What do you think about the new information on NOT washing raw chicken before cooking?

[winterybella]

So Berties based on the information are you convinced it's the right approach? I honestly have a hard time understanding the science of it all but as much as I am strongly opposed to the suggestion, I would be more than willing to try to understand the logic.

 

[Berties]

So Berties based on the information are you convinced it's the right approach? I honestly have a hard time understanding the science of it all but as much as I am strongly opposed to the suggestion, I would be more than willing to try to under the logic.

Cross contamination is a massive percentage to food poisoning cases,by washing a chicken what are you actually doing it for,does it smell then it's not fresh,any bacteria should be surface and hopefully will get destroyed by the cooking process,you are just spreading any bacteria to your sink then if you don't clean it properly ,I mean properly not swilling it around with a bit of water I mean sanitising the area ,you are at risk
With wild game birds that are just plucked and before use we plunge them into a pan of boiling water and then remove to a bowel of iced water this is done to kill bacteria,it won't kill all but it lessens the risk,
the sign was put up to make you think about what you are doing and to be displayed in a premium supermarket ,it must be deemed important

 

[Berties]

I think you're right - the heat will kill just about everything, so why worry I suppose. That said, I do wonder what people do when they wash their chicken - do they stand in the middle of the kitchen and swing it around?? I'm confidant that the few splashes that occur when I wash my chicken are cleaned up thoroughly, and are not left to linger anywhere in my sink, on my counters, or on my chopping boards. That's what's puzzling me.

On the subject of washing eggs - I saw someone on a YouTube video doing this and I couldn't believe my eyes! If you're that worried about eggs, should you really be eating them at all? And where are you buying them from to make you so scared of cracking and breaking them without washing them?? That's completely alien to me.

More important to wash your hands after cracking the egg,than washing the egg,you wouldn't wash the egg in a antibacterial wash but you would your hands,
And again washing chicken muck into you sink will just involve cross contamination risks...and then you have to sanitizer your sink,properly other wise when you wash your salad stuffhence why some people have more than one sink
Sorry ,I'm just trying to make people think about ,processes they do or have done
Like using anti bacterial sprays are they in date do you know how to use them ie the contact time needed on surfaces for the chemical to work

 

[winterybella]

Thanks for the insight Berites. In my case this is going to be a case of "old habits being hard to die." While I am starting to see the logic, in my own case I know I will continue to wash my meat and my surfaces perhaps even more thoroughly. Granted I will pay more attention to the overall conversation and respect the decision of those who choose not to wash.

 

[Berties]

Thanks for the insight Berites. In my case this is going to be a case of "old habits being hard to die." While I am starting to see the logic, in my own case I know I will continue to wash my meat and my surfaces perhaps even more thoroughly. Granted I will pay more attention to the overall conversation and respect the decision of those who choose not to wash.

there are loads of risks within the kitchen ,you have to decide what you want to do,and access the risks ,and then make your own mind up,as i said there is a massive campaign in the uk against the washing of poultry,even a health inspector can't tell you what to do they can only advise on the dangers

 

[winterybella]

Where I live there is no campaign on as yet. While many of us watch from a distance the international conversation, I know in my culture it's going to take a while for many to change their thinking if ever. I know I speak for many living here who believe a chicken is not clean unless it sits in lime and salt for a little while. It's a culture thing I suppose. At the least the subject has my attention.

 

[Berties]

Where I live there is no campaign on as yet. While many of us watch from a distance the international conversation, I know in my culture it's going to take a while for many to change their thinking if ever. I know I speak for many living here who believe a chicken is not clean unless it sits in lime and salt for a little while. It's a culture thing I suppose. At the least the subject has my attention.

interesting concept,does it change the texture of the bird

 

[sidevalve]

I assume this isn't another piece of 'vital information' from the people that change their minds more often that their socks ? Wash / don't wash it's up to you. I have never heard of the idea of washing eggs and know of no-one who has - there comes a point where simple hygiene becomes an obsession. As I have mentioned before you are more likely to catch something that will kill you from a handshake.

