Using a ready cooked warm chicken a few hours after buying?

E

Emma

New member
If i buy a ready cooked chicken from my local supermarket that is still hot but a few hours later i cut up and heat up again in a pasta dish will i need to cool it quickly in the few hours between buying it warm and reheating or is it fine to cool down naturally and then reheat again?
 
You don't need to refrigerate it in between.

If it's food safety you're concerned about, then chilling it for a few hours won't make any difference whatsoever to bacterial growth etc. In any case, the chicken won't probably even get fully chilled by the time you need to take it out again.

If it's food quality (texture, taste, etc.) that you're worried about, then whether you keep it warm or chill & re-heat, it'll be pretty dry and horrible by the time you come to eat it. :-(

Either way, your best bet really is to eat it as soon as poss, but if that's not an option then by all means go ahead and do just what you've described.
 
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