SHOULD I WASH MY RAW CHICKEN BEFORE COOKING?
One of the most common questions and discussions is whether raw chicken should be washed before cooking. This is often a highly debated topic, because many of us have watched previous generations in the kitchen wash their raw chicken. Although habits and belief systems can be hard to change, the research conducted by food safety experts is clear. Do not wash your chicken before cooking. There are many types of pathogens that may be on raw chicken, including campylobacter, salmonella, and clostridium perfringens. Washing raw chicken does not remove any pathogens that may be on the surface. In fact, experiments have shown that washing raw chicken increases the spread of these pathogens on surfaces around the kitchen, such as the sink, faucet handle, counter, and cooking utensils. Foodborne illness affects nearly 48 million people each year, including 128,000 hospitalizations and in some cases death. The best way to avoid getting sick is to:
Wash hands for 20 seconds with soapy water before and after handling raw chicken;
Do not cross-contaminate. The plate, cutting board and utensils used with raw chicken should not be used with raw
produce or cooked foods.
Only proper cooking will kill the germs present on chicken. Use a meat thermometer to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Avoid keeping leftovers at room temperature longer than 1 hour on a hot day and 2 hours on a regular temperature day.