Investing in a meat delivery service has made it easy to have everything I need for cooking dinner delivered right to my door. But there are still times when I don't always finish -- or even cook -- everything I've ordered right away. I've found myself eating leftovers for lunch the next day. Although I knew that chicken (even cooked) didn't have a long shelf life, I didn't realize I might have been flirting with food poisoning by eating poultry that had already started to turn.

Poultry is a higher-risk meat than beef due to its propensity to develop E. coli and other food-borne illnesses. That's why you never want to eat spoiled chicken, and storing it properly is the key to avoiding sickness.

The USDA gives chicken just 48 hours to be cooked and consumed after purchase, but

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