was opened, the sulfur smell faded into the air like smoke
rings.
If the chicken still smells bad after a couple of
minutes, that's an entirely different story. The problem is
bacterial spoilage or rancidity or both. Return the
chicken to the store where you bought it and write to
Frank. If a chicken's been around too long you can smell
it, and if you can't detect it at room temperature, you
probably can as it cooks, since rancidity is more obvious
at higher temperatures. Rancidity can occur without
bacteria if the freezer where the meat was stored wasn't
cold enough or if the product was kept there for a very
long time, such as more than six months for uncooked
chicken, or more than three months for cooked chicken. (By
the way, I don't like to focus on this unpleasant stuff,
but I do want you to get your money's worth when you're
buying chicken.)
Are chickens given hormones?
Never. I remember when I lived on the West Coast,
there was a small company that advertised that its
chickens were grown without hormones. I thought this was
unethical, because it implied that other chickens were
grown with hormones. The fact is none are.
Can I cook frozen chicken, or do I have to let it defrost
first?
In a pinch, go ahead, but allow extra cooking time.
For the best texture and tenderness, however, you're better
off starting from refrigerator temperatures; you can be
more sure of getting an evenly cooked product.
How long can I keep chicken at room temperature?