Washing Chicken

[whywhy]

I'm a new cook and I love to eat chicken. A friend told me that I should pour lemon juice over my chicken before adding any spices. Does help killing bacteria or anything else? Or is this just for taste?

 

[VeraBlue]

It's just a precaution to remove any residual blood, bone fragments, etc. Lemon juice isn't necessary, just cool, clear water.

If you do this in the sink, don't forget to sanitize it before using the sink again for any other purpose.

 

[jennyema]

There really is no need to wash chicken unless it has visable debris on it. The USDA recommends against it, as the cross contamination Vera cautions about can be dangerous.

Bacteria is killed through proper cooking.

I can't imagine simply pouring lemon juice over chicken really improves its taste much.

 

[Gretchen]

I wash chickens and chicken parts with water in the sink. I would not think of not doing it. If you have ever seen the bath that these come through in the processing plants you might want to do it also.
To the original poster, I think your friend was just trying to suggest a flavoring agent with the lemon juice. It might be quite good to help some herbs stick to the skin also. I haven't done it.
I prefer to just liberally salt a whole chicken and roast it at 400* for about an hour.
Chicken is such a versatile food.

 

[jkath]

Also, it's best to wash chicken in water and then thoroughly pat dry with paper towels before you bread them for recipes, so the crumbs/buttermilk/egg wash/or whatever will stick to them.

 

[Caine]

I can't imagine simply pouring lemon juice over chicken really improves its taste much.

But, I bet it sells a whole lot of lemons.

 

[Constance]

I think a little lemon juice improves the flavor of most anything. You can't really detect the lemon, but it adds a fresh taste and enhances the flavor of whatever food you put it on.

 

[Katie H]

I think the issue of washing and chicken is more a cross-contamination thing, as VeraBlue mentioned. If you've seen any of Emeril Lagasse's programs, he routinely pokes fun at the "food" police. "Wash your hands, wash your utensils, wash your counter, wash your car..."

But, all craziness aside, the key really is simply keeping your tools and food preparation area clean.

I also agree with Gretchen. I purchase my chicken leg quarters in 10-pound bags and the bloody sludge that settles to the bottom of the bag is, in my opinion, nasty. Because of that goop, I always wash my chicken before preparing it to eat or for packaging it to freeze.

What it all really boils down to is basic cleanliness. IMO.

 

[ChefJune]

I've always washed off all my meat before preparing for cooking. Rinse with cool running water, and dry thoroughly with paper towels, then season, etc.

With chicken, there's almost always either some blood or pink water in the package, and I want it out of there!

 

[kitchenelf]

I don't wash off cut up chicken anymore unless I see an exhorbitant amount of debris as anything will be killed when cooked - I will, however, wash out a whole chicken. Whatever I wash I thouroughly dry and then wash my sink handle/s, faucet, behind sink, around sink, and sink with a bleach solutuion or Tilex that I let sit for 10 minutes.

I wash my hands using a fingernail brush and I wash pretty much my arms up to my elbows while I sing "Happy Birthday To Me" twice. Somewhere in between I rinse and use fresh soap again.

Call me over-reacting but it's a small price to pay to keep that food I prepared IN my stomach.

Side note - DH and I had chicken wings at one of our favorite places one night - we were drinking, talking to friends, not paying attention, really - I said, LOOK, the chicken's not quite cooked. So what does he do? He takes some bites out of the other pieces and says YEP, it's not cooked thoroughly.

On the way HOME I started getting severe stomach pains and about an hour later I got sick and he got sick shortly thereafter. So........the time it takes me to clean everything thoroughly is well worth it.

 

[Gretchen]

don't wash off cut up chicken anymore unless I see an exhorbitant amount of debris as anything will be killed when cooked -

Nope, not necessarily. Bacteria can produce an exotoxin that is not inactivated by heat. I think Salmonella may be one of them. Shigella is definitely one that is not inactivated.
Could have been what caused your discomfort.

