As with uncooked eggs, raw hen can include salmonella and different disease-causing germs. So must you wash hen earlier than cooking it?
For years, specialists have urged warning and good hygiene practices when dealing with uncooked items of the fowl. Many individuals thought they have been doing exactly that by washing their hen earlier than cooking. Then, in 2019, the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) stated they have been doing the precise reverse.
Ought to You Wash Hen?
“Until you wish to unfold germs round your kitchen that may make you sick, by no means wash uncooked hen,” says Samantha Thoms, MPH, RDN, a registered dietitian within the Heart of Well being Advocacy and Wellness at Florida State College. “You’ll kill the micro organism on the hen when you prepare dinner it totally to no less than 165 levels Fahrenheit.”
The CDC additionally recommends:
- Utilizing a separate chopping board for uncooked hen
- By no means resting cooked meals or contemporary produce on surfaces that beforehand held uncooked hen
- Washing your arms with heat, soapy water for 20 seconds earlier than and after dealing with hen
Why Does Washing Hen Unfold Micro organism?
“Hen is thought to hold illness-causing germs like salmonella and campylobacter,” says Thoms. “While you wash hen, contaminated water can splash in your faucet, the counter, your cooking utensils, and even your garments. This will increase the percentages of spreading the germs round your kitchen and making you unwell. That is very true for these with weaker immune methods, corresponding to younger youngsters, seniors, pregnant ladies, and people with persistent medical circumstances.”
