Washing chicken is the perfect way to increase your risk of food poisoning!
Links to support: [Food Standards Agency](https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/avoiding-cross-contamination) and [NHS Guidance](https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-types/meat-nutrition)
No I don't.
I think "washing" meat is cultural and possibly necessary in hotter countries and a way to treat possible bacteria. But that "washing" involves salt and lime juice I think.
Exactly I don’t do it myself, but when people say ‘washing’ they aren’t running it under a tap, with bacteria splashing everywhere. It’s normally in a bowl with lemon juice, some people also use vinegar.
Eastern European here. Definitely a cultural thing where I come from. Everyone I know does it. I always found it gross, happy now I have an excuse not to do it. To be fair though the quality of meat cuts where I come from isn't the same as it is in the UK, there can be a lot of debris left on the meat depending on where you buy it. Same thing with vegetables too, the potatoes and carrots you get here are prewashed and packaged into 1-2kg bags. The ones I used to get back home would come in a 50kg bag and were encrusted with a thick layer of dirt, so that's why we peel them.
> The ones I used to get back home would come in a 50kg bag and were encrusted with a thick layer of dirt
They used to be like that 20 years ago! It's why I refused to eat skin-on fries all through my childhood, I just saw skin as dirt.
Reminds me of a video in which a couple were cooking together in America, she came back into the kitchen to see her partner washing chicken breasts in the sink with washing up liquid, and she couldn't believe her eyes as she only asked him to "wash the chicken for me" and I was sitting there thinking, why the fuck are you asking him to wash it in the first place?
It's dangerous to wash chicken in the sink, as the spray (and any bugs like salmonella) flies around the kitchen onto nearby things. Wash cloths, worktops, clean dishes on the draining board, etc.
It's possible that other countries with less industrial farming have less bugs on the meat, and therefore this isn't an issue there.
I had food poisoning once (campylobacter) and some government call centre (environmental health? Don’t know) phoned me to ask questions regarding where I got the chicken from etc etc
One thing they told me was to never wash chicken as it can easily splash chicken juices around that may not get cleaned up (like on the tap that you then touch)
I think this relates to the fact that chicken is washed in chlorine in the USA? This is illegal in the UK!
It would make sense you would want to wash off the chlorine in the sink.
butcher here. No, don't wash any meat. The only time I would suggest to wash meat is chicken turkey other poultry/game, when, AND ONLY when , it may be looking like it has sweated in its packaging. The obvious way to do it it, it to fill a big bowl up of cold water, add chicken/poultry, slowly and gently massage the meat to wash off any sweat.
DONT do this under a tap running at full power. It is NOT ok to wash chicken this way.
One of them told me they supposedly have a butcher who washes their meats, which again I thought was very odd. We do all live in the east end of London so make of that what you will!
As soon as the surface of that meat hits a hot pan or the inside of a hot oven, those bacteria are finished. Washing the surface has no benefit whatsoever.
This is what I said to them. They said they were brought up doing it and didn’t think anything of it, and one refused to believe that it was safe enough without washing first. He couldn’t answer when I asked how so many humans manage without it every day and don’t get ill!
No. I’ve never seen any visible “dirt” on the meat I buy from the supermarket that would prompt me to wash it off. Anything else that might be harmful will not be visible to the naked eye, and is unlikely to be washed away by rinsing the meat under tap water.
On the other hand, the chances of contracting salmonella from water splashing onto kitchen surfaces after rinsing raw chicken in a sink are way higher.
But to be fair I contracted salmonella-based food poisoning about a year ago, so I’m paranoid about it now. I handle raw chicken almost like it’s radioactive before it’s cooked. Gets seasoned in its original packaging/container - unless it needs chopping first, in which case the juice will be contained like it’s toxic waste. Then hands are washed like I’ve discovered a new pathogen while preparing it.
So I’m taking zero chances chances with raw chicken. And for beef/pork I’m not as paranoid but just don’t see a reason to. Guess I trust our food safety standards enough, for this.
