Wait, not everyone washes and dries their meat before seasoning?
- Thread starter Slayven
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I wash my meat, but never in my life would I have thought about washing meat for cooking. The most I'm doing other than seasoning is patting dry in some cases.
If I was blood bound to honor the ways of my parents I'd be overcooking the fuck out of eggs and beef
But I believe in doing better for the next generation so, unlike myself as a child, my kids will know the taste of med.rare steak and eggs that finished cooking on the plate, and their chicken will go unwashed
But I believe in doing better for the next generation so, unlike myself as a child, my kids will know the taste of med.rare steak and eggs that finished cooking on the plate, and their chicken will go unwashed
Foods that can cause food poisoning
Some foods are more likely to contain germs that can make you sick.www.cdc.gov
- You should not wash raw poultry or meat before cooking it, even though some older recipes may call for this step. Washing raw poultry or meat can spread bacteria to other foods, utensils, and surfaces, and does not prevent illness.
Chicken and Food Poisoning
If chicken is on your menu, follow these tips to help prevent food poisoning.
Can't you just clean your sink after?
I mean you can wash your chicken too, but in either case, you are adding unnecessary work for no benefit.
Part of the problem is that you don't know where it splashes, you might see some drops but not others (might be super small and fly further than you think), so not all is going to go into the sink. And iirc it can also aerosolize, which would be even more problematic. I'll admit that I am more doubtful of this last point, but I am not an expert on aerosols lol.
The only meat that I wash is chicken and that's with a mixture of water, salt, vinegar and lemon/lime juice in a bowl. I'm not sure if people think people are washing meats like you'd go about washing dishes but it's mainly just leaving it to soak in the solution in a bowl and washing it off.
Got that from my parents and pretty much do the same thing I've learned.
The answers you're getting do not surprise me one bit generally, it's cultural differences.
Got that from my parents and pretty much do the same thing I've learned.
The answers you're getting do not surprise me one bit generally, it's cultural differences.
If you are brining your chicken that is a completely different thing(something more people should be doing tbh, wet or dry brine, same with butterflying chicken breasts for even cooking), but if someone thinks it is removing food borne illnesses or "cleaning" the chicken, it's really not.
This thread is amazing. Who knows where it will go next?
Thinking of hot tap water anywhere near my uncooked food is making me feel a little queasy tbh.
Thinking of hot tap water anywhere near my uncooked food is making me feel a little queasy tbh.
Yes, you should not wash meat in countries with strong food safety practices.
But some people do, especially in historically disadvantaged communities, because they have not always had access to "clean and safe" food, as has been explained in this thread. So to then come in and call them "stupid" for acting in response to a history of oppression and systematic racism is pretty distasteful. It is understandably hard to unlearn some of these lessons once they have been beaten into you.
No, that's not what my post meant and it's not what the thread was about, not what most of the people commenting were speaking in the context of. Stop looking for something that isn't there.
It's very much an Indian thing to do. My in laws still wash their chicken and do a quick rinse in vinegar and turmeric/milk. I can see why they did it because India has very different health standards than the US but when they do it for American style dishes the chicken just ends up being a sopping mess.
How is it not what your post meant or what this thread is about? People do this for various reasons, and you called them stupid for it. As has, again, been pointed out again and again. If that's not what you meant, please clarify.
It's not that hard to say "I spoke harshly on a topic I don't really fully understand, and I didn't mean to be insulting."
That's not how the thread started, but that is what is has become a while ago now.
You know fine well it's not what my post (or similar ones from other people) meant. Stop looking for an excuse to parade you high horse about.
If this was a thread about "disadvantaged groups need to wash meat because they don't have access to clean water" then yeah. But it's not, and that doesn't need to be stated because it's obvious and quite clearly not what it meant.
Because some people can't afford to get fresh meat???
This thread is pretty frustrating.
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Look, you're clearly more interested in proving that YOU didn't do anything wrong rather than being at all self reflective or understanding of what issues underprivileged communities have gone through that might inform their meat handling practices. If you actually want to educate yourself and, you know, be better, Nepenthe has made the relevant and insightful posts in this thread.
ok, ok.
Real question.
Do you pee standing up? Not worried about pee splashing back all over your pants/face (splashes can go up to 6ft or something)?
Real question.
Do you pee standing up? Not worried about pee splashing back all over your pants/face (splashes can go up to 6ft or something)?
Peeing serves a purpose, washing meat does not.
But yeah, sitting while peeing is more sanitary
Here we go again...
As someone who's whole career relates to food science, foodborne illness, and food safety. Do not wash your chicken or raw meat.
I've found salmonella, campylobacter, and listeria spp. on ceilings and walls of commercial kitchens. Know why? One of the reasons I've been able to trace back was because people were washing raw meats and poultry. People do not notice every splash and how far they go.
As an added bonus, you literally gain nothing from doing this besides "feeling" better. Seasonings bind just fine to purge and fat, and if you are marinading, you'd be better off just using a disposable ziplock bag.
As someone who's whole career relates to food science, foodborne illness, and food safety. Do not wash your chicken or raw meat.
I've found salmonella, campylobacter, and listeria spp. on ceilings and walls of commercial kitchens. Know why? One of the reasons I've been able to trace back was because people were washing raw meats and poultry. People do not notice every splash and how far they go.
As an added bonus, you literally gain nothing from doing this besides "feeling" better. Seasonings bind just fine to purge and fat, and if you are marinading, you'd be better off just using a disposable ziplock bag.
What if I wash the container my chicken was marinating in and reuse that container for other stuff? I'm asking for a friend...
You are probably right but again its something that has been passed down for the people who do it from generations we've always done it. Whether it actually does anything is a different story but there is historical and cultural reference point to it. My parents and family come from the Caribbean islands we live in Canada now but these are things that they learned from living there and have brought over with them (while also teaching us these things). You clean your chicken then you go about seasoning it and other stuff afterwards. I'm going to presume that most of the posters who do or have done it come from a black household like myself where we have been taught to do this.
And there you have it.
The cultural reasons why people have washed their meat make complete sense and I get wanting people to be more sensitive of this context, but people doubling down on continuing to do it is wild.
chicken washers justifying why they still wash their chicken after repeatedly hearing it has zero positives
chicken washer should be a member tag tbh so we can weed out the weenies
This is the way I was brought up. Maybe this is a black or POC thing.
My Haitian mother taught me to wipe the chicken down with a lime/lemon then drench it a little with vinegar afterwards... I couldn't imagine not doing that with chicken that I prepare.
