Thread: Do You Wash Your Chicken Before Cooking?

On Jan 6, 9:21*am, espon...@webtv.net (F R) wrote:
> I'm sure this has come up (many times?) before, but I am new here.
>
> If you are going to cook a chicken, any bacteria or other bad stuff will
> be killed. By washing it, don't you risk spreading it to other surfaces?
>
> Frank

Yes, but if you're careful, the good outweighs the bad...

espon...@webtv.net (F R) wrote:
> I'm sure this has come up (many times?) before, but I am new here.
>
> If you are going to cook a chicken, any bacteria or other bad stuff will
> be killed. By washing it, don't you risk spreading it to other surfaces?

You can't wash off much of the bacteria (it's inside the flesh, is why
poulty needs to be fully cooked throughout) but you can wash off other
schmutz and uglies.

F R <[email protected]> wrote:


>I'm sure this has come up (many times?) before, but I am new here.
>
>If you are going to cook a chicken, any bacteria or other bad stuff will
>be killed. By washing it, don't you risk spreading it to other surfaces?

Yes, I normally rinse chicken before cooking it. Rinsing it
removes some of the bacteria. Cooking it will kill almost
all of the remaining bacteria, but by rinsing it first
you have reduced the number to begin with, so the remaining
bacteria after cooking will be even lower. It improves your
odds.

Particularly true if you're roasting or baking the chicken,
and you like eating it still moist.

Another very good idea is to buy air-chilled chicken. They
have way less surface bacteria than the water-bath chilled ones.
(Just the idea of a raw-chicken water-bath production line
gives me the willies.)

Steve

On Jan 6, 11:21*am, espon...@webtv.net (F R) wrote:
> I'm sure this has come up (many times?) before, but I am new here.
>
> If you are going to cook a chicken, any bacteria or other bad stuff will
> be killed. By washing it, don't you risk spreading it to other surfaces?
>
> Frank

How would you spread any bacteria by washing, if you wash it in a sink
(hold it under running water)??? In any event, you can always wipe
everything down with Clorox or whatever, if you're really worried
about it.

I always wash chicken - and then trim off bloody bits or extra fat.
NBD. (No Big Deal)

N.

merryb wrote on Tue, 6 Jan 2009 09:39:22 -0800 (PST):

> On Jan 6, 9:21 am, espon...@webtv.net (F R) wrote:
>> I'm sure this has come up (many times?) before, but I am new
>> here.
>>
>> If you are going to cook a chicken, any bacteria or other bad
>> stuff will be killed. By washing it, don't you risk spreading
>> it to other surfaces?
>>
>> Frank

>Yes, but if you're careful, the good outweighs the bad...

I'm not sure what that means and the less disinfecting of surfaces that
I have to do the better. My cutting boards can go in the dishwasher but
I don't wash dishes every day.

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] (F R) wrote:

> I'm sure this has come up (many times?) before, but I am new here.
>
> If you are going to cook a chicken, any bacteria or other bad stuff will
> be killed. By washing it, don't you risk spreading it to other surfaces?
>
> Frank

I always rinse the chicken off. Just gets any manky bits off that might
be sticking to the edible meat. I rinse chops and steaks too for the
same reason.
--
Peace! Om

"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive." -- Dalai Lama

"Steve Pope" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:gk0595$tri$[email protected]..
>F R <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>I'm sure this has come up (many times?) before, but I am new here.
>>
>>If you are going to cook a chicken, any bacteria or other bad stuff will
>>be killed. By washing it, don't you risk spreading it to other surfaces?
>
> Yes, I normally rinse chicken before cooking it. Rinsing it
> removes some of the bacteria. Cooking it will kill almost
> all of the remaining bacteria, but by rinsing it first
> you have reduced the number to begin with, so the remaining
> bacteria after cooking will be even lower. It improves your
> odds.


Really. I am not trusting somebody else to wash my chicken. I bleach my
sinks and counters regularly anyway.

On Jan 6, 12:46�pm, Nancy2 <nancy-doo...@uiowa.edu> wrote:
> On Jan 6, 11:21�am, espon...@webtv.net (F R) wrote:
>
> > I'm sure this has come up (many times?) before, but I am new here.
>
> > If you are going to cook a chicken, any bacteria or other bad stuff will
> > be killed. By washing it, don't you risk spreading it to other surfaces?
>
> > Frank
>
> How would you spread any bacteria by washing, if you wash it in a sink
> (hold it under running water)??? �In any event, you can always wipe
> everything down with Clorox or whatever, if you're really worried
> about it.
>
> I always wash chicken - and then trim off bloody bits or extra fat.
> NBD. �(No Big Deal)

Simply wash the sink prior and after, NBD.

I also only buy whole chicken... pieces have already been handled way
too much and none of those pieces are from the same chicken, the
cancerous parts were cut away and went into the pet food/fertilizer
bin. I prefer to do my own chicken butchering. First thing I cut out
the spine, don't want to eat spinal fluid... even for roasting whole I
still excise the spine and truss... yoose who save spines for stock
are idiots... may as well put yer used tampons in the stockpot. And
all bird bones are hollow, they contain no marrow, they contain
nothing you want to eat... do not use cut/broken poultry bones for
stock. I wash away all blood clots, pick off all hanging pereneal
bits, and excess fat. Next I cover it with kosher salt and into the
fridge for about an hour. Afterwards I wash away the salt, give one
last inspection and then douche it liberally with citrus, I prefer
fresh lime juice, and season (salt and acid are good sanitizers, plain
water sanitizes not a whit). Work carefully, don't move poultry all
about your kitchen surfaces, and clean up throughly.

