Store-bought chicken is too salty...

[Anonymous]

Has anyone else noticed that the chicken purchased in the grocery store is now very salty? Last week, I was excited to see Butterball breasts on sale........I purchased them and baked them in a favorite recipe. The meat was so salty, it made us feel "icky". When I examined the packaging, I noticed a saline solution on the label. Then.........another day, I purchased breasts that were just the store's name brand.......again it was breasts on sale............and we barbequed them outdoors this evening. They looked so yummy! We were very disappointed when we found that, they too, were salty! I think they are being processed with saline solution to tenderize them, but we don't like this. Does anyone know how to avoid the problem? Thank you!

[carnivore]

hi Gwen,
I'm probably not the best person to respond to your post, especially since I've never experienced the problem you're describing, but I thought I'd reply anyway.
My girlfriend & I eat chicken breast a lot--probably 3 or 4 times a week. We buy all our chicken breast frozen in 3 pound bags, and the brand is usually Tyson or Kroger, and I have never found these salty. We've also bought Butterball chicken breasts, but never noticed a salty taste with these either.
I've even brined chicken several times (marinated it with a mixture of water, salt, and a couple other things) and never found it "salty".
The only question I know to ask is are you sensitive to salt, or are you seasoning the chicken differently than normal? Basic questions, I know, but it always helps to elimate the simple answers :D
Unfortunately I can't help more, but surely someone else on this forum can.
Hope you find the solution,

[kitchenelf]

I'm not sure either gwen unless you have possibly developed an intolerance to this solution. I know exactly the ingredients you are talking about and all I can think of is maybe something is going on internally and you have just become more sensative to it??? I'm with carnivore, I don't really know, other than to start eliminating things.

The way I would avoid it, but it will be more expensive, is to start buying free range chicken or go to the health food store and buy there. If you ever find out what it is please let us know.

Are you on any different meds? Well, I guess you said you weren't the only one that could taste the difference! Now I really don't know - clueless here, sorry.

[Anonymous]

To all who have kindly replied............thank you for your opinions. I would like to note that I did not mention to my husband the fact that I noticed the salty taste. However, both times........HE commented on it. And both times I have recently cooked chicken, it has been by baking and by barbequeing it. So, I really haven't used a recipe or added any ingredients other than bottled barbeque sauce on the second one. So, if anyone else has ideas, I am "all ears"! Thanks again!

[oldcoot]

There is a "brining" fad going on for poultry. What darned fool started the idea of brining poultry overnight before cooking I don't know. But most of the cooking shows on TV have been pushing it. They claim if ensures the meat will be moist and tender - but brine extracts water from meat, so that makes no sense.

So, Gwen, I suspect you have fallen prey to suppliers' reacting to that fad.

I bet that, by checking labels, you can find chicken that has not been brined - (lots of low-sodium" folks out there, so it is surely available).

If not, yell at the store manager - loudly!

[leigh]

You've got it, oldcoot! Brining is everywhere these days, and boy does it taste awful. :x

Gwen, around these parts, i.e. northeastern Kansas, free range chicken is harder to find than a doc who makes house calls. However, we can get a brand of chicken called "Smart Chicken" - logo is (what else??) a chicken sporting a mortarboard. Anyway, this chicken not only is unbrined, it is also chilled in cold air rather than water. It's absolutely delicious, with none of that chemical taste or water-borne "soaked too long" flavor. I also find that it keeps longer in fridge and the package NEVER leaks!! :D Keep looking: free range chicken is the best of all possible worlds--and by all means follow oc's advice and holler loudly and incessantly at your supermarket. Good luck! Let us know what you find.

[Earlene]

Gwen,

I have noticed that some chicken has been salty and turkey has become so salty that I have given up even trying to eat it for over a year.

I wondered if it were just my aging taste buds or if somethings were becoming overly salty.

This seems crazy with the push for low salt diets.

Earlene

[ChrisF]

Have not seen what you are describing Gwen, but thanks for the heads-up. Like Carnivore, I also buy the frozen chichen breasts in the bag Tysons or Giant Eagle brand.

And I am the first one to notice too much salt in my family, I add very little if any to my cooking. I always say "you can always add, but you can't take-away." As I place the salt shaker on the table.

[BubbaGourmet]

My family and I have, over the course of years, greatly reduced the salt in our diet. We have become somewhat "salt sensitive". Most meat products that are "packed in" or "injected with" or "enhanced by" any solution are, indeed, brined. However, the brine itself is NOT the problem here. The problem here is the time spent in the brine.

Brining is a centuries old method for enhancing the flavor and juiciness of meat particularly meats that will be subjected to either very high or very low, dry heat cooking methods like smoking, grilling or roasting. Since these processes tend to leech out the moisture within the meat, it is necessary to increase the moisture content before subjecting the meat to these methods.

Timing is an essential element for successful brining. It can take as little as 25 minutes (for shell-on shrimp) to as long as 12 hours for a 20 lb. turkey. If you are not careful and you let a particular cut of meat remain in the brine too long...it will start to become salty. Those enhanced cuts of meat may have been in the brine for several days and can taste ooverly salty to those folks who are salt sensitive.

Don't dismiss brining because of this. Next time you want to grill some center cut pork chops 1 1/2" thick, brine them first for about 1 hour. You'll see what I mean.
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[ChrisF]

BG

So if we want to debrine the meat how do we go about it, I'm thinking a cold water soak ?