Do you wash your meat?

[black chef]

i've noticed that on most cooking shows, they almost NEVER wash the meat they use.

i might be old school, but i was taught to run cold water over ALL packaged meats before using them. not sure how much "help" you get from a cold water washing, but sometimes, meat has a slight slimy feel-esp. chicken.

do you wash your meat, or do you throw it right into the pot/pan?

 

[GB]

The USDA recommends that you do not rinse your meat. All it does is spread bacteria around your sink and anywhere else the water splashes.

Think of it this way. If you rubbed your hands in something dirty and then just rinsed them under water would you consider them clean? I sure hope not.

The heat of cooking will kill anything that you are trying to wash off.

 

[bullseye]

What GB said; I only wash meats if there is foreign matter I want to remove. On the other hand, I often use a paper towel remove excess moisture from the outside of the meat. I find it browns/sears better. Poultry does sometimes feel slimy, but if you cook it to the safe temp of 165* F., you should be OK.

 

[GotGarlic]

I've never washed meat, either. I remember having arguments about it with people sometimes - some people are convinced that it's necessary. My mother never did, so I never have, either, and since I have an impaired immune system, I would have food poisoning more often if it was a problem.

DH one time wanted to throw away a piece of chicken that fell to the floor on its way into a frying pan half full of hot oil. I said, "I'm pretty sure that a half-hour in that oil is going to kill whatever might have gotten on it." We went ahead and cooked it ;-)

 

[mudbug]

never saw a need to wash meat.

 

[jpmcgrew]

I dont usually was meat unless it smells a little from the blood like a big beef tender loin, I usually rinse off chicken and sometimes fish.

 

[Constance]

DH one time wanted to throw away a piece of chicken that fell to the floor on its way into a frying pan half full of hot oil. I said, "I'm pretty sure that a half-hour in that oil is going to kill whatever might have gotten on it." We went ahead and cooked it ;-)

That's cool as long as you don't get a dog or cat hair in your mouth. At our house, that's a distinct possibility.

I did go through a phase when I washed meat, but after I heard about that article on the news, I stopped. It does make sense, if you think about it.

 

[BreezyCooking]

I have to admit that I do rinse off raw poultry & seafood under running water. And while no method can be touted as being absolutely foolproof, I do practice non-contamination as much as humanly possible.

I have a raw-meat dedicated plastic board that I put right next to the sink when rinsing raw products. Said board is then taken to the pan, & after the food is removed the board is left to soak with a bleach product on it until it goes thru it's blasting-hot-water cleansing - lol!!! And even after that, I spray it with Lysol's "Food-Surface Sanitizer". So while I might not be completely covered, I'm covered enough to my satisfaction without getting mental about it.

Oh, & needless to say the sink gets a good going over with bleach cleanser & the Lysol food surface product before it's used again.

 

[auntdot]

Whole fowl, yep. Other than that only meat with bone that has been cut and may have small shards of bone left.

The outside of the meat is going to be heated the most and therefore probably sterilized. So it just ain't necessary, at least to my way of thinking.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Chicken...Almost always, and some is brined. Does that count?
Pork.......Somtimes in a vinegar bath, sometimes brined.
Beef...... Almost never. I do use a knife to scrape it. Especially if it is a bone-in piece of meat, T-bone, porterhouse, etc, to remove bone "dust" caused by meat saws. Bone-in pork also, unless one of the above methods is used.
Fish......Most of the time.
Shell fish....Never.
Lamb....Like Pork or Beef. It depends.
Wild game...Yes. during processing.

Are you scratching your head yet???

 

[GB]

Here is an article from the USDA which explains their position against washing meat.

 

[Barb L.]

I may be the odd ball, if it is bloody, I always rinse it off and pat dry. Always chicken pieces.

 

[foodstorm]

DH one time wanted to throw away a piece of chicken that fell to the floor on its way into a frying pan half full of hot oil. I said, "I'm pretty sure that a half-hour in that oil is going to kill whatever might have gotten on it." We went ahead and cooked it ;-)

I wonder if they do that in restaurants, too. Probably...

 

[PytnPlace]

Not meat but always poultry.

 

[jpmcgrew]

I wonder if they do that in restaurants, too. Probably...

Ever heard of the 5 second rule?

 

[KitchenSally]

I rinse whole chickens, sometimes chicken pieces and will always dry with paper towels.

I also rinse whole fish with skin like trout, salmon etc.

Never rinse beef, pork, lamb, but will wipe with paper towel.

 

[foodstorm]

Ever heard of the 5 second rule?

Oh, ick! I always thought that was an urban legend...

 

[GotGarlic]

Oh, ick! I always thought that was an urban legend...

The best way to develop a healthy immune system is to give it something to work on

 

[jpmcgrew]

The best way to develop a healthy immune system is to give it something to work on

Exactly you need a good amount of exposure to germs and bacteria to keep your immunity up.I have friends that practically live in an autoclave they clean,clean constantly they get sick all the time especially when they travel.There is a theory that alot of people develop allergies and get sick alot because they are too clean and dont get enough exposure to germs and bacteria so they actually lose their natural immunities because they are not exposed enough.I believe this, as we rarely get sick we are by no means slobs but dont feel the need to disinfect every thing all the time. I think its just another marketing ploy to sell more products.

 

[SizzlininIN]

I always rinse off my poultry but not other meats.