To ask if you clean your meat?

[Cleopatois]

I use lemon and water or white vinegar and water to clean all my meat.

A colleague said she didn't just through it from pack to pan :O

Her reasoning was 'its free range so that means it clean'.

Another colleague said it is a culture thing. What do you do?

Gamer chick.. if that's what you have wrongly picked up then its from your own feelings not mine.

Nothing to do with COOKING..this is about prep.

Blimey! Every day is a school day! Perhaps I should have been scrubbing meat for the last 55 years... off to check.... here or here

No, thought so, no need to wash meat at all. In fact washing meat actually spreads germs further.

I don't know any one who washes meat- including my French neighbours!

I actually like to smell meat as it cooks, and enjoy the taste of meat. I use lots of seasonings, herbs and spices as the recipe I'm doing needs.
I have no worries that the meat I buy may be dirty and if I found it to be [never have but whatever] slimy or smelly I would take it back as it would be OFF.
However, I am buying my meat from a reputable butchers or supermarket, either in the UK or France.....perhaps if I was buying in a country with poor hygene and sanitation I might think differently.

@puppyfat

But, why? Why would you do this? Rare for MN to truely shock me. This is one if those times.

Hopping Green quite possibly in some cases.

I agree 100% with your post Hoppinggreen.

But vinegar also cooks / tenderises meat. That's why marinades contain vinegar.

Beyond bizarre!

Worra

Quick question! Before the days of packaged meat so butchers, markets, street vendors etc, did you (or your parents) not even rinse the meat? Not necessarily for bacterial reasons but to remove grit etc?

No episode growing up we got a twice yearly delivery of meat from the butcher bagged up areadly chucked it in the massisve chest freezer then when defrosted went srtaifht into the pan or cassrole dish

I find washing meat odd

Episode noo because heat kills grit, bacteria and slime... :/

Hoppinggreen

@Cleo

Never.

I have never washed meat and never will. Out the packet and into the oven/pan whichever. There is no dirt on meat.

I'm not sure what seasoning meat has got to do with anything. I use all sorts of seasoning when I cook.

I have you know cleo we didnt eat slime the butcher was a brill butcher who my mum stayed with for 25 odd years

Cleo I think you would benefit from a new butcher.

What's wrong.. touched a nerve?

Read back over your posts and replace the words because you're white to black and see how it comes across.. then give your head a wobble.

Then go back to washing your meat and he majority of us Will Just stick it in the oven as advised.

I'm English and have always given it a clean with water before cooking

I get my meat from a farm butcher, local high street butcher and supermarket.

Can't believe this thread. Have never had 'slimy' meat - surely it is off if it is slimy? As for blood and having a raw smell/taste - well it's bloody raw before it's been cooked isn't it?

Surely, quite apart from being unhygienic and a waste of time, washing meat removes some of the flavour?

One of the most important parts of food hygiene is washing your hands when preparing food, not washing the food itself.

Gamer you haven't touched any nerve. I find you slightly amusing and I am sure my white mother would to.

I used to wash meat under the tap as I was brought up that way, until I found out how dangerous and unnecessary it was. I think there was a bit of a North South divide on this, but when I was younger it was before today's hygiene rules. Going back 30 years most meat came from local butchers and it would often have sawdust and other bits on it.
I haven't seen this in years though. Any slime that comes out, for example in bacon, is due to the use of sodium polyphosphates to bulk out cheap meat.

Before the days of packaged meat so butchers, markets, street vendors etc, did you (or your parents) not even rinse the meat? Not necessarily for bacterial reasons but to remove grit etc?

Unless you dropped it on the ground, why would there be grit on it?

I would rinse a freshly plucked and drawn pheasant, and also burn off any residual feathery bits, but that's it.