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I buy about 10lbs of chicken breasts from Costco on a very regular basis, I'll have to check for this. Thanks Consumerist!
I buy about 10lbs of chicken breasts from Costco on a very regular basis, I'll have to check for this. Thanks Consumerist!
And yet the Foreman still manages to completely dry it out...
One brand that does this is the Kroger store brand - Pilgrim's Pride.
I have to go elsewhere for chicken because Kroger doesn't carry any non-brothified chicken.
I also think it's gross and doesn't taste good. Calling it Pilgrim's Pride is a disgrace to Pilgrims everywhere.
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@thumps: FYI: Pilgrim's Pride isn't exclusive to Kroger.
Also, you should be able to find non-brothed chickens as whole chickens. A bit more labor intensive, but you could probably use only the breasts and still pay less per pound, as wasteful as that would be.
Ironically, the best use for the remaining odd bits you probably won't eat (back, heart, neck, etc.) is to throw them into a pot of water with some chopped onions and celery and make your own... Chicken broth!
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@thumps: Calling anything Pilgrim's Pride would be a disgrace to pilgrims, seeing as how pride is one of the seven deadly sins.
I think you have missed something here. What they have described is basically Kosher chicken. The chicken is brined to make it more moist. This is not uncommon at all.
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If they could accomplish this by just brining the chicken, then they wouldn't be jamming a bunch of injector tubes into the chickens like out of some sort Terminator movie nightmare.
@twophrasebark: Well the only difference is that if you soak it on the outside you have to let it sit in the water for a while. If you inject the chicken, it gets to soak from the inside. All you are doing is making the process an internal portable process instead of an external unmovable process.
But the results are the same. So they are the same thing.
@impudence: The chickens are not \"brined\" in the Koshering process. They are heavily salted to remove any remaining blood, soaked for a while and thoroughly rinsed and drained to remove the salt and other impurities. There is very little water and salt retained by the chicken, but the process has an antibacterial benefit and the remaining salt may enhance the flavor. Koshering is NOT used to bulk up or \"enhance\" the chicken. There is NO injecting, either.
@impudence: Brining does not actually add water to the chicken, it changes the salt content of the meat itself by osmotically force more salt into the muscle tissue. This doesn't appreciably change the water/weight of the meat.
This process is different, because it forces/injects additional water into the chicken, which then binds to the meat, creating a heavier (read: more expensive) piece of chicken for you to buy.
@ludwigk: are you sure about brining not adding water to the chicken? it was my understanding that the higher salt content of the chicken would draw water into the chicken, thus making it juicier. it makes it juicier whatever the physics behind it is
@bobloblawsblog: you need to mind your own biz instead of making yourself look ignorant. read the first line of this definition
\"Brining makes cooked meat moister by hydrating the cells of its muscle tissue before cooking, via the process of osmosis, and by allowing the cells to hold on to the water while they are cooked, via the process of denaturation....The salt introduced into the cell also denatures its proteins. The proteins coagulate, forming a matrix which traps water molecules and holds them during cooking. This prevents the meat from drying out, or dehydrating.\"
@impudence:
This practice sounds nothing like the practice of koshering a chicken.
The procedure is to soak the chicken on water, then place the chicken on salt (to remove all traces of blood) then rinse the chicken of the salt. NO needles or injectors or pressure devices are used. It's an external process, not internal.
@ninram: Well internal or external. If the results are the same(water logged chicken), then it's the same.
@The_Gas_Man: i think the main complaint is that you're paying 2.99/lb or whatever for chicken, and by pumping it full of water they're artificially increasing it's size, and price. you're right about brining the chicken, but you can do it for yourself for basically nothing.
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@The_Gas_Man: Learn to cook chicken. I use chicken breasts that are not \"enhanced,\" and have yet to dry anything out.
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I love how the word BREASTS and not Chicken is in big bold letters on the package. Subliminal messages? In MY poultry? It's more likely than you think!
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The problem with this brine is that the meat retains the moisture as well as the salt. Since you're basically paying by the pound (or, simply, by weight), you end up with a higher water to meat ratio and therefore get less chicken for your money.
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If I want to brine chicken breasts, I'll brine them myself in whatever I want to brine them. I'm glad that I live in a place where I can get local boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a good sale for anywhere between $0.99 to $1.99. I can no longer stand even eating bland and expensive Purdue chickens.
@tonalanswer: If I want to brine chicken breasts, I'll brine them myself in whatever I want to brine them
Exactly. I brine all the chickens I buy but I don't pay extra for pre-brined water weight or 'binding agents' whatever the hell they are.
I'm kind of ambivalent about all this.
\"We don't want needles or vacuum-thingies anywhere near our dinner plates, and neither should you-\"
Well, I'm no expert on poultry products, but there's plenty of cutting and processing that gets the breast meat into it's packaged form. As long as it's done in a clean facility, what's the big deal?
As for the water content, Yes, it does cause the chicken to cook down, but if you're not marinading, the extra water is a good thing. I still have no problem even when i do marinade with water-added chicken; I just add less water to the marinade (or none at all).
