SINGAPORE: Frozen chicken has been in the spotlight since Malaysia announced a temporary ban on its poultry for export on May 23.
There are plentiful supplies of frozen chicken available, but some people have complained that it’s just not as good as fresh in terms of taste, texture and juiciness.
It’s been cast as the inferior alternative, with some eateries saying it will be the last resort in the absence of fresh chicken.
CNA spoke to restaurant owners and nutritionists about whether people’s perceptions are justified.
The difference between fresh and frozen chicken may not be obvious depending on how it was frozen, said Mr Anthony Yeoh, owner of Summer Hill.
Technology has advanced, he said.
“For it to get that watery kind of frozen taste and the texture to change, that’s something you get when you try freezing chicken in your home freezer, for example, where it takes a longer time for the meat to freeze,” he said.
When that happens, it gives the chicken time to develop ice crystals, and flavour then leaches out through the water that comes out of the chicken.
“Whereas if you imagine this sudden flash freeze, then you know the chicken would instantly be frozen, you wouldn’t have those ice crystals forming,” he said.
Chef Marvas Ng said that when frozen, chicken has frostbite, and when thawed, the water that leaks out can leave the meat dry.
At his restaurant Path, the chicken dish has been replaced with a duck dish for this very reason, said the Singapore representative in the 2020 Culinary Olympics, one of the oldest international culinary arts competitions in the world.
It’s also because the chicken has to be cooked internally till “just right” at 60 to 70 degrees Celsius.
However, at this same temperature, frozen chicken will not taste as good and will be too dry, he said.
“The frozen chicken is already dry, so when we cook at this temperature, it’s even more dry,” he said, referring to the result of experimentation done during his restaurant’s research and development.
He added that the freshness of chicken comes into play for very select dishes, including chicken rice sold at hawker centres, which is typically served with poached or steamed meat.