US: What are you trying to wash off your chicken when you wash it?!
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I doesn't really make sense to me either. As you say, cooking at a high temperature will kill bacteria, but also washing increases that bacteria spreading to other surfaces from water spray. Having said that I have heard chicken in the US has more additives than here in the uk so maybe it's needed?
Professional kitchens do not wash chicken. It spreads far much more bacteria than you’d be consuming once the food is cooked. My partner tries to wash chicken with white vinegar and I cringe thinking about the chicken juices in my damn sink
It’s cultural. So because some people grew up seeing their family do it they think it has to be done and that it’s ‘dirty’ or ‘disgusting’ not to. But as someone who worked in kitchens for years, it’s an unnecessary practise that is far more risky than not doing it at all. I would have faced disciplinary action if I tried to wash chicken at my job, so trust they are not doing it in restaurants/ fast food places etc. If people want to do it because it’s part of their culture then go for it but these posts always have to turn nasty with people making out that people who don’t do it are gross etc
My husband is the one who cooks chicken here and I don’t think he does rinse it off. At least I’ve never seen him do it. According to the cdc it doesn’t rinse off bacteria and it can actually increase the risk of food borne illness. So I agree, all it does is make you drip chicken bacteria all over your kitchen.
@Laura it doesn’t need it because of the additives. Or at least that’s not why people do it. It’s because things are much less cleanly here and they think it will rinse off any
I don’t think it’s a US vs UK thing. It’s cultural. My family and I wash our meat, but we know it doesn’t necessarily kill bacteria. We disinfect and bleach everything afterwards too. It’s just something we’ve always done & I don’t plan to stop personally, but each to their own. Tbh I wouldn’t go out of my way these days to call people nasty for not washing their chicken, meat etc because I definitely eat out at restaurants who wouldn’t be doing it 🤷🏽♀️
Raw chicken on your chicken 😂 I love that. I’ve never washed my chicken before cooking (From AUS) and there’s so many studies that show it spreads far more bacteria by washing it then not
Wait, people wash their chicken before cooking it? Had no idea that was a thing! Lol I just always knew you had to cook chicken all the way through to prevent salmonella and kill any bacteria. Interesting!
I live in the US, but have never washed my chicken. But I have heard from those that do is to rinse the slimy film off, but I honestly don't know what film they talk about 🤷♀️
As a Brit that lived in the US for a few years this baffled me too I was told it's because there's all sorts of nasty chemicals on the chicken that they need to wash off before eating it