Don't Wash Your Raw Chicken, Folks

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:10pm

Apparently, Julia Childs was wrong. For those who prepare and cook chicken on regular basis: this is a noteworthy read.


And no, the title of this thread is not a euphemism...unless you want it to be!

[Gothampc]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:25pm

More useless information from taxpayer supported NPR.

It's not like Julia Child was some know nothing housewife who made it up as she went along. She was trained at a very prestigious cooking school. She spent years practicing her cooking. We also hear more about salmonella today then we did in Julia's day, probably because Julia washed her chicken and people today don't. Listen to Julia and wash your chicken.

Updated On: 8/23/13 at 02:25 PM

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:34pm

or feed unwashed chicken to trolls

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:35pm

Useless?

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:38pm

"We also hear more about salmonella today then we did in Julia's day, probably because Julia washed her chicken and people today don't."

I don't remember the last time I heard about a salmonella outbreak (and subsequent recall) that had anything to do with chicken. Most of what we hear about today concerns vegetables (especially leafy greens like spinach) that were contaminated at some point during the farming and packaging process. Washing, or not washing, your chicken would have nothing to do with that.

In addition, no disrespect to the late Julia Childs, but that quick rinse she gave her chicken is not going to really change anything in regards to removing any bacteria. What it will do is splash now germ-infected water that a lot of people won't think of wiping up right away, if at all.

Want to avoid salmonella? Follow basic kitchen safety to avoid cross-contamination and make sure you cook your food to the recommended temperature. Doing those will keep you far less likely from getting sick than just rinsing your chicken under the faucet for a few seconds.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:38pm

Goth is absolutely right.

Btw, Goth, feel free to eat poultry medium rare or even raw, like sushi. Perfectly healthy. (I learned this from Fox.)

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:40pm

That's because you don't hear the truth in the lamestream media.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:42pm

should i wash it before or after i choke it?

[artscallion]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:45pm

The NPR story is correct. Washing a chicken is not good for exactly the reasons stated.

If you watch Julia's show, you can regularly see her butcher a chicken and then use the same knife/cutting board to chop her veggies without so much as wiping the board/knife in between. It was a different time, with different rules.

Julia made amazing contributions to the American kitchen by pulling us out of the 1950s everything-instant-frozen-convenience way of life back into actual cooking from scratch again. But she was certainly no final authority on food safety.

[Kad]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:50pm

My father is a master chef and an absolute stickler for proper food safety. Always wears gloves, separate knives/cutting boards, constant washing, etc. He has a spotless record- pun intended- with health inspectors and not a single incident of food poisoning from anyone he has cooked for. Nothing irritates him more than watching a celebrity chef mold and mangle food with bare hands. I would trust him over Julia Child, but then I have familial bias.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:56pm

If I recall correctly, Julia and Jacques had a huge fight about this on their short-lived joint show.

Julia washed the chicken and laughed to herself uproariously as she tickled the chicken under its wings and said "Kootchi-kootchi-chicky-poo!" Meanwhile, Jacques muttered under his breath, "Stoopid Americain, go ahead and catch ze sal-mone-in-the-dell and see if I care eef you die, Amazon-beetch!"

http://www.hulu.com/watch/233291

Updated On: 8/23/13 at 02:56 PM

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:59pm

i wash my chicken and it's 4skin very thoroughly on a daily basis, thank you very much!

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 3:03pm

PJ, incredible memory you have.

Goth, I'm sure when you get sick from salmonella you'll still think this is "useless information." Cool.

[Broadwayboobs]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 3:08pm

I wash my chicken before and after I choke it just to be safe.

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 3:10pm

He's not that much younger than you.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 3:34pm

Well thank you to all who wished salmonella poisoning on me. You're so kind.

I've washed chicken for years and never had a problem. If you wish to ingest the tiny particles of grit and dirt that can get lodged on chicken between the processing plant, your grocery store and your kitchen, that's your choice. I prefer a clean chicken.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 3:47pm

Teasing aside, Goth, the problem is that salmonella is far more dangerous than microscopic grit or dirt. I'm happy you've been lucky so far.

The other thing this underlines for me is how important it is to know as far as possible where your food comes from and how it's been processed.

Updated On: 8/23/13 at 03:47 PM

[Gothampc]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 4:13pm

Salmonella has only recently come to the public's attention. And the reason is because people don't take the time to clean like they are supposed to. You didn't hear about it years ago because people weren't in a hurry and did things properly.

My grandmother would go out in her front yard, grab a chicken, wring its neck, chop it's head off, pluck it, WASH IT, and throw it in a pot of boiling water or if she were going to fry it, cut it into pieces. Nobody ever got sick off her chicken.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 4:19pm

That's kind of my point. There wasn't the chance for contamination as there is now with chicken factories.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 4:27pm

My grandmother would go out in her front yard, grab a chicken, wring its neck, chop it's head off, pluck it, WASH IT, and throw it in a pot of boiling water

You're supposed to chop its head off BEFORE you pluck it?

NOW you tell me!

[Gothampc]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 4:48pm

Sometimes when the chicken head was chopped off, the body would run around the yard. Talk about freaky. We didn't need horror movies, we had real life.

[Jane2]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 4:49pm

I'm sick of chicken nowadays, but I used to wash it just to watch that grizzle and wormlike bloody particles go down the drain.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 4:49pm

Now, who's hungry?!

[Jane2]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 4:52pm

HAHA, that's exactly what I thought as I made that post.

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 4:57pm

I can't have chicken tonight. Thanks a lot, Jane! :-P