Quit Washing Your Chicken: It Just Sprays Germs Everywhere

Consumerist ^ | August 26, 2013

[SMGFan]

Generations of American cooks are wrong. They learned their wrongity wrongity wrong habits from their parents, or from public television’s Julia Child. Their terrible, filthy habit is rinsing poultry before cooking. Public health experts estimate that as many as 90% of Americans do it, and they want us to cut it out.

Poultry-washing makes intuitive sense: you don’t know where that bird has been or what kind of bacteria are crawling on the outside. Julia Child herself admitted that washing a chicken before roasting it felt cleaner, even if the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the government agency in charge of making sure that our meat doesn’t kill us, said that there are no bacteria on the outside of a chicken that roasting won’t kill.

[RedMonqey]

Every bird I cook, I run water over it,

And you don't think you're not washing it?

[Cyber Liberty]

See? What didn’t kill us made us stronger!

[RedMonqey]

The item with the least tested contamination was the raw chicken.

Maybe because the chicken was the only thing actually washed?

I was taught to clean the kitchen after supper with ammonia, especially after stuff like chicken and fish...

[KarlInOhio]

What it does help do is blast a fine spray of bacteria-laden mist across your hands, arms, counter, body, and anything unfortunate enough to be within 3 feet of the sink.

That's why you should wash your chicken in the dishwasher.

[Wingy]

Chicken washing is racist just like when Paula Deen shot Trayvon.

That must have been before she beat that 88 year old war vet with flashlights.

[EverOnward]

Will continue to wash all poultry in a baking soda bath and then rinse well.

[Iscool]

I hold ‘em up and spray ‘em towards the neighbors...I don’t want that nasty bacteria around my house...

[MulberryDraw]

I often wondered what the point of washing chicken and then patting it dry was. After reading this thread, I think I’ll continue to wash it but I’m still not sold on the patting it dry part.

[tnlibertarian]

How do they feel about corporal punishment as it relates to pet simians?

[RedMonqey]

See? What didn’t kill us made us stronger!

Very true.

My momma said a little dirt never hurt anyone.

And actually helped build our immune system as we grew...

But that didn't mean we could track half the farm onto her nice clean floors...LOL

[RedMonqey]

.How do they feel about corporal punishment as it relates to pet simians?

It means;(using best Charlton Heston imation) "Take Your Stinkin' Paws Off Me You Damn Dirty Ape!"

Sorry...couldn't resist

[Cyber Liberty]

Yeah, I always drew the line somewhere before animal crap in the living quarters. You have to set boundaries, right? :^)

Now, my home crawls with crazy cat-animals....sigh

[RedMonqey]

Now, my home crawls with crazy cat-animals....sigh

Uuuuh... you're not the crazy cat lady that lives down the road, are you?

The one with the thirty something cats roaming at will?/sarc

(wink, wink)

[Cyber Liberty]

I’m the Mr. of the house. Crazy Cat Lady is my wife’s job. I’m the Crazy Cat Gentleman. And it’s not that bad, we have five, all indoors kittehs. But one is a grey tabby, and he’s the equivalent of at least three. He’s Fred.

[sockmonkey]

Will continue to wash all poultry in a baking soda bath and then rinse well.

I read about "silking" a chicken with baking soda on a Korean Cooking site..I tried it, and the chicken was soooo tneder, and yes, silky.

I see you've been on FR since 2001. You should have shared the baking soda secret years ago.

[Georgia Girl 2]

Yeh sorry but I’m a keep washin my bird. :-)

[GladesGuru]

“Why did the chicken wash the road?”

Answer: To remove the PSD stain on the pavement.

For low information voters, PSD can be a chemical name or, as in this case, an acronym for Poor Squirrel Decision.

[RedMonqey]

Five hasn't reached CrazyTown yet but if you're not careful, you'll find yourself smack in the middle of it with a carload of angry pu... well, you get the idea.

Better find the exit ramp to Neuterville, it's your best chance....

That's Neuterville, not Hooterville..btw.

[CatherineofAragon]

That’s nasty, but I can believe it. Some people don’t even wash their hands after going to the bathroom.

If you wash off your meat/poultry and leave everything swimming in germs, yeah, you have a problem. But sane people know to use a bleach solution to clean the sink and countertop.