Poultry Handling Instructions

When you receive poultry from us it is packed for freezing. If you do not want to freeze your poultry please follow the instructions below to maintain freshness and best taste.  The best way to store poultry is in crushed ice as it is shipped to us daily:  Almost freezing, wet and with air circulation.  You can emulate this as follows:

Remove all packaging (paper and plastic).  Rinse thoroughly with cold water and place the chicken or turkey in a dish, foil pan or roasting tray.  Cover with a damp cheesecloth, paper towels or a clean dish cloth to keep skin moist.

Place in the poultry in the refrigerator toward the back of the shelf if possible as it will be less prone to temperature fluctuations or in a vegetable bin if it will fit.  Rinse and re-wet the towel each day.  You may also place some ice on top wrapped in a paper towel.

Do not cover with plastic wrap or foil.   Freshness is best maintained when air is free to circulate around poultry.

Safe Poultry Practices:

Always rinse poultry with cool water before you cook it.  Wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw poultry and be sure to wash all contact surfaces:  Plates, knives, cutting boards and countertops which may have contacted raw poultry before preparing other foods.