How To Wash Raw Chicken To Prevent Harmful Bacteria From Spreading In Kitchen

Be it Biryani, Momos, Rolls, Kebabs, or curries, chicken lovers are fond of eating fresh chicken. But before cooking, everyone washes and rinses the meat with water to remove blood and fat from the meat. But are you aware that washing chicken before cooking can be fatal? Many people don’t know the right way to wash chicken, and as per a report published in The Conversation, chicken should never be washed before cooking.

Earlier, washing chickens was necessary as traces of feathers, slime, or dirt were found on them when brought from the market. But nowadays, poultry is pre-washed and ready to cook. Still, people wash the chicken for their satisfaction to remove the dangerous microorganisms from the raw meat. Chicken indeed contains harmful microorganisms, but washing it before cooking doesn’t remove them.

In general, chicken contains a type of bacteria called Salmonella and Campylobacter. These germs can cause severe illnesses, with infections causing symptoms such as fever, vomiting, nausea, diarrhoea and possibly even septicaemia (blood infection). Notably, children, pregnant women, elderly people, and those with other health conditions are most at risk of illness from these bacteria.

Hence, this process does not eliminate all the germs; it only removes the bacteria on the surface. It also increases the risk of infection from raw chicken significantly since it might allow bacteria that are cleaned off the chicken skin to travel around the kitchen.

So, you might be wondering how to wash the chicken. Most of the time, raw poultry comes in wrappers or containers that are infected with bacteria. So, first and foremost, open the container and take out the chicken. Dispose of the container immediately in a clean plastic bag to prevent spills on the kitchen floor.