@bonzombiekitty: Except do you pay the price of chicken for brine? Salt and water are two of the cheapest ingredients in your kitchen by weight. Water is incalculably cheap w.r.t. grocery prices, and salt is around $.80 /lb. You're telling me that you're ok paying chicken prices for water?
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@lpranal: I don't know who is part of the \"we\" in that statement, but I will refrain from taking their advice until I know.
@lpranal: Just to clarify, I do believe we're all getting scammed with the extra water, but what else is new?
OK, I don't care for this, but there are so many worse things in the food you buy at the supermarket than salt and water. It's interesting you would choose this to get upset about.
Um water and salt are natural. So your implicit denunciation of the \"100% natural\" label on water-swollen chicken is bogus. But you're right that it's objectionable that part of the $3.49/lb is for extra water.
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Yes, and Uranium is natural too. If it wound up in your chicken, would you be so complacent?
It's not that the ingredients are un-natural per se, it's that the inclusion of such that are not naturally found in the bird to begin with at such high levels is just plain gross.
Additionally, as someone who is on a strict low-sodium diet, I can say without a doubt that this can be just as bad as having uranium in my chicken. (well, almost).
You could argue all day about what's natural and what isn't; but it doesn't matter what concentration they were in, if it were 50% saltwater, 50% chicken, it wouldn't harm you, other than basically being chicken soup, whereas the uranium would be about the same toxicity as lead.
The bottom line is, we as consumers need to stop trusting labels that say \"all natural\", \"whole wheat\", and other such feel-good monikers used by the industry and just look at the damn ingredients. They're not going to go out of their way to point out what they don't want us to see. Why companies using only good stuff in their food don't put \"INGREDIENTS: CHICKEN\" more prominently on their packaging is beyond me
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@notlazyjustdontcare: So are mercury, arsenic... really most chemical compounds outside of plastics and a few exotics... the point is that there was something not in the breast that was added.
If I graft a lizard arm into the middle of your forehead I'm going to go ahead and say that you're not 100% natural anymore... maybe 100% biological, but not natural.
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@notlazyjustdontcare: I like 100% natural, for sure. But weren't there studies showing saline was safer than silicone? Or do I have my breasts mixed up?
Walmart does the same thing to their beef, if you read the fine print. Of course those that still insist that everything at Walmart is cheaper and just as good stick their fingers in their ears and go la-la-la.
We quit eating chicken that was brined since your paying an extra 15% for the same meat. It also is too salty.
The real problem with industrial meat is that it is so hard to find a reasonable ongoing supply of non industrial meat. It takes extra effort to order half a cow and get it home. It takes extra effort to order or drive out to the sticks to get pork or hit some hidden away butcher shop.
@bohemian: Not just Wally Mart - a lot of chain supermarkets and \"Super\" stores carry meat (beef, pork, chicken etc) that have been 'enhanced' with brine solutions. If it was packaged before it gets to the store, it's almost a given. Our local supermarket advertises that the store branded meat they sell is not 'enhanced'
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Well folks you should all just do like I do... and cook and eat only the finest freshest roadkill you can find.
Last weekend we had gopher, rabbit, porcupine, raccoon, and deer... No added water or salt... No unnecessary processing at all... And depending on what hit it, already tenderized.
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Hmm. Seems a more reliable technique than Extenze, though.
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I've always been more surprised by the amount of rib meat, not the fact that some fluids and minerals are present. If I wanted ribs, I'd buy ribs!
Either way, neither addition stops me from buying big bags of frozen breasts and enjoying every single one of them.
at least with pork, there's a pretty huge difference between the pre-brined (AKA \"self-basting\") pork and the natural variety. the pre-brined pork cooks up with a horrible rubbery/squeaky texture and a really strange flavor. it's really quite awful. avoid it whenever you can.
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It should be possible to purchase a chicken that isn't bloated with salt and phosphates, but many groceries no long have them available. Frozen pieces seem to be the worst offenders, being up to 20% added solution. That's over 3 ounces per lb where you're buying water instead of meat.
It's true that brining chicken is traditional. For instance the process of koshering includes a soak in brine. Empire brand chickens are an example of this, and they're delicious. But I think their tastiness derives from something other than salt water, probably something in the chicken itself. Or maybe it's rabbi juice that makes them so good.
Here's the FDA's take on the topic: [www.fsis.usda.gov]
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@ChuckECheese: Interesting, the USDA web page you linked indicates that poultry may be \"brined or basted\" with up to 3% added content for bone-in poultry and up to 8% for boneless poultry. The photo of the label accompanying this article clearly states '15%'! That much added water was not for flavor, but to enhance the look and weight of the product. Clearly a rip-off.
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@ChuckECheese: Whole Foods carries chicken that is not brined (it's \"air-chilled), instead). It's a lot more expensive, but it's very noticeably better quality and less full of water and more full of meat. Personally, I'm willing to pay more for chicken that isn't pumped full of brine.
@johnva: I'm not willing to pay Whore Foods' markup for anything anymore. Their greed and vanity-based marketing tactics are more disturbing than any brined chicken.
