot of something in the olman's fridge and he piped up. Now when that dude piped up you can hear it. I mean in three states. And he knew how stuff works. "YOU ARE GOING TO CHOKE MY COMPRESSOR !". 

Then he would probably try to make me change it. "Here's the new compressor boy, and do it while you still know everything". LOL

Anyway I like the winter for that. Put a hot pot out in the snow and it cools PDQ. You can go that direction a little by using water. It dissipates the heat quite effectively. Any vessel of water does not really need to iced. It still takes the heat away in a hurry. 

Is this worth reading details ? Well if it breaks it is a ½ a grand, almost always. 

T


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Aug 6, 2021)

Roast your chicken to a temp 0f 160' F.  Remove chicken from the oven and let rest until you can handle it.  Cut off legs and wings.  Cut off whole breast halves.  Place in zipper freezer bags.  Beak remaining carcass into two halves.  Place in freezer bags.  Scrape all drippings into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.  Immerse all freezer bags into a large bow, (or bowls) of cold water wit lots of ice.  after 20 minutes in ice water bath. Put it in the fridge.

Go to bed.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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