Chicken

brianthebard

What do people think of chicken from supermarkets, or even from butchers? Is there a difference? Do you steer clear of battery reared "meat"?

Personally I've seen too many documentaries and read too many books to want to eat battery chicken, but both butchers in Maynooth are at least twenty mins away from me so I am dependant on Dunnes having free range chicken in stock, which they didn't last night.

Does it worry people that 90% or more of the chicken we eat has been injected with water to make them bigger, and possibly pig hormones or other icky stuff? (I seen that in a documentary and in the book "Not on the label" but both are a few years old at this stage, so if you know that this is not the case any more please don't jump down my throat).

Alun

I try and buy organic free range chicken too. If there isn't any, I'll do without and buy something else.

With regard to pumping chicken with pig protein (not hormones), I recall seeing a program a few years ago on Dutch TV where someone who produced this **** to pump into chickens was even going as far as genetically modifying it so as to escape detection and was shamelessly selling chicken injected in this way to Moslim countries.

brianthebard

Yeah I saw the same thing.
A friend of mine works for Super Valu behind the meat counter and was adamant that all Super Valu chicken was Irish for about a year, until about three months ago when he saw the crate come in marked "Nederlands". Kind of gives you an idea of how much is hidden from the consumer. This chicken is (legally) repackaged and sold as Irish or produced/packaged in Ireland, which most people assume means it is Irish chicken.

tSubh Dearg

I would definitely buy free range chicken over not. Mainly because it actually tastes of something then but also because I don't like the way that battery farming is done.

Regarding stuff repackaged in Ireland so it's therefore "Irish", we learnt in Home Ec (oh so many moons ago) how to read packaging so for example Smoked Irish Salmon is Irish salmon but it could've been smoked anywhere and Irish Smoked Salmon means that the salmon is not Irish and only that the fish has been smoked here.

I use this as a handy rule when I'm reading any packaging.

Blub2k4

Personally I ONLY buy it at the farmers market now as a whole bird, or I don't bother.

DéiseGirl

I stopped eating chicken (for the most part) after seeing a documentary on Channel 4 about battery farming. I can't really afford organic chicken so I tend to do without, or eat Quorn.

I sometimes fall and have a chicken fillet burger from the local chipper, it's so so wrong but it tastes so so good

neever

Well apart from the health/cruelty side of things (which is the main reason I buy organic or do without), your average chicken tastes of.....NOTHING! I sound like I am 90 or something when I say this, but I don't think a lot of Irish people even know what a proper, juicy roast chicken tastes like anymore, they are so used to the "modern" ones.

jdivision

I buy free range from the butcher. It actually does taste of something, which is highly unusual in Ireland. Dunnes chicken, even the free range one, isn't the same. That said it's better than some other supermarkets where as the last poster said it tastes of absolutely nothing. The guy who runs River Cottage did an interesting piece on it on his programme a few weeks ago - he was trying to convert people away from supermarket chicken.

The Sweeper

Buying from a butcher is not a guarantee of superior quality to a supermarket. The tray of pre-skinned, boned, slimy looking pale grey chicken breasts sitting half-frozen on the butcher's display tray are likely to be as unethically reared and tasteless as a similar pre-packed super market product.

Organic, free range, preferably corn fed if I can find it. It makes a massive difference. (Plus I find I waste less - I use every last pick of what I have - roasts, sauces, sandwiches and stock.)

Blub2k4

Minesajackdaniels wrote:

(Plus I find I waste less - I use every last pick of what I have - roasts, sauces, sandwiches and stock.)

It might be in quotes, but I think this is the key to justifying the higher prices, making sure you get total value out of it.