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And this is why I buy my chickens from a specialty butcher.
It's just a brine. I do it myself all the time, especially when cooking pork and turkey. What do you think makes a Butterball Turkey a Butterball? Chicken pieces, whether they be breasts or drumsticks or whatever, usually don't need a brine since they'll cook fast enough that they won't dry out, but most people would probably enjoy the extra moisture.
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When I eat the stuff shot full of \"natural broth\" I end up feeling kind of woozy after. It seems to trigger eczema in one of my sons, too. So I avoid the stuff as much as I can.
So how can you tell which brands of chicken have been \"plumped?\"
@Shadowman615: Chicken always states how much water/brine/broth/natural liquid has been added to it with a small \"With xx% ____ added\" line of text on the front. Look for the % sign. If you don't see one, then your chicken is relatively unadulterated.
@johnva: I should clarify that I meant that as how to find chicken that has NOT had this done to it.
I never really like those highly processed chicken breast, both because of the stuffed \"broth\" and the fact that they taste terrible.
However I don't see how water and salt is bad for your health (unless you intake too much of them) and since when water and salt are not nature.
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Full disclosure: I work in the industry.
If you weren't \"getting ripped off\" for water at $3.49/lb, you'd be paying more than $3.49/lb. I don't see anything wrong with this practice. It's not like it's secret and undisclosed on the label. Some processors overdo it and use way too much salt, but in general, this results in a much juicier meat. If you don't want it pre-marinated/pre-tenderized, then look for something that has only one ingredient on the label (meat).
The binding agent is typically soy protein, although other proteins can also be used.
Also, I find it amusing how people are grossed out by terms they're not familiar with. A vaccuum tumbler is basically a large vat which is vacuum sealed and then it rolls around to tenderize the meat. It's the 3000lb. equivalent if putting your meat in a ziplock bag with marinate, and then mushing it around. Just slighly more feasible than hiring an army of people with ziplock bags. To be quite honest, I find the strict standards at most facilities I've seen to be far more hygienic than most people's kitchens....
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@maciejb: Not true. Foster Farms doesn't plump and boneless, skinless breasts can be had for less than $3.49 ($2.99 at Costco); thighs and the like even less than that-- and they are certainly not less juicy than their enhanced counterparts. In any case, why would a lack of plumping the chicken result in a higher per pound price? What would be the justification? You're already getting more money from consumers than you rightfully ought to be right now, so what would be the reason besides finding some other way to shamelessly line your pockets?
It might not be a \"secret\" that most manufacturers do this, but if they're not ashamed of it and feel perfectly justified in what they're doing then perhaps they should describe it with a larger font on the packages so people are more likely to see it before they get it home, so they can have an easier time of deciding for themselves if that's what they really want. You know, cause it's not gross or deceptive or anything, it's just \"pre-tenderized\". And Lucky Strikes are toasted.
@maciejb: Although to be fair, most people aren't marinating 3000 chickens together at home. That could easily spread contamination if even a very small percentage have a problem.
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God, I hate juicy chicken. It should be all dried out like God intended it.
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Yes, but these breasts grill awesome! I prefer the extra brine soluation. It's hard to overcook these on the grill. They come out perfect everytime.
easy fix! go Veg!
I always read the label, looking for ones marked 'minimally processed' to avoid the salt water injected ones. I can usually find it in most supermarkets.
Consumers who care, read the label!
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Great, I just finished cooking a 6-pack of 2-breasts-per-pack of Tyson Chicken Breasts. I cook 'em in the oven in a pyrex dish with tomato sauce. Tasted great. But now I'll go look at the label on the remaining 4 6-packs (oh the joy of shopping once a month at BJ's!).
I hope they aren't full of water.
@nybiker: You see, this is what happens when you fast-forward past the commercials. You forget what brands you buy. I confused the Tyson already-cooked chicken fillets (The teriyaki flavored ones) with the brand for these packages. It turns out I bought Perdue chicken breasts. The packaging indicates \"Less than 1% retained water.\" Is that ok?
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I just want to talk about the dishonesty in advertising. Is tokay for companies to be dishonest about what is in their food that remains unadvertised?
Is this trend of dishonesty all about keeping market share? And would you buy it if the packaging said 85% chicken; 15% water and salt (may contain E-Coli)?
This also applies the shrink ray. People search harder for bargains in a global recession. 'Rip Off' companies who have applied the shrink ray will be avoided like the plague once their competitors catch on, and start using a 'growth ray' i.e. giving us more product for the same price..
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Heh. Meat Science Professor? Funny, that was my nickname in high school.
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True enough. He should have just requested less stupidity which would have also solved the problem.
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Reason number eleventy-billion and one why we stopped eating industrial meal. Blech.
Your SO right!
The nation's poorest should start buying organic, cage free, GMO free, corn fed, local, heritage breed, Amish raised, fairy kissed chickens immediately at 5x cost per pound because it's the right thing to do...
Get off your high horse, quit mindlessly reading PITA-esque propaganda and think about why we have some of the lowest food costs in world before spewing your elitist garbage.
@VA_White: industrial *meat*