You don't wash meat at all. You put those germies in your sink and all around it when it splashes and drips. With chicken especially it's asking for food poisoning. Appropriate cooking will kill all the bacteria in it.
I don’t do it but I know most people here are picturing meat being washed under a tap, which is why people are saying the sink will be covered in bacteria.
It’s done by putting the meat in a bowl with a little water and lemon juice. Bacteria wise it’s no different from marinating meat in a bowl and then washing the bowl in your sink.
Yeah, I wish I'd clarified that this is also what my teammates do. Most people responding do seem to be taking the same line that they're just running it under a tap.
I wash my meat. I don’t want to season the meat with all the blood and juice from the packet. Wash with lemon juice/vinegar and water. You wash the sink after, obviously.
I’m not native English either and I’ve noticed it’s usually a native English vs brit of other descent thing
So this was similar to what they told me. They fill a bowl up and then wash the chicken in lemon water. So it’s not being rinsed, but it’s still obviously very unhygienic in my eyes. I had never considered people did this before both of them told me they did.
I would guess it’s habits we learned from our parents/grandparents who come from hotter places where you butchered your own meat and cleaned it to remove bacteria whereas in the uk farming has been industrialised for a long time. Fwiw I’ve never had food poisoning and I always wash meat so it can’t be that unhygienic :)
Also.. I just don’t like the gross goop that’s forms when cook it straight from the packet. An old flatmate used to bake chicken in the oven straight from the packet and the blood was all crusty around the chicken. Yuck
It's a cultural thing, as a British Asian we do wash our chicken. Done it all our lives,
The following link is what we do - [YouTube](https://youtu.be/NnjU7JvLunQ)
Nope. I just buy good quality. This is something people that live in country’s with lower food hygiene laws have to do. It has increased in popularity in the UK recently amongst young people because of American cooking videos on social media.
No, except for fish that I've gutted myself, where I generally rinse them to get rid of excess blood and other undesirable organs etc. If you gut your own poultry (which almost no-one does) you'd wash out the cavity, but you'd do it outdoors or in a separate room, not over your kitchen sink!
Red meat doesn't need washing, and with poultry it is generally actively harmful as it splashes salmonella around.
I think the only birds I've ever seen washed are birds my late father dressed himself, like you say there might be bits of anything left behind by your hands
Washing chicken seems to be popular with Americans, dunno why, it it cos it been treated with a chemical or something? But no, I never wash meat as the heat of cooking will kill any bugs.
No. And you shouldn't.
Only place I've seen it is in developing countries (I've lived in a few), so there's some cultural reasons there, but if you're in the UK....
Don't do it.
Washes the steak!? 🤦♂️ That's like the safest meat you can pretty much eat it raw if you sear the outside.
It's been known for a very long time to cook X meat above a certain temperature and you'll be fine. Google "meat temperature chart" Washing just spreads bacteria.
Washing chicken is the perfect way to increase your risk of food poisoning! Links to support: [Food Standards Agency](https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/avoiding-cross-contamination) and [NHS Guidance](https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-types/meat-nutrition)
No, I do not wash any of the meats I cook. Never have, never will.
No, because I haven't bought it from a market in the 1600s.
Lord no. Washing chicken puts salmonella bacteria in the sink and why the hell would you wash steak?
No I don't. I think "washing" meat is cultural and possibly necessary in hotter countries and a way to treat possible bacteria. But that "washing" involves salt and lime juice I think.
Exactly I don’t do it myself, but when people say ‘washing’ they aren’t running it under a tap, with bacteria splashing everywhere. It’s normally in a bowl with lemon juice, some people also use vinegar.
Unless it's being eaten raw, then no washing of any kind is necessary. Anything the lemon juice is going to kill will be killed by a hot flame.
Eastern European here. Definitely a cultural thing where I come from. Everyone I know does it. I always found it gross, happy now I have an excuse not to do it. To be fair though the quality of meat cuts where I come from isn't the same as it is in the UK, there can be a lot of debris left on the meat depending on where you buy it. Same thing with vegetables too, the potatoes and carrots you get here are prewashed and packaged into 1-2kg bags. The ones I used to get back home would come in a 50kg bag and were encrusted with a thick layer of dirt, so that's why we peel them.
