Should You Wash Chicken Before Cooking? USDA Debunks Myth Why You Shouldn't Do That

Have you been washing or at least giving your raw chicken a quick rinse before cooking? Well, you might change your mind once you read this new information about this practice.

According to a new report, the idea that washing raw chicken is an effective way to render it safer to eat has been proven wrong. Perhaps, this will be enough to stop this cooking habit from now on.

Word of Warning: Don't Wash Chicken Yet

Chicken Meat

As a warning, the USDA advises against doing this because rinsing can lead to cross-contamination by E. coli; therefore, the risk associated with foodborne illness is higher.

This is a precautionary step, and washing chicken seems like it will remove the bacteria attached to it. Rinsing any meat, especially poultry, only promotes the dispersing of harmful bacteria into your kitchen, such as salmonella and E. coli, which could be attached to countertops, utensils, and other foods, increasing contamination.

The safest way to cook chicken is to cook it properly. On that score, the process of destroying bacteria occurs when chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F. However, various research studies have shown that washing raw chicken in advance does not remove these bacteria-they are rather amplified around the area being washed.

Correct Hygiene in Preparing Raw Chicken

While it's best not to wash the chicken itself, proper hygiene is important when preparing raw poultry. Here's how to minimize your risk for cross-contamination, according to CNET.

Wash your hands in soap and water for 20 seconds before and after handling raw chicken.
Clean all surfaces that will have come into contact with the chicken—an example of this would include cutting boards, countertops, and knives—use hot soapy water.
Raw chicken ought to be separated from other foods, especially those not cooked, like fruits and vegetables, to avoid spreading bacteria.
Once you have observed these hygiene procedures, cooking your chicken to the right temperature will kill off any bacteria.

But When Is It Okay to Rinse Chicken?

Occasionally, you may need to rinse chicken. Maybe it's touched a foreign substance—the packaging residue of another item or another food in your fridge. Rinse it quickly, and make sure you sanitize the area where you had to rinse the chicken.

Then you smell something or see a funny color that tells you your chicken is bad. Don't even bother rinsing as nothing will make it safe to eat. Fresh chicken should be neutral in smell, though various forms of preprocessed poultry may have a mild herbal scent due to oregano oil preservatives.

More Chicken Safety Tips for Your Kitchen

Here's some additional information on the ways to cook and store chicken: marinating chicken. To marinate your chicken, place the bowl containing the chicken in the sink so there is less spillage. When you take the chicken out of the bowl, make sure to clean and disinfect the sink and its environment to prevent cross-contamination.

Refrigerate chicken properly: Always keep raw chicken refrigerated at 40°F or below. The rear and bottom of the refrigerator tend to be the chilliest, making them ideal for raw poultry storage.

Do not store your chicken in the fridge door: The temperature in the fridge door oscillates more than in other parts, which means that it leans towards promoting the faster deterioration of chicken. Leave one of the drawers for raw meats and keep away from ready-to-eat foods like deli meat and salad greens.

Safe Thawing of Chicken: Never let chicken thaw in the open air and do not give your defrosted chicken to water or to the microwave that might promote bacterial multiplication.

Cross-contamination frequently happens by washing raw chicken before cooking: This is not necessary and can actually become a worse habit since it is much more probable to exacerbate the risk of foodborne illness.

Instead, handle it properly when raw and cook this poultry to an internal temperature of 165°F. These guidelines will keep your kitchen clean and your meals safe to enjoy.