To prevent certain diseases, we tend to systematically wash our food before consuming it. Of course, to preserve our health, it is essential to disinfect products. However, not everything we eat needs to be washed. Before cooking your chicken, for example, you are surely in the habit of running it under water, right? Well, that’s wrong! It’s a reflex that seems logical to you, but it’s a gesture that you absolutely must ban. Chicken cannot be washed, neither with water nor with any other product.
You should know that the flesh of raw chicken is a nest of bacteria: by rinsing it in the sink or immersing it in a basin, you run the risk of scattering them all over the sink, the dishes and other surfaces in the kitchen. The bacteria present in chicken can thus cause food poisoning which triggers severe and distressing symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, fever and other unpleasant discomforts. As cited in an article published by the Cleveland Clinic, these microorganisms are responsible for diseases such as salmonella and other types of poisoning which, if not detected in time, can worsen health effects.

Let’s see in this article how you can clean and cook chicken properly to avoid all these inconveniences.

Wash chicken
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Wash chicken – Source: spm
How to properly clean chicken?
The chicken is not washed in water, ever! This phrase should be remembered by everyone who cooks this type of meat. Fortunately, there are other methods for properly preparing chicken and eating it safely.

Store raw chicken in the lowest part of your refrigerator or freezer. This way you will prevent its juice from contaminating other foods and therefore prevent its bacteria from spreading. Use a special cutting board for chicken. This way there will be no cross contamination and the germs will stay where they belong. With perfectly clean hands, you can take a paper towel to gently dry the chicken. This way you will eliminate some of the liquid containing bacteria.

NB: each time you plan to cook the chicken, wash your hands well with soap and water before and after handling the protein (wash your hands, not the chicken!).

Raw chicken
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Raw chicken – Source: spm
How to cook chicken in the best way?
Warning: while certain foods can be eaten raw, never consider eating your chicken raw. To ensure it is cooked properly, use a kitchen thermometer. Chicken is cooked and safe when it reaches 160°F (73.8°C).

It is essential to wash cutting boards that have been used with soap and water to remove any possibly contaminated residue.

According to a publication by the CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), salmonella is one of the leading causes of food poisoning. Its main trigger is chicken, so much so that in the United States, we know that one in twenty-five packages of this food is contaminated by this bacteria.

To avoid salmonella poisoning, it is recommended to cook the chicken properly, not to wash it with water and to ensure that the juices from its flesh do not come into contact with other surfaces or food. This will keep any disease-causing bacteria away from your food, the environment, and your stomach.