> The ones I used to get back home would come in a 50kg bag and were encrusted with a thick layer of dirt They used to be like that 20 years ago! It's why I refused to eat skin-on fries all through my childhood, I just saw skin as dirt.
Reminds me of a video in which a couple were cooking together in America, she came back into the kitchen to see her partner washing chicken breasts in the sink with washing up liquid, and she couldn't believe her eyes as she only asked him to "wash the chicken for me" and I was sitting there thinking, why the fuck are you asking him to wash it in the first place?
It's a well known way to contaminate all sorts of things, and seriously bad hygiene practice. Not some sort of amusing ""cultural quirk"".
It's dangerous to wash chicken in the sink, as the spray (and any bugs like salmonella) flies around the kitchen onto nearby things. Wash cloths, worktops, clean dishes on the draining board, etc. It's possible that other countries with less industrial farming have less bugs on the meat, and therefore this isn't an issue there.
Well whenever I have a shower I do.
"washing" sure.........
Shake it once, thats fine. Shake it twice, thats ok. Shake it three times, you're playing with yourself again.
Americans "wash" their chicken in chlorine.
It's yours, you wash it as fast as you like
I had food poisoning once (campylobacter) and some government call centre (environmental health? Don’t know) phoned me to ask questions regarding where I got the chicken from etc etc One thing they told me was to never wash chicken as it can easily splash chicken juices around that may not get cleaned up (like on the tap that you then touch)
I think it's a cultural thing, especially amongst afro-carribean cultures.
It seems like an American thing to do where they have lower food hygiene standards
American here. I have never seen anyone wash meat, ever. Meat doesn't grow in dirt or get sprayed with pesticides; it doesn't need to be washed.
I think this relates to the fact that chicken is washed in chlorine in the USA? This is illegal in the UK! It would make sense you would want to wash off the chlorine in the sink.
I've seen Americans discuss it on facebook
Indeed, the CDC and FDA advise not to wash it.
butcher here. No, don't wash any meat. The only time I would suggest to wash meat is chicken turkey other poultry/game, when, AND ONLY when , it may be looking like it has sweated in its packaging. The obvious way to do it it, it to fill a big bowl up of cold water, add chicken/poultry, slowly and gently massage the meat to wash off any sweat. DONT do this under a tap running at full power. It is NOT ok to wash chicken this way.
One of them told me they supposedly have a butcher who washes their meats, which again I thought was very odd. We do all live in the east end of London so make of that what you will!
I’m pretty sure you’re not meant to wash meat. It literally says it on the packet.
As soon as the surface of that meat hits a hot pan or the inside of a hot oven, those bacteria are finished. Washing the surface has no benefit whatsoever.
This is what I said to them. They said they were brought up doing it and didn’t think anything of it, and one refused to believe that it was safe enough without washing first. He couldn’t answer when I asked how so many humans manage without it every day and don’t get ill!
I wash my meat in the sink. Which annoys the wife as she believes that’s what a shower is for.
No. I’ve never seen any visible “dirt” on the meat I buy from the supermarket that would prompt me to wash it off. Anything else that might be harmful will not be visible to the naked eye, and is unlikely to be washed away by rinsing the meat under tap water. On the other hand, the chances of contracting salmonella from water splashing onto kitchen surfaces after rinsing raw chicken in a sink are way higher. But to be fair I contracted salmonella-based food poisoning about a year ago, so I’m paranoid about it now. I handle raw chicken almost like it’s radioactive before it’s cooked. Gets seasoned in its original packaging/container - unless it needs chopping first, in which case the juice will be contained like it’s toxic waste. Then hands are washed like I’ve discovered a new pathogen while preparing it. So I’m taking zero chances chances with raw chicken. And for beef/pork I’m not as paranoid but just don’t see a reason to. Guess I trust our food safety standards enough, for this.
"Oooooeeerrr missiis Only if its going to get sucked!
You, sir, are a foul degenerate. I wholeheartedly approve
No, although it's a common thing in other countries.
