Don’t wash raw chicken before cooking because it spreads germs in the kitchen, warns CDC
If you have Chicken on your menu you would want to think twice before you turn on your tap to wash your raw meat.
The Centers for Disease Control recently issued a strict warning against washing chicken and other raw meat, revealing that it can spread germs throughout the kitchen. In a tweet that was posted by CDC last week, they wrote, “Don’t wash your raw chicken! Washing can spread germs from the chicken to other food or utensils in the kitchen.”
Three days later after the tweet was posted, replying to some skepticism from Twitterati, they tweeted a follow-up post that read, “We didn’t mean to get you all hot about not washing your chicken! But it’s true: kill germs by cooking chicken thoroughly, not washing it. You shouldn’t wash any poultry, meat, or eggs before cooking. They can all spread germs around your kitchen. Don’t wing food safety!”
According to the CDC, raw chicken is most often contaminated with Campylobacter bacteria and sometimes with Salmonella or Clostridium perfringens bacteria. Consuming raw or undercooked chicken, and other food or beverages that were contaminated by raw chicken or its juices might eventually lead to food poisoning.
CDC explained by washing raw chicken or other meat in the sink it is possible for the germs from the raw chicken could spread all over the kitchen. It would contaminate the sink, other surfaces, utensils and dishes with the bacteria.
CDC also advices one to use a separate cutting board while cutting raw meat and to “never place cooked food or fresh produce on a plate, cutting board or other surface that previously held raw chicken.”
After dealing with raw chicken and other meat, they advise making sure your hands are clean too. The CDC advise one to wash their hands with warm soapy water for around 20 seconds before and after you handle raw chicken.