 

[Diane Lane]

Interesting, I've never heard this, and am still seeing chefs washing chicken, or at least washing their hands every time they touch the raw chicken, on all of the cooking shows I watch. Granted, most of the shows I watch are re-runs from a few years back, but I'm going to be on the lookout for this now. I still wash my chicken, and I also bleach the sink after, as well as the areas surrounding the sink, just in case anything has leaked or splashed.

 

[Berties]

Interesting, I've never heard this, and am still seeing chefs washing chicken, or at least washing their hands every time they touch the raw chicken, on all of the cooking shows I watch. Granted, most of the shows I watch are re-runs from a few years back, but I'm going to be on the lookout for this now. I still wash my chicken, and I also bleach the sink after, as well as the areas surrounding the sink, just in case anything has leaked or splashed.

i never use bleach in the kitchen at work,it bit of a no no,but if you do use it .it will kill campylobacter the bacteria that we are trying to avoid spreading

 

[winterybella]

interesting concept,does it change the texture of the bird

So yesterday one of my regular customers comes buy to pick up something before he travels for competition.He's a Chef who represents our island in competition so naturally, I got the conversation going about not washing the chicken. As I expected he was aware of the conversation but was still not applying the "don't wash" rule.

Then he went on to speak to our tradition of using the lime and salt on our meats and fish. He remarked that we were actually cooking the meat slightly by using the method which I sort of agreed with based on some changes I had seen when I left the salt and lime on too long. He says that he usually just dips the chicken or fish in the lime and salt water before preparation. Sometimes around here we use vinegar where there are no limes or lemons and we both concluded it has the same effect as "lime and salting" the pork etc. A different culture I suppose.

 

[Berties]

So yesterday one of my regular customers comes buy to pick up something before he travels for competition.He's a Chef who represents our island in competition so naturally, I got the conversation going about not washing the chicken. As I expected he was aware of the conversation but was still not applying the "don't wash" rule. Then he went on to speak to our tradition of using the lime and salt on our meats and fish. He remarked that we were actually cooking the meat slightly by using the method which I sort of agreed with based on some changes I had seen when I left the salt and lime on too long. He says that he usually just dips the chicken or fish in the lime and salt water before preparation. Sometimes around here we use vinegar where there are no limes or lemons and we both concluded it has the same effect as "lime and salting" the pork etc. A different culture I suppose.

I use salt and lemon on fish,it will chemically cook it known as cerviche,and salting fish in a cure like gravalax,and salt for dry cured hams,I've brined and hung meat like bresaola hence my intriguing reply,thank you for your answer

 

[Diane Lane]

i never use bleach in the kitchen at work,it bit of a no no,but if you do use it .it will kill campylobacter the bacteria that we are trying to avoid spreading

I use just a drop of the bleach. I don't like the smell, and can't use too much, due to my asthma, but I don't like sliminess in my sink from meat, etc. Thanks for letting me know the bacteria we were discussing, I'll have to research more to learn about it.

 

[winterybella]

I use just a drop of the bleach. I don't like the smell, and can't use too much, due to my asthma, but I don't like sliminess in my sink from meat, etc. Thanks for letting me know the bacteria we were discussing, I'll have to research more to learn about it.

I use bleach in my sink all of the time. I never stopped to think if it was right or wrong but I know it leaves my sink nice and white/cream. I was using it more for that than anything else. Even though we constantly hear about Samonella etc, I just figured we ought to be constantly washing our hands and cleaning surfaces or work areas as we go along to remain safe.

 

[Berties]

I use bleach in my sink all of the time. I never stopped to think if it was right or wrong but I know it leaves my sink nice and white/cream. I was using it more for that than anything else. Even though we constantly hear about Samonella etc, I just figured we ought to be constantly washing our hands and cleaning surfaces or work areas as we go along to remain safe.

a lot of bacteria gets spread by cross contamination,bacteria may be present in most fresh products so thus gets effected by poor storage and poor handling of the product ,good cleaning process cleaning and sanitising ,washing your hands can stop the cross contamination of staphylococcus strains from the human body,
its making us think about the way we clean and deal with food ,there is not a wrong or a right way its what suits your way of preparing food