FDA Says Stop Rinsing Off Raw Chicken…
Ok so here’s the debate: To rinse off your raw chicken before cooking or not to rinse off before cooking.
The FDA use to encourage this practice and now they are saying “Washing raw poultry before cooking it is not recommended” since bacteria can not be removed from raw chicken by washing, but only by cooking.
They say that washing risks splashing raw juices over the sink, counters, etc, which greatly increases the chances of salmonella and other illnesses through cross contamination.
Well what about that icky juice that chicken is sitting in while in the package, you ask? Well the FDA says  “it is mostly water which was absorbed by the chicken during the chilling process. Blood is removed from poultry during slaughter and only a small amount remains in the muscle tissue. An improperly bled chicken would have cherry red skin and is condemned at the plant.”
Ummm….ok here’s the thing. I CAN’T NOT wash off my chicken. It just seems so……wrong!! I totally understand their reason for recommending not to rinse raw chicken, but I just can’t get passed that slimy film that is sometimes on fresh chicken. I know it cooks off but….. perhaps it’s just a  mind thing with me.
Salmonella and other food-borne diseases are common, painful and can even cause death in kids, elderly or those with weak immune systems. I got food poisoning from a restaurant once and thought I was going to die! We certainly don’t want to contaminate our familes so what do you do if you just can’t get down with the no-rinse  rule?
Well here’s what I recently started doing:
I have a huge pail that I use to rinse off my meat. I sit it in the sink and turn the water on really low (so that it doesn’t splash) and rinse off my chicken. I wash my hands over the pail when I’m done washing my chicken and then flush the dirty water down the toilet. To clean the pail I spray it down with Clorox Anywhere Spray, let it sit and then wash it out and flush that water down the toilet. That way everything is contained and nothing gets contaminated.
*****************update********* Â Aint nobody got time for this!!! I went back to rinsing my chicken off carefully in the sink under low water pressure and then I clean the sink with my homemade spray of vinegar, citrus, tea tree oil and grapefruit oil.
So what do you think??? Do you rinse or not rinse?
Info: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/fact_sheets/chicken_from_farm_to_table/index.asp
My Mom would have a Hissy Fit, if i or anyone of my siblings did’nt wash our meat. any meat for that matter, she would’nt eat it and would say,. I DID NOT TEACH YOU TO COOK LIKE THAT…. so hands down,rinsed meat is the way for me…
There still blood in whatever meats we are about to cook, though. You may be rinsing the surface, but there is still blood in the meat. I’m very sure not all the blood is being washed away. Doesn’t anyone see blood coming out of the meat as it is being cooked?
This is what my former Microbiology Professor had to say about this: “No, it wont do anything. Just will contaminate your kitchen sink! The best way is to cook them, some people rinse meat because of the blood, but the truth is meat is filled with blood and when you cook it, it will come out.”
As far as cross-contamination goes, I’m with the FDA on this one. All it takes is one tiny air droplet or splash..even as small as a needle point.
That’s all it takes for bacteria to multiply. I’ve done this in a lab plenty of times and have seen first hand how bacteria multiplies and what it takes for it to multiply. Worked with Salmonella, E.Coli, Clostridium botulinum, Campylobacter jejuni, Listeria monocytogenes, Clostridium perfringens, S. aureus and a few more. The chances for cross-contamination are greater because you are using additional materials that are coming in contact with the meat and you’re moving it around to different areas and places. All it takes is contaminated water, gloves, bucket, an air droplet, etc. that is as small as a needlepoint.
As I’ve said before also, none of my family members rinse their meats. Never have and none of us have ever gotten sick. We even leave fish out (without additional sauces or gravies on them) out for 1-3 days. Same with rice..and we have never gotten sick. My kids have never gotten sick either. Just wondering if anyone rinses ground meat? That is THE type of meat which bacteria multiplies the fastest.
I’m with Joi! My aunt rinses her chicken in a water/apple cider vinegar mix. I thought that was a bit much.
Hi **waves** I HAVE to rinse off my chicken, cut off the extra fat, and burn off any stray hairs or feathers. If not I can’t eat it.
Better wash that bird! You don’t know whose hands been on it before it came home with you. Just don’t splash bird juice everywhere when you do and we all will live to eat another day 🙂
My parents are Caribbean and my mother taught me to wash meat in vinegar and water followed by water only; some Caribbean’s use lemon or lime.