DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... CDC: Stop washing your raw chicken!

Health officials once again warned consumers about the dangers of washing raw chicken before cooking it, citing the risk of spreading harmful bacteria to utensils or other foods. In a tweet sent out on April 26, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) linked to a series of steps that can help eliminate the chances of food poisoning while cooking at home.

“Americans eat more chicken every year than any other meat,” the CDC said. “Chicken can be a nutritious choice, but raw chicken is often contaminated with Campylobacter bacteria and sometimes with Salmonella and Clostridium perfringens bacteria. If you wat undercooked chicken or other foods or beverages contaminated by raw chicken or its juices, you can get a foodborne illness, which is also called food poisoning.”

The agency recommended placing raw chicken in a disposable bag before placing it in the shopping cart or refrigerator, washing hands with soapy water after handling it, using a separate cutting board to handle it, and never placing cooked food or fresh produce on the same surface as uncooked chicken.

Among other tasks, it also suggested using a food thermometer to ensure the chicken is cooked, and in bold the CDC advised against washing raw chicken because “chicken juices can spread in the kitchen and contaminate other foods, utensils and countertops.”

While food poisoning can be an unpleasant experiences for anyone, children under 5, people over 65 and those with weakened immune systems as well as pregnant women are at risk for developing serious illnesses. It is advised to call a doctor if temperatures reach over 102 degrees, diarrhea lasts more than three days, blood is found in stool, there is prolonged vomiting or if there are any signs of dehydration.

https://www.foxnews.com/health/cdc-stop-washing-your-raw-chicken

I don't get it. How is washing raw chicken contaminating utensils and other food, unless you wash it over top of or very near those items.

Not 100% sure, but if you are washing the chicken in your sink full of dirty dishes, the bacteria is sitting on those dishes. If you are then not washing those dishes properly after the fact....

Maybe as the water droplets splash around the kitchen and you, things get contaminated.

Don't question it! Stop washing your chicken!

It spreads bacteria around. Dr Oz said this a long time ago.

Cause moving chicken sopped in it's own juices and blood isn't doing the same thing?

Watched a demonstration once where they coated the raw chicken in something that only showed under a blacklight.... then the cook used all of the normal cooking safety precautions while preparing, then cleaned the kitchen thoroughly... afterward they turned off the light and ran the black light around, remnants of raw chicken juice was EVERYWHERE. Sink faucet, countertops, cabinet handles, utensils...

The Government told you what to do.
You shall cease and desist from washing your chicken!

As per the CDC I just cook it as is.
I especially like the crunch bag inside the whole chicken.

I never wash chicken, because I don't like soapy chicken. I just make sure I cook it enough. My friend Betty Crocker helps me with that.

Well, that cook is a moron then. It’s not hard to quarantine raw meat within your own kitchen. I wear gloves when I’m prepping the meat and I’m aware to not cross contaminate any handle or surface.

This was 20 years ago, I go to our apartment buildings sun deck to cook a steak. A woman comes down after me with two chicken breasts on a plate. She cooks them and then uses the same plate to take them back upstairs. I wanted to yell, “Enjoy your dinner and diarrhea.”

I seen them wash Pelicans with Dawn dish washing liquid on tv and they seemed ok.

I don't know how the CDC feels about washing Pelicans but DON'T WASH CHICKEN!

Cleanliness is next to Pelicaness.

I rinse my chicken under low pressure. I also have a bleach solution I spray on the counters and sink after any meal I prepare.


Kitchen safe practices.

Exactly!!!

Anarchists, Radicals! Going against the Government at every turn!

DWC!

I treat raw chicken like it is covered in deadly poison, because it is.

Low pressure wash, only a trickle of water, no dishes in sink, wash hands, touch NOTHING, chicken washed goes directly in baking dish, wash counter, wash hands, container double-bagged while in sink, rinse off, wash hands, let bag drain in sink, put in third dry bag later, wash hands, wash counter, touch NOTHING, bag goes to trash, come back in and wash hands AGAIN.