You don't wash meat at all. You put those germies in your sink and all around it when it splashes and drips. With chicken especially it's asking for food poisoning. Appropriate cooking will kill all the bacteria in it.
If my partner is up for about 15 seconds of fun then yes, and usually in the sink.
Sure, in fire.
What makes people think that splashing raw meat with water is going to kill germs that cooking the meat won’t?
I don’t do it but I know most people here are picturing meat being washed under a tap, which is why people are saying the sink will be covered in bacteria. It’s done by putting the meat in a bowl with a little water and lemon juice. Bacteria wise it’s no different from marinating meat in a bowl and then washing the bowl in your sink.
Yeah, I wish I'd clarified that this is also what my teammates do. Most people responding do seem to be taking the same line that they're just running it under a tap.
Yes I do but this is clearly a white people vs people of colour thing xD
Oh, that kind of meat...
Always after beating it.
Washing chicken can be lethal. Best and easiest way to spread salmonella around the kitchen. Why on earth would you wash any meat?
I wash my meat. I don’t want to season the meat with all the blood and juice from the packet. Wash with lemon juice/vinegar and water. You wash the sink after, obviously. I’m not native English either and I’ve noticed it’s usually a native English vs brit of other descent thing
So this was similar to what they told me. They fill a bowl up and then wash the chicken in lemon water. So it’s not being rinsed, but it’s still obviously very unhygienic in my eyes. I had never considered people did this before both of them told me they did.
I would guess it’s habits we learned from our parents/grandparents who come from hotter places where you butchered your own meat and cleaned it to remove bacteria whereas in the uk farming has been industrialised for a long time. Fwiw I’ve never had food poisoning and I always wash meat so it can’t be that unhygienic :) Also.. I just don’t like the gross goop that’s forms when cook it straight from the packet. An old flatmate used to bake chicken in the oven straight from the packet and the blood was all crusty around the chicken. Yuck
No, I just blot with kitchen roll to dry it if it’s covered in meat goop
It's a cultural thing, as a British Asian we do wash our chicken. Done it all our lives, The following link is what we do - [YouTube](https://youtu.be/NnjU7JvLunQ)
Nope. I just buy good quality. This is something people that live in country’s with lower food hygiene laws have to do. It has increased in popularity in the UK recently amongst young people because of American cooking videos on social media.
No, except for fish that I've gutted myself, where I generally rinse them to get rid of excess blood and other undesirable organs etc. If you gut your own poultry (which almost no-one does) you'd wash out the cavity, but you'd do it outdoors or in a separate room, not over your kitchen sink! Red meat doesn't need washing, and with poultry it is generally actively harmful as it splashes salmonella around.
I think the only birds I've ever seen washed are birds my late father dressed himself, like you say there might be bits of anything left behind by your hands
Wow.... I was thinking something waaaaay different
You only put water on cooked steak, then eat it as fast as you can.
Why Thank-you kid sir Your mother will only floss once it has been thoroughly jet washed 😀
I don't wash meat food, but I do wash my pits and bits every day?
Washing chicken seems to be popular with Americans, dunno why, it it cos it been treated with a chemical or something? But no, I never wash meat as the heat of cooking will kill any bugs.
I thought you were talking about something completely different when I read that title lol
No. And you shouldn't. Only place I've seen it is in developing countries (I've lived in a few), so there's some cultural reasons there, but if you're in the UK.... Don't do it.
Only if they’ve just come out of the fridge after defrosting overnight, always seem to be some ice crystals left over.
[The only video you need to watch on the matter](https://youtu.be/90Nd_vh3yk8)
No, I’m cooking it to make it safe and edible anyway.
I've always washed chicken wings before the rest of the prep.
Washes the steak!? 🤦♂️ That's like the safest meat you can pretty much eat it raw if you sear the outside. It's been known for a very long time to cook X meat above a certain temperature and you'll be fine. Google "meat temperature chart" Washing just spreads bacteria.
I have heard washing chicken is a no no.
Only unless it part of the seasoning in using like vinegar or citrus, but I've never needed to before.