DS's teacher telling them to wash poulty before cooking it...

[MaisietheMorningsideCat]

I was horrified when he told me, I explained to him why you shouldn't and told him that the FSA/Govt guidelines are that you don't. He then went back to his teacher and said that his mum said she shouldn't be washing it but she's rejected that out of hand, and said she's been teaching for years and has to disagree with me.

How do I take this further without incurring her wrath even further?!

You are meant to rinse out the cavity of a whole bird, aren't you?

This is a new one on me. Can we have a link to the guidelines?

I've heard that actually you shouldn't. Rinsing would just splash chicken juices everywhere, in sink, on hands and so on. The heat at which chickens are cooked is sufficient to kill nasties.

No!! You don't wash poulty - link here. Scroll down to the bit at the bottom of the page entitled 'after gutting poultry or game'

You definitely SHOULDN"T rinse. You may need to get some proof to pass on to the teacher who is giving out false info!

Thanks. That's cleared up something I've wondered about for ages - I have always rinsed out the cavity, just because that's what I used to see my mum doing!
I'll stop now!!

So what do you think about letting this teacher know? I don't want to let it go because it's a pretty serious error she's making, but equally I don't want to step on her professional toes iykwim?

Why not just send her a copy of the guidelines and say you are now confused? She then might be prompted to update her knowledge for next year (though don't force her to be admit she was wrong - best just to plant the seed!)
(how old is your ds btw - will he be mortified if you do anything?

That advice is wrong anyway as regards to gutting etc
It says if you have to gut it yourself get it into the fridge as soon as possible
you can hang some birds for a while happily before prepping them
Has the person who wrote that gumph ever done a bird from scratch?

wouldnt wash a bought bird though

must she say sounds dogmatic and a bit dim if she thinks how long she's been teaching has anything to do with it.
has she never heard of, you know, advances in scientific research?

DS is 13 - and yes, I think he will be mortified, esp. as she shot him down in flames when he spoke out. I wondered about emailing her (if they have that facility) and sending her the link. If not, I might mention it in passing at parents night, and then run when she pulls an face. IIRC from my school days c.1870 Home Ec. teachers are a fearsome breed.

do you lick the cavity much?

It's all down to personal preference, but when it comes to teaching food hygiene a teacher should definitely be following the FSA guidelines.