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A common practice, but which can be dangerous: wash your chicken before cooking it. Indeed, raw, sticky chicken can pick up all kinds of impurities in its flesh during its journey into our kitchens. So it makes sense to rinse it before cooking. It is however to be avoided! A new report from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and North Carolina State University confirms what researchers have long known: Washing raw chicken meat increases the risk of food poisoning.
Washing the chicken only disperses the bacteria
Raw chicken is often contaminated with dangerous bacteria such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Clostridium perfringens. Foodborne illnesses, like those caused by these microbes, strike one in six Americans each year, according to the CDC. However, rinsing raw chicken doesn’t remove these pathogens – that’s what the kitchen is for. Washing the chicken simply allows these dangerous microorganisms to spread, potentially by harnessing a watery carousel with a spray, sponge, or utensil.
“Even when consumers think they clean effectively by washing their poultry, this study shows that bacteria can easily spread to other surfaces and foods,” says Mindy Brashears, deputy assistant secretary for food safety at the USDA.
The researchers recruited 300 participants to prepare a meal of chicken thighs and salad, dividing them into two groups. One group received instructions via email on how to prepare chicken safely, including not washing it, preparing raw meat on a cutting board different from other foods, and applying effective hand washing techniques.
Food poisoning: every detail counts
A control group did not receive this information. Unbeknownst to the latter group, the researchers spiked chicken thighs with a strain of E. Coli, harmless but traceable.
Results: 93% of those who had received the safety instructions did not wash their chicken. But 61% of the members of the control group did so… Of these chicken washers, 26% ended up with E. coli in their salad. The researchers were surprised at How long bacteria spread, even when people avoid washing their chickens. Of those who did not wash their chicken, 20% still had E. coli in their salad.
The reason according to the researchers? The participants did not properly decontaminate their hands, surfaces and utensils, left the preparation of the meat until the end with other foods such as fruits and vegetables …
How to properly prepare your chicken and avoid food poisoning?
The best practice for preparing a chicken is this:
– use a dedicated cutting board for raw meat;
– do not wash raw meat;
– wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds between contact with raw meat and something else;
– use a food thermometer to make sure the chicken is heated to at least 73 ° C before eating it – in fact, the chicken is cooked at a much higher temperature.
“Washing or rinsing raw meat and poultry can increase the risk of bacteria spreading in your kitchen,” warns Carmen Rottenberg, administrator of the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.
“But not washing your hands for 20 seconds immediately after handling these raw foods is just as dangerous.”
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Source : Etude : “Food Safety Consumer Research Project: Meal Preparation Experiment Related to Poultry Washing”