 

[Andy M.]

don't wash off cut up chicken anymore unless I see an exhorbitant amount of debris as anything will be killed when cooked -

Nope, not necessarily. Bacteria can produce an exotoxin that is not inactivated by heat. I think Salmonella may be one of them. Shigella is definitely one that is not inactivated.
Could have been what caused your discomfort.

Salmonella is killed instantly at 160F. I don't know about shigella. Washing chicken is no guarantee of eliminating bacteria present on the chicken. You may be simply spreading it all over the meat. I believe that's why the USDA recommends against it.

 

[GB]

Yes that is exactly why the USDA recommends against it.

Also, washing the chicken with just water will not get rid of bacteria. It will just make it wet. Soap can kill bacteria, but I doubt anyone wants to lather up their chicken.

 

[kitchenelf]

If salmonella weren't killed by heat we'd all be I believe! What I've just read on the shigella is it's more of a "handler" transported illness but so far nothing about the cooking process. I'll have to look later.

 

[kitchenelf]

Yes that is exactly why the USDA recommends against it.

Also, washing the chicken with just water will not get rid of bacteria. It will just make it wet. Soap can kill bacteria, but I doubt anyone wants to lather up their chicken.

GB - should be invent edible soap like the edible body paint???

What about a 10% chlorax solution - I use that on my cutting board - if rinsed thoroughly wouldn't that help?

 

[Andy M.]

GB - should be invent edible soap like the edible body paint???

What about a 10% chlorax solution - I use that on my cutting board - if rinsed thoroughly wouldn't that help?

...or you could just cook it.

Just say, "No!" to chicken seviche.

 

[kitchenelf]

Just say, "No!" to chicken seviche.

Wait - now we're back to the lemon thing! Full circle we've come!!!

I will no longer wash my chicken (spreading can be worse); I will cook thoroughly; I will never make chicken seviche again - THANKS Andy M - now I have to re-think dinner tonight!

 

[GB]

Andy you take the fun out of everything

 

[pdswife]

Yes that is exactly why the USDA recommends against it.

Also, washing the chicken with just water will not get rid of bacteria. It will just make it wet. Soap can kill bacteria, but I doubt anyone wants to lather up their chicken.

no..but my MIL uses soap
on her veggies and gets a little upset
when I won't. I do all my food prep before she
gets here now..sigh.

 

[Gretchen]

I misspoke--and was mistaken about the Salmonella. It is staphylococcus toxin that is heat stable.

However, for me, I will continue to wash my chicken and cook it well. The basically fecal pools that suffice for washing chicken in processing plants should make me give it up, but I can't. I like it too much.


Staphylococcus aureus
Man's respiratory passages, skin and superficial wounds are common sources of S. aureus. When S. aureus is allowed to grow in foods, it can produce a toxin that causes illness. Although cooking destroys the bacteria, the toxin produced is heat stable and may not be destroyed. Staphylococcal food poisoning occurs most often in foods that require hand preparation, such as potato salad, ham salad and sandwich spreads. Sometimes these types of foods are left at room temperature for long periods of time, allowing the bacteria to grow and produce toxin. Good personal hygiene while handling foods will help keep S. aureus out of foods, and refrigeration of raw and cooked foods will prevent the growth of these bacteria if any are present.
Salmonella The gastrointestinal tracts of animals and man are common sources of Salmonella. High protein foods such as meat, poultry, fish and eggs are most commonly associated with Salmonella. However, any food that becomes contaminated and is then held at improper temperatures can cause salmonellosis. Salmonella are destroyed at cooking temperatures above 150 degrees F. The major causes of salmonellosis are contamination of cooked foods and insufficient cooking. contamination of cooked foods occurs from contact with surfaces or utensils that were not properly washed after use with raw products. If Salmonella is present on raw or cooked foods, its growth can be controlled by refrigeration below 40 degrees F.