A TikToker preparing raw chicken sparked a debate about food safety. Here's why washing it before cooking can be dangerous.
- TikTok commenters were outraged at a food content creator who didn't wash chicken before cooking it.
- Many people think you should rinse chicken to remove bacteria like Salmonella.
Viewers of a TikToker's viral roast chicken recipe video couldn't get over the fact that she didn't wash her raw chicken while preparing it. But experts say not washing chicken can actually prevent food poisoning.
In the video with 3.4 million views, food content creator Zoe Barrie shows how to make a spatchcocked roast chicken with a chimichurri-inspired sauce.
"Umm did u wash it first tho?" one commenter replied, while one simply said "No wash?"
But others argued in Barrie's favor, with one commenting: "Washing chicken is as stupid as washing your bread."
Many people wash raw chicken – but they shouldn't
According to one 2015 survey of US grocery store shoppers, 68.7% washed their chicken despite not needing to. Studies also show that people think they need to wash Salmonella, feces or other matter left over from food processing off raw poultry, or they douse it in acidic lemon juice or vinegar in the false hope it will kill off Salmonella bacteria.
However, the Food Safety and Inspection Service advises against washing or rinsing raw poultry before cooking, and as Dr. Enzo Palombo, professor of microbiology at Swinburne University of Technology, Australia, wrote in The Conversation, "modern processing techniques mean chicken carcasses do not need additional cleaning."
According to the FSIS, "only cooking will destroy any bacteria that might be present on fresh chicken."
Washing chicken is more likely to give you food poisoning than cooking it unwashed
Washing chicken can actually increase the risk of food poisoning, because it can cause cross contamination of harmful bacteria like Salmonella and Campylobacter. Cross contamination occurs when water containing germs splashes onto surfaces, your hands, and other uncooked food, and is more risky than under cooking meat, according to research.
Researchers at the non-profit Research Triangle Institute found in 2019 that people who washed chicken in the sink were more likely to contaminate their fresh produce than people who didn't wash their chicken, because of the bacteria left in the sink, even after cleaning.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises against washing chicken, but says those who still choose to do it should follow these steps:
- Run the water gently over the chicken to reduce splashing.
- Then immediately clean the sink and area around the sink with hot soapy water and sanitize them thoroughly.
- Wash your hands for 20 seconds.