Handling raw chicken

[Addie]

I use disposable gloves (I get them in Costco) then I put the gloves in the bin .

Ditto here. I have a box of the surgical gloves. There are enough and they are cheap enough that if I feel that they are contaminated I just pull them off and get clean ones. I may do this several times in handling one package of meat to be individually wrapped. I also use tongs. I work on a large piece of foil. Easy cleanup. And I have hospital wipes that I wipe everything down after.

 

[Mad Cook]

I hadn't heard about MRSA contamination of meat. I Googled, and that's not something I want to have to deal with.

When Mum had her hip operation she got a mild case of MRSA in the wound which the hospital jumped on and cleared up in double quick time. The nurse in charge of her case told me that we all have MRSA organisms on our skin most of the time with no ill effects. It's when they get access to wounds that the trouble starts.

 

[Oldvine]

No one has gotten sick from eating chicken that I have cooked. I follow a similar plan as Aunt Bea only without the bleach. I fill the sink with hot soapy water, wipe every thing down. Take care of the chicken and drop all implements into water including the cutting board, give them a slosh and into the dishwasher while that water drains. The sink is sloshed out and more hot soapy water so everything gets a new wipe down with a new dish rag. My father did the same thing or had one of his five daughters do it. He was the meat cook, my mother a vegetarian, did not get involved in that part of the meals.
P.S. I also wear disposable gloves during the process.

 

[Dawgluver]

I keep a spray bottle of Clorox Cleanup knockoff handy, and just spritz and wipe. I also wash my hands constantly.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Thanks for the hand washing link. That's pretty much how I wash my hands, but to a large extent I worked it out myself. I also make sure to rub all my cuticles, where micro-organisms could get trapped between nail and cuticle, and the tops of all my fingers.

When I worked in hospitals in Denmark I was told about a hand washing study. The germs come off with friction because the soap helps dissolve grease. They also determined that water that was warmer than comfortable was counter-productive. It dries your skin and you get chapped hands. Chapped skin traps germs.

Exactly! You don't need to boil your skin to get it clean. When teaching families about hand washing (when someone is in isolation) I teach them to sing the "Happy Birthday Song" for as long as they are rubbing their hands together with soap. Once the song is done, you can rinse your hands.

 

[jennyema]

I keep a spray bottle of Clorox Cleanup knockoff handy, and just spritz and wipe. I also wash my hands constantly.

That stuff ruined two of my sweatshirts when I accidentally dragged my sleeve through it! Roll up your sleeves when you use it!

 

[Addie]

That stuff ruined two of my sweatshirts when I accidentally dragged my sleeve through it! Roll up your sleeves when you use it!

I use the wipes. Much easier, and I can wipe my hands after with it before I toss it in the trash. No accidents is a bonus. Wipe off the counters, faucet, handles, and surrounding areas. Hands last. One covers a lot of area.

 

[purple.alien.giraffe]

Exactly! You don't need to boil your skin to get it clean. When teaching families about hand washing (when someone is in isolation) I teach them to sing the "Happy Birthday Song" for as long as they are rubbing their hands together with soap. Once the song is done, you can rinse your hands.

I was taught that trick in CENA training.

I don't use disinfectants on my surfaces. I have problems with a lot of cleansers. Some make me break out in a rash, some cause asthma attacks. I use dish soap and water. The key thing is to avoid cross contamination with foods you will be eating raw or only lightly heated and with utensils, searving plates, etc.

I always make sure to roll up my sleaves or wear shortsleeves when cooking in general so I don't accidentally drag the sleeves through food and cause cross contamination that way. I'm mindful of my clothing in general for tgis purpose. I wash my hands regularly while working with the various foods. If my hands are greasy, like from rubbing the chicken with cooking oil or butter, I double wash my hands, the first time with a little diah soap until the feel less greasy, then the second time with regular hand soap. I use warm but not hot water. I hand wash knives/scissors thoroughly after they have been used on raw meat in general or they get set on the "for hand washing" side of the sink for the hubby to do if my skin is giving me trouble that day. Cutting boards, plates, and any utensils either go immediately into the dishwasher or, if it needs to be emptied first, are kept together and away from prep/searving/eating areas to be put in the next load. I don't rinse my chicken, never seen the need to. I don't wash my sink, I just rinse it (unless it is visably dirty with residue or food particals or such) but I also don't do any real food prep in the sink. I drain stuff into it and wash stuff over it but I don't set foor in it. I use low running water and a scrub brush or I hand scrub vegetables/fruits so the water doesn't splash back up. Food that needs to soak goes in a bowl filled with water.

Never gotten sick or had anyone else get sick doing things this way. I use the same precautions for all meats and also for eggs.

 

[skilletlicker]

Emeril Lagasse used to advise:

1. Wash your hands.
2. Wash the towel you dried your hands on.
3. Wash the counter.
4. Wash the sink.
5. Wash the floor.
6. Wash your clothes.
7. Wash car you drove the chicken home in.

The other day the folks on The Chew said not to wash the chicken because the water splashes 8 feet or more so you'd have to wash the walls and ceiling.

Dunno how I've lived so long.

 

[Zereh]

Emeril Lagasse used to advise:

1. Dunno how I've lived so long.

1. 
   
   LOL Exactly. I'm careful but I'm not OCD.
   
   I also don't purchase factory-farmed meat from a big-name grocer - so the meat we eat doesn't come pre-tainted. I'm way more worried about what's inside of the animal than what germs I may spread once it's in my kitchen.

 

[pacanis]

Sometimes when I'm feeling especially adventurous I don't even use the yellow cutting board

 

[Zereh]

Sometimes when I'm feeling especially adventurous I don't even use the yellow cutting board

/GASP

*dialing the food police now*

 

[Dawgluver]

/GASP

*dialing the food police now*

 

[taxlady]

/gasp

*dialing the food police now*

+1 rofl

 

[folsomjulie]

While I agree that media does cause hysteria because as the old saying goes, if it bleeds it leads, when determining what's on the front page. In the case of raw chicken and cases of food poisoning, I do see the point of the heightened awareness. Salmonella poisoning can be very dangerous and fatal to many , especially young ones and seniors who bodies just cannot take the beating these poisonings can give. My father ate at a restaurant in where he got a case of food poisoning. Was already diabetic and unfortunately accellerated his kidney damage and has been on dialysis ever since. With this in mind, always better to be safe than sorry.

 

[manilak1d]

I buy my chicken from costco that comes in 2 whole. I usually just cook one and put the other in the freezer. Never had anything wrong come about cutting raw chicken. I am however, extra clean when it comes to cleaning up after cutting up a whole chicken. Just have your house hold cleaning spray and some paper towels. And yes, wash your hands everytime you have to grab something in between cutting the chicken.