Paper towels separated from roll and ready, used each time hands are washed, put into bag nearby and ready.

What the CDC is concerned about here is that at every step, your hands, the container, anything that has contacted the chicken or juice is now contaminated with diluted poison, which is actually bacteria which will multiply rapidly, so diluted is just as bad as original source. ISOLATE.

I have had a previous, very serious food-related illness. You are not paranoid enough.

Salmonella - Tastes like chicken

et tu Nelson?

Just cook it, don't wash it!

And trust me, I am plenty paranoid.

Way too much work. Just get a rotisserie chicken from the grocery, or KFC.

Heat kills bacteria. Just cook it thoroughly...

Thank you Eve, my work is now done here.

Cook all poultry, pork, and ground meats to a minimum internal temperature of 165F. Use a meat thermometer. The reason ground meats need to be cooked all the way through is because the bacteria on the surface of the meat gets ground up and distributed throughout the ground meat.

Steaks and other solid beef cuts need to at least be seared, to kill surface bacteria.

I always rinse my chicken and I always cook it 'til it's done. I've never gotten sick.

Beef has just as much bacteria. Do you wash it?

The bacteria on chicken is very, very much worse than on beef.

If I cooked it without washing it, it would sit in the fridge uneaten until I threw it away.

KFC is an absolute no go, unless I don't need to leave the house for several days. Grocery store chicken, well, mine is better.

Sure, paranoid. Ever had the heaves for several hours? Almost all day, every day, for months. My record for not leaving the room was 8 hours straight. I got to a point where I would just not eat, there would be a stretch of maybe 4-6 hours around the 2.5 day mark where it did not feel like I was going to puke in the next 5 minutes. If I timed it just right I could get almost a full night's sleep.

I wash my raw chicken.

A bud of mine got sick like that from a bad raw clam.

Spent a week in the hospital, almost killed him.

I always prep the chicken, and after it's cut and in the pan, I clean counters, sink, or anything else it could have touched. Then I cook.

You might want to google about bacteria on beef.

You might want to enlighten yourself on salmonella levels in chicken, and the toxicity levels inherent therein.

Yes, there is bacteria on beef, but salmonella generates actual poison, and, I repeat, is far more dangerous.

"Washing it" is not what people do. They rinse it. There is a huge, huge difference. People don't wash their chicken, or meat, they rinse it.

Chicken has bacteria on the inside and outside. As long as the internal temperature reaches 165F, the bacteria will die. Then you have to keep it out of the danger zone. The food service danger zone is 40-140F, for more than 4 hours. That is when bacteria begins to grow on food.

Yeah. And clean the surrounding area.

I've never even heard of washing chicken. My mom and then the wife prepare it, they cook it, and all is good. If I die from chicken bacteria, I'll start a thread about it.

Rinse is the correct word, and salmonella bacteria can be killed by heat, but the poison they excrete is not, they need air, the excreted poison is on the exterior of the food, and can be rinsed off.

I think I am done eating chicken.

I want KFC. I didn't 10 minutes ago , but now I do.

They got a special on the 100 piece Bucket I hear.

The really odd thing is that food service, where an outbreak tied to a restaurant could be fatal to the business, disagrees with you.

I would add one more thing to the rest of people. Make sure you wash your hands and forearms with a good antibacterial soap after handling raw chicken. Leave the soap on for at least 30 seconds to allow it to do its work. Do not touch your eyes, nose, or mouth until you disinfect your hands and forearms.

Who in the heck washes chicken.

I just take a shower with mine.

Built in rotisserie?

I always rinse any solid meat I am cooking off. With Chicken I also soak it in brine before I cook it and I rinse off the brine too. To me not rinsing meat is just nasty and gross because it directly affects taste.

I mean just clean your kitchen as you go is just a simple basic practise to me. I use a vinegar solution though since that is better for the environment and cleans better imho.