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You might want to think twice before rinsing off raw chicken in your kitchen sink.
Recent studies by the British Food Standards Agency show that rinsing chicken can potentially spread bacteria on work surfaces in a three-foot radius, The Daily Telegraph reported. The report says up to 75 percent of consumers wash poultry before consuming it.
The FSA says 65 percent of raw chicken is contaminated with campylobacer, the most common cause of food poisoning, the paper reported. And while cooking will kill the bug, Campylobacter causes more than 300,000 cases of food poisoning and 15,000 hospitalizations a year in England and Wales.
That means washing your bird can spread harmful bacteria around your kitchen, potentially contaminating other foods in your kitchen that may not be cooked before eating.
The FSA is looking into ways to reduce contamination across the chicken production line, including disinfecting chickens with an antimicrobial wash -- a method not yet approved in the EU.
"Washing raw poultry is a common kitchen mistake, and it simply isn't necessary," an FSA spokeswoman told the Telegraph.
"Tap water won't get rid of the germs that cause food poisoning but they will be killed by thorough cooking. By washing your raw bird, you're actually more likely to spread the germs around the kitchen than get rid of them."
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7-26-2010 @6:20PM ChickenLittle said... If you have ever seen just how chicken and other meats are cut and packaged you would never even think twice about washing them before consumption. If you follow the "one way" rule you will never cross contaminate your foods. "One way" basically means moving any raw foods in one direction....never backtracking. For example raw chicken goes from the fridge, to the sink, from the sink to a container or plate, from that plate to the oven, grill, or stove. Never mix your utensils either ...raw stays with raw....cooked with cooked....and above all clean up after every step....wash hands, wash dishes, wash utensils, wash counters down with antiseptic....just wash,wash, wash ! It may take a little longer but your stomach and your guest will be greatful later. Nothing worse than food poisoning...and its usually preventable. By the way the same rules apply to vegan cooking too. Lots of nasties lurk in raw fruits and veggies that are mishandled.
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7-26-2010 @6:34PM plb said... Does anyone soak their chicken in salted water after washing? That's how I was taught as my grandmother did this after washing poultry. I also wash all meats before cooking and then disinfect the area with bleach for poultry.
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7-26-2010 @7:48PM Bean Real said... Sounds like you've got half a brining recipe there. Brining meats chemically changes their cell composition (as I understand it), allowing the meat (poultry or pork) to soak up additional liquid. This makes an exquisite Thanksgiving turkey and succulant pork chops. I imagin Alton Brown of Food Network's "Good Eats" can explain this better and provide recipes on the Internet if you look. This isn't a means of cleaning or sanitizing -- just making a "good eat" a better one.
7-26-2010 @6:43PM kbaredge126cd said... After we prepare and eat our chicken in the kitchen we never fail to douse the area with at least 5 gallons of high octane gasoline and then ignite. Sterilizes the crap out of everything. Cheers.
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7-26-2010 @7:13PM Gidge said... My mother always soaked chicken in salt water, Whether it was whole or cut up. So I continue to do this to this day. This was many, many yrs ago she did this and I just kept doing it.
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7-26-2010 @7:17PM Georgia said... This may sound silly to most of you, but a long time ago, a chef I knew told me she always washes the chicken or turkey with soap and water and then a good rinse. I still do it to this day. Just a squirt of dish detergent and warm water, a little massage, and rinse. It also gets rid of some of the smell that Purdue and other chicken producers put on their chickens as a preservative. They say they don't do it but I can smell it. It smells a little like cholorox. They also put this stuff on bag salads and I won't use them unless I really rinse them well. No soap on the salad but it does help the preservative smell on the chicken.
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7-26-2010 @7:32PM betty said... never did wash my chicken before cutting or cooking it, my greatgrandma, and grandma always told me not to..and never ever had a problem with germs..ever...
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7-26-2010 @7:59PM Nancy O said... Amen John, agree with you 100%.
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7-27-2010 @2:01AM Kim said... I have seen what goes on in the meat department and even had I not, I would STILL wash my chicken. It goes without saying, if you take the time to wash your chicken, one would take the time to clean the kitchen. Knock on wood I have never made my family sick. At least I dont think so.....BTW, have you ever noticed on the FOOD NETWORK channels, they NEVER wash their chicken or meats. They take it from the package and start to work on it. At least they wash their hands but Eeeeeeewwwwww!!!!!!
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7-29-2010 @4:10PM vanatic said... Hell...better watch out or you will trip over the dead and dying kitchen people out here! Ive watched this paranoya build for the last ten or so minutes and i'm saying to my self,,,Self.....we have washed like we would any possible contamiated food, thourogh, but not rediculously enough to be worried im gonna serve bad meat or poultry to the table! PERIOD! And i looked and searched all over the house even under the beds....NO DEAD in my house!
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9-26-2010 @12:36PM Judie Briand-Cooper said... I would never think of using chicken without cleaning it first. I us a ziplock bag put water in it with some salt. Shake it a few times then let the fluid directly down the drain .then fill it again with pain water and repeat it again. Then I place the chicken on a paper plate with a paper towel. when finish and chicken is in the oven I place the plate & paper towel in the plastic bag and into the trash. Then cleant the sink and counter with a clorax wipe & clorax down the drain. I have never had a peoblem in my 50+ yrs of cooking.
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