Stop rinsing the raw chicken before use- surprised? Here is the reason

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Meeshika Sharma
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Stop rinsing the raw chicken before use- surprised? Here is the reason

It is advised to stop rinsing chicken before use. Things just get worse doing thatPublic health officials say that’s a really bad idea to wash chicken before using it.

Not only Health Canada advises against rinsing meat but the FDA and U.K.’s Food Standards Agency advises against it too.

Keith Warriner, a food science professor at the University of Guelph, says the problem is that for years, home cooks were told to do just that.

Rinsing off meat or poultry is actually pointless, Warriner says, since any bacteria that might be on the meat surface are going to be burned off during cooking anyway. Meanwhile the washing process runs the very real risk of spreading bacteria.

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Spray from the tap can “aerosolize” bacteria, and tiny droplets can find their way onto the sink, work surfaces and utensils as far as 50 cm away.

The pathogen that’s of most concern when it comes to chicken is called campylobacter.

“Just 500 cells of campylobacter will give you profuse diarrhea for a week,” he said, adding that not much more is needed for E. coli or salmonella infection either.

When such a small amount of bacteria is needed for infection, cleaning a sink after rinsing a chicken might not be enough.

Warriner added, “The sink is the hotspot for bacteria in the kitchen “Sponges, particularly, harbour huge numbers of bacteria and are magnets for contamination. So when we clean surfaces with these sponges, we just spread them around.”

He says, “That’s why we always go back to the point that you don’t need to rinse meat; there’s no benefit."

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