Mumsnet Talk

So sorry, this must be one of the most boring threads ever written. I always wash chicken, whether it be breasts or whole bird. My husband when cooking refuses to wash chicken as he says you dont need to. This makes me hysterical. I think it should be washed.

your husband is right

there is far greater risk of spreading illness from splashing germs across your sink! cooking kills anything far more effectively.

you don't need to. All the bacteria on the chicken will be killed during cooking. All you are doing is getting the bacteria off the chicken and transferring it to your sink and hands. Better not to wash it imho.

Current advice say don't wash it. Until I heard that, I always did too. Apparently washing just spreads any Campylobacter or Salmonella or whatever else it's harbouring all over the place.

link

No need to, the heat when cooking should be enough to zap any germs

Raw chicken should be handled as little as possible IMO, to avoid spreading germs around your kitchen

you are wrong to wash chicken.
just remember to wash you hands after handling raw meat and avoid cross contamination from chopping boards, knives etc

I always wash in in a 'special chicken washing' bowl. I wash it in the sink, then after that all the bleach and disinfectant comes out to clean around. Thanks advice will stop washing.

I used to wash mine, pat it dry with kitchen roll, then pick it up by its wings, let its legs dangle, and "dance" it across the worktop my kids used to love it, this was before anything was known about "germs", i don't do it anymore, but i did catch my ds telling his children about it

luvoneson 'a special chicken washing bowl' are you bonkers ?????
you didn't even when you wrote that !!!!

pmsl@smac

i love it when a thread starts off really mundane and then makes me pmsl. Chickens dancing on a worktop? Rofl

luvoneson I'm now curious as to what you do at Christmas for the turkey? Does the turkey get a special day pass for the 'special chicken washing bowl?'

I have never heard of anyone washing chicken. You learn something new everyday.

I might start the dancing chicken though, I love that!

I always wash chicken (inside and out).

Will know in future not to do this.

In the Caribbean people 'wash' chicken and other meats in vinegar - white cane sugar vinegar IME. Not lots of vinegar but enough to cover it when poured over and inside gently. So no slashing around teh kitchen. It also lends a specific flavour to the chicken after it is cooked.

It works almost like putting on a marinade of limejuice etc.

I think that we never had food poisoning in my house may be partly be down to this routine what with lack of or poor refrigeration at times and the heat.

I remember reading in 'I capture the castle' about the girl washing some "rather dirty looking lamb chops". Made me laugh out loud. I'd never heard of anyone washing meat of any sort since then, until now - that's got to be 35 years!

i came on this board to start a thread. now you all go over to my thread and see if you can help.

OK foxytocin, I've gone to your thread. Not very original but I tried.

Love the idea of a 'special chicken washing' bowl . What does it look like, please post a pic, loveoneson, go on you know you want to.

(I mean I wasn't very original btw!)

<whistles innocently, pretends neither DP nor I ever do this>

Now, washing mince like that fella off BB many years ago, that's crazy!

ooh, I always wash my chicken. Don't have a special bowl though. will abandon the practice. you learn something new every day...

Why would you wash a chicken?

Seriously?

Chicken-washers do you also wash other meats?

Why? But why???

all my instructions say wash well and pat try with kitchen roll. so I do.

Don't normally wash mince...

ernest I am a born instruction-follower as well.

But I've never heard this one before.

I don't understand why you would do it? In case the chicken is dirty? Wouldn't they have washed them at teh slaughterhouse if it was necessary?

Maybe I will never know...

1st recpe google for roast chicken "preparation

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Rinse the chicken, then dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out. The less it steams, the drier the heat, the better."

and again

Quick Pesto Roasted Chicken
User Rating Be the first to write a review
By Diana Rattray, About.com
See More About:roasted chickenwhole chicken recipesbaked chicken

Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 broiler or roasting chicken, about 4 to 5 pounds
1/4 cup prepared pesto
fresh basil leaves or 1 teaspoon dried leaf basil and cut up lemon and/or orange, for cavity, optional
salt and pepper
Preparation:

Heat oven to 425°.
Wash chicken and pat dry. With your fingers, separate the skin from the meat around the breast and legs. Push small amounts of pesto under the skin.........

they all say it.

maybe they're in league with Bounty Plenty or detox surface cleaner or something