Chook Me!

How long can chicken wait until it is refrigerated?

I have to take public transit to the store, and I am wanting to go to this one store that has good quality meat that I like. The problem is that it takes about an hour to get there taking the train. If I buy the chicken last and go right home and refrigerate it, will it still be ok? I might make the recipe after I get home. The chicken will have to marinate in the refrigerator for 4 to 24 hours before I can make it. I am making Tandoori Chicken if that matters. Thank you.

Public Comments

1. As long as it's not too hot, it should be fine. Buuuuut if you do get sick from it, don't sue. I'm going by the 2-hour, 4-hour rule. If food is removed from the cool store or oven, you can leave it out for a maximum of two hours. During those two hours, it's safe to put it back in the fridge. After those two hours, you have four hours in which it is usually safe to consume the food. But you shouldn't put it back into the fridge, because during those six hours, the bacteria in the food would have multiplied to a stupid level. Bacteria grow best in warm temperatures - between 5 and 60 degrees Celsius. So if it's a hot day out, I wouldn't risk buying the chicken, since the bacteria would multiply so quickly. The colder it is, the harder it is for most bacteria to grow.
2. "Technically" you aren't supposed to go from Store to Home over 30 minutes. That's "technically" Me personally - I go grocery shopping all the time and it always takes me OVER an hour and I've never, not once had a problem with ANY meat what-so-ever. GO AHEAD and get it.
3. It should be fine. Chicken is pretty dangerous, you just have to be careful that it isn't left out for a long time, or even left in the fridge for a long time. I think after 2 days in the fridge, its time to throw it out. But for your situation, as long as you buy it cold it should be fine for an hour.