New research from USDA: Don't wash chicken before cooking


 
I hold the bird over the sink and pat it down with paper towel to get the purge off. I like using squeeze butter as a binder, and don't like mixing purge with the butter.
 
I disagree.

I always wash raw meat of any kind in the sink before preparing it for cooking, and I wash the container, wrap, and soak any absorbent material in soapy hot water mixed with Clorox Clean Up for disinfectant. I think it makes good sense to disinfect the meat container and such to cut down of bad smells in the garbage can - which in turn can draw flies and other insects. (not to mention the stink in the roll out container and the accompanying maggots)

In addition, I make a habit of disinfecting the sink with Clorox Clean Up, and I also soak the dish rag in it too. The counter tops and spigots get disinfecting too.

With all of the above said, I do not run the tap at full flow when washing meat to help minimize any splashing that may occur.
 
I disagree.

I always wash raw meat of any kind in the sink before preparing it for cooking, and I wash the container, wrap, and soak any absorbent material in soapy hot water mixed with Clorox Clean Up for disinfectant. I think it makes good sense to disinfect the meat container and such to cut down of bad smells in the garbage can - which in turn can draw flies and other insects. (not to mention the stink in the roll out container and the accompanying maggots)

In addition, I make a habit of disinfecting the sink with Clorox Clean Up, and I also soak the dish rag in it too. The counter tops and spigots get disinfecting too.

With all of the above said, I do not run the tap at full flow when washing meat to help minimize any splashing that may occur.

I'm not scientist, nor have I asked the folks that did the study, but I'm guessing that your disinfecting procedure is something that is well over and above what the average person does after washing/rinsing the meat. Based on the context of the article, I would say that your approach (as long as you disinfect everything prior to moving on to the next food item--something that I infer didn't happen in their study) would mitigate the dangers that are described in the article.

That said, I think their point is the average cook (who presumably doesn't immediately disinfect the work area) does more harm than good by washing their meat (because of spread/splashed bacteria).
 
That said, I think their point is the average cook (who presumably doesn't immediately disinfect the work area) does more harm than good by washing their meat (because of spread/splashed bacteria).

When this came up a couple years ago, I remember that was the main takeaway, rinsing just spreads the contamination, more so than we think it does.

I open the package over/in the sink, and let it drain off. No rinsing, just pat it dry with paper towels, which go in their own disposal sack, along with the packaging.

If I'm cooking, I clean the sink after everything is has been repackaged. I just use some cleaning powder that contains some bleach in it.
 
When this came up a couple years ago, I remember that was the main takeaway, rinsing just spreads the contamination, more so than we think it does.

I open the package over/in the sink, and let it drain off. No rinsing, just pat it dry with paper towels, which go in their own disposal sack, along with the packaging.

If I'm cooking, I clean the sink after everything is has been repackaged. I just use some cleaning powder that contains some bleach in it.

Yeah that's pretty much what I do as well. Though, I will admit to getting a little lazy about it recently. Which is why this post is such a good reminder for me personally.
 
When margarine was invented the “expert scientists” proclaimed it was better for your health than butter. Years later the “expert scientists” proclaimed butter is actually much better for your health than margarine. In the 1980’s the “expert scientists” insisted we stop using paper bags for our groceries and switch to plastic bags “because it was better for our environment”. Twenty years later the “expert scientists” insisted we go back to paper bags “because it was better for our environment”. Then the “expert scientists” claimed we should really be using reusable bags only to discover a few years later that these reusable bags often become filthy with bacteria such as e-coli and coliform.

My grandmothers washed their poultry. My mother washed her poultry. Nobody ever became sick in my family from food bacteria. I think a little common sense goes a long way. I don’t think anyone places their poultry in the kitchen sink, turns the water to full and uses the “sprayer” to “shower” their birds. Keep the water flow at low and at the same time wipe the slime off the poultry. Then use a cleaner with disinfectant to clean the sink and the immediate surrounding area.

Happy holidays everyone!
 
Unless I'm rinsing a brine I do not rinse poultry. I cannot conceive of any advantage to doing so and, honestly, even a low flow results in splashing (though perhaps my high-neck faucet promotes splashing) :)
 
Way i understand it, washing might splash bacteria around. Only conceivable reason not to.

Not a great threat honestly. Dry surfaces usually kill many bacteria. It needs moisture to suvive long.

Industry-driven propaganda is frequently behind recommendations. It definitely was behind margarine. It definitely was behind cholesterol in eggs.

even promoting the use of plastic cutting boards over wood claiming it was more sanitary... Turned out it wasn't. bacteria die rapidly on wood and they live for a long time on plastic....

I have many ancestors that lived into their 80s and even up to over a hundred before running water and indoor plumbing. It really wasn't all that uncommon in the 1700s and 1800's. It's very interesting to look back and see that. While child birth, accidents, sicknesses, did lower the average life span, healthy people's could still live a long time and did. All these recommendations today and medicines and such really haven't improved the lifespan of healthy people.
 
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I always rinse off my styrofoam and plastic wraps and that diaper thing they use.
I don't want my recycling bin smelling like toilet.
Low pressure and wipe everything down with hot soapy water.

Tim
 
Yes, people have rinsed poultry (and stuffed turkeys) for years and most of the time don't get sick. Maybe you've got an iron stomach and a super-strong immune system and these things don't bother you. If you're less lucky, maybe you spend some "quality time" on the toilet the next day wondering about the cause of your "gastric discomfort".

But sometimes what you end up with is vomiting and bloody diarrhea. You become one of the 23,000+ people hospitalized with bacterial food poisoning each year. In the most extreme cases, you end up having several feet of your small intestine surgically removed. Oh joy.

Remember, those most at risk for more serious Salmonella infections are the elderly, small children and people with compromised immune systems. If you're not going to take precautions for yourself, maybe you should do it for the grandparents and youngest kids at your dinner table.

Such an easy thing to not rinse poultry. Why take the risk at all? Better safe than sorry.
 
Because I don't trust the "experts" as they have proven time and time again they don't know what they're talking about when it comes to food. Can you imagine how many things I have eaten over 78 years that I was told was bad for me only to see that guidance change 3 times in my lifetime?

I'm not saying there is any scientific evidence for my opinion but this came from the USDA. How much do you trust the health of you and your loved ones to Federal government Bureaucrats. I've worked with both scientists and bureaucrats and trust neither.

I'm not saying the facts are unreliable. I'm saying the sources of the information have no credibility with me.
 
My oldest daughter went through a bout with salmonella and I want no part of that ....... she was 30 yo and it was tough on her.

But not washing the bird is really easy. I just get several paper towels and pat the bird while holding it over the sink. And then put it on the cutting board for prepping.
 
Instead of US worrying about how to handle our food, why isn't more being done to make sure our food is SAFER FOR US TO EAT?
 
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