* This is a sponsored post featuring our partner Sadia Singapore, for #TSSTasteBrazil. All opinions and thoughts expressed are as always, honest and our own.
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Taste Brazil | Frozen or Fresh?
For years, many of us have been led to believe that we should be paying a premium for food that are fresh, while the frozen counterparts are a poor cousin, to be used only when we don’t have a choice or when we have a lower budget.
Ready for the truth?
Myth: Frozen chicken has fewer nutrients than fresh chicken.
Fact: Freezing is a natural process that does not require the use of any preservatives, while many chilled or ambient have added natural or artificial preservatives to keep them ‘fresh’. Hence, frozen chicken is in fact, closer to what we would perceive as ‘natural’!
Freezing technology has seen a remarkable improvement over the years and much of the frozen products you get in Singapore are quick-frozen to seal in the nutrients, freshness and flavour. In other words, frozen products are often frozen at the peak of their quality!
In Brazil where we visited Sadia’s chicken farms and processing plant, we learned that the entire process of slaughtering the chickens to freezing them and getting ready for export takes as short as 2h40min to 4h30min. This is a considerably shorter time than it would have taken a ‘fresh’ chicken to be slaughtered, prepared and transported to the our local wet market to be sold, with the latter resulting in more significant losses of nutrients!
Myth: Frozen chicken is cheaper because it is inferior to fresh chicken.
Fact: It is true that frozen cheaper costs a lot less, but it’s certainly not because it is inferior to fresh chicken!
From the slaughter house, to the preparation of the chicken, to the transport and finally to the local market (and many steps and middle men in between), the whole cold chain system needed to deliver fresh meat can add up to quite a bit, resulting in the higher price of the product. On the other hand, frozen items are easier to manage and transport and are therefore, available at lower prices.
In fact, not only is frozen chicken cheaper, it also offers a significant extended shelf life. We may have turned our noses up upon realisation that the frozen chicken has been kept in the fridge for days, or even months. But rest assured that freezing has actually stopped the growth of harmful microbes and pathogens responsible for food spoilage and even food poisoning. Sadia’s full integration model not only sees to it that the livestock is raised in the best possible environment, it also has total control over their supply, production and distribution chains to ensure the integrity of the frozen chicken.
Because of its extended shelf life and versatility, frozen chicken also ensures optimum price stability and competitiveness. No rude shocks on price differences, translating to better menu planning and budgeting for the family!
Myth: Frozen chicken doesn’t taste as good as fresh chicken.
Fact: As mentioned earlier, frozen chicken is frozen at the peak of their quality, sealing in their flavour and tenderness. There is certainly no scientific reason why frozen chicken wouldn’t taste as good as fresh chicken!
For many years, Sadia has single-handedly supplied all the chickens for our dishes at The Soup Spoon. We are a firm believer that good, honest food can only be produced with ingredients of integrity, hence our partnership with Sadia Singapore has been a most precious one. Our chicken-based dishes have been very well-loved, particularly the perennial crowd-pleaser Tokyo Chicken Stew, creamy SG Chicken and Mushroom Ragout, and tender grilled chicken from The Grill Knife!
Don’t take our word for it – try cooking with Sadia’s frozen chicken and taste the goodness for yourself! Recipes are readily available on their website and if you are up to trying some exotic Brazilian fare, go to {LINK} for some heirloom recipes we have specially curated for you!
Herbal Emperor Chicken made with Sadia frozen chicken!
Sources:
http://bfff.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/WhyBuyFrozen2-web-version.pdf
http://hpb.gov.sg/HOPPortal/health-article/2664
http://www.livestrong.com/article/403175-is-frozen-chicken-healthy/
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