F R wrote:
> I'm sure this has come up (many times?) before, but I am new here.
>
> If you are going to cook a chicken, any bacteria or other bad stuff will
> be killed. By washing it, don't you risk spreading it to other surfaces?
>
> Frank

During the salmonella scare, they were saying we should soak our chicken
in trisodium phosphate (TSP). Huh. That is what I used to scrub the walls.

Becca

F R wrote:
>
> I'm sure this has come up (many times?) before, but I am new here.
>
> If you are going to cook a chicken, any bacteria or other bad stuff will
> be killed. By washing it, don't you risk spreading it to other surfaces?

If you wash it and don't thoroughly dry it,
the skin won't get crispy if you roast it.

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] (F R) wrote:

> I'm sure this has come up (many times?) before, but I am new here.
>
> If you are going to cook a chicken, any bacteria or other bad stuff will
> be killed. By washing it, don't you risk spreading it to other surfaces?
>
> Frank

Welcome to rec.food.cooking. Be advised that it is not for the faint of
heart and a thick skin helps a lot. There are many wiseasses who post
here. Some even post about the stated topic of the group: Food! (Far
too many do not.)

Re the chicken: Maybe, but I feel better if I wash it.
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
<http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/amytaylor>
December 27, 2008, 7:30 a.m.: "I have fixed my roof,
I have mended my fences; now let the winter winds blow."

The message
<[email protected]>
from Nancy2 <[email protected]> contains these words:

> On Jan 6, 11:21*am, espon...@webtv.net (F R) wrote:
> > I'm sure this has come up (many times?) before, but I am new here.
> >
> > If you are going to cook a chicken, any bacteria or other bad stuff will
> > be killed. By washing it, don't you risk spreading it to other surfaces?
> >
> > Frank

> How would you spread any bacteria by washing, if you wash it in a sink
> (hold it under running water)???

You're spreading bacteria from the raw meat to the sink and probably
the tap . When someone touches the sink/tap later, they may contaminate
hands with raw-meat bacteria.

Janet

F R wrote:
>
> I'm sure this has come up (many times?) before, but I am new here.
>
> If you are going to cook a chicken, any bacteria or other bad stuff will
> be killed. By washing it, don't you risk spreading it to other surfaces?
>
> Frank

We always wash all meat/fish/poultry prior to cooking. It's not about
bacteria, but blood specks, bits of gristle or bone etc. It's washed in
a strainer in the sink, both of which are cleaned in hot water and lots
of detergent after.

On Tue, 6 Jan 2009 12:21:20 -0500, [email protected] (F R) wrote:
>
>I'm sure this has come up (many times?) before, but I am new here.
>
>If you are going to cook a chicken, any bacteria or other bad stuff will
>be killed. By washing it, don't you risk spreading it to other surfaces?

I don't know didly about no stinikin' bacteria. Julia washed her
chickens, and so do I.
--
modom

ambitious when it comes to fiddling with meat

On Tue, 6 Jan 2009 17:44:05 +0000 (UTC), [email protected] (Steve
Pope) wrote:

>Another very good idea is to buy air-chilled chicken. They
>have way less surface bacteria than the water-bath chilled ones.
>(Just the idea of a raw-chicken water-bath production line
>gives me the willies.)

How would we know this Steve? Does it say on the package of chicken?


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that
interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

sf <[email protected]> wrote:

>On Tue, 6 Jan 2009 17:44:05 +0000 (UTC), [email protected] (Steve

>>Another very good idea is to buy air-chilled chicken. They
>>have way less surface bacteria than the water-bath chilled ones.

>How would we know this Steve? Does it say on the package of chicken?

No, it has been researched however. It's not clear how
significant it is, but test results that I have seen reported
show between 20% and 80% fewer.

The eco-denialists claim there is no difference, of course.

Steve

On Wed, 7 Jan 2009 02:02:16 +0000 (UTC), [email protected] (Steve
Pope) wrote:

>sf <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>On Tue, 6 Jan 2009 17:44:05 +0000 (UTC), [email protected] (Steve
>
>>>Another very good idea is to buy air-chilled chicken. They
>>>have way less surface bacteria than the water-bath chilled ones.
>
>>How would we know this Steve? Does it say on the package of chicken?
>
>No, it has been researched however. It's not clear how
>significant it is, but test results that I have seen reported
>show between 20% and 80% fewer.
>
>The eco-denialists claim there is no difference, of course.
>
I guess the rest of us just cross our fingers and hope.



--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that
interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

sf <[email protected]> wrote:

> [email protected] (Steve Pope) wrote:

>>sf <[email protected]> wrote:

>>>How would we know this Steve? Does it say on the package of chicken?

>>No, it has been researched however. It's not clear how
>>significant it is, but test results that I have seen reported
>>show between 20% and 80% fewer.

>>The eco-denialists claim there is no difference, of course.

>I guess the rest of us just cross our fingers and hope.

Once long ago I had confirmed camphylobactir, almost certainly
from chicken. It was the sickest I've ever been, lasted
about 9 days. It was utterly miserable. I did not eat
chicken again for 10 years or so. But ultimately, when
less contaminated chicken became available, I resumed some
chicken eating. (I'm since then back to almost no chicken, or meat
or fish, for other reasons.)

Anyway, I am very happy someone is doing something about
making a safer product.

Steve

In article <[email protected]>, Arri London <[email protected]>
wrote:

> We always wash all meat/fish/poultry prior to cooking. It's not about
> bacteria, but blood specks, bits of gristle or bone etc. It's washed in
> a strainer in the sink, both of which are cleaned in hot water and lots
> of detergent after.

My wife tells me, and I don't remember this, that my mother used to use
soap and water on both chicken and turkey. I do remember that she spent
an inordinate amount of time searching for and picking out pinfeathers.
I certainly don't remember tasting soap.
Mom was raised on a farm and considered chickens as particularly nasty
creatures. I have no such worries.

leo