# Chicken: To Wash or Not to Wash



## dectra (Nov 2, 2016)

So, came across a rather excited discussion on the NYT website about Chicken, and if (or not) one should wash the bird before cooking. I have always done this, but the general consensus on the NYT's was against it; most feared spreading pathogens due to improper washing techniques. 

One person did have an interesting approach regarding his wife, who was from the Caribbean. She cut limes in half - and wiped the entire raw bird with lime, then rinsed the bird parts in a bowl of water and salt. I'd think this would add flavor as well as to wash dirt, bones, and any feathers off the bird before preparing it for cooking.

Do you, as a Chef wash chicken before portioning / prep?


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## sgsvirgil (Mar 1, 2017)

No. For the reasons stated in the article, most professionals do not rinse chicken before cooking. Getting chicken wet only increases the possibility of cross contaminating work surfaces and other foods. My uncle had the best analogy when I asked him the same question many, many moons ago. "Think of a bowl of flour as the bacteria on chicken. Now, think of what would happen if you placed that bowl in the middle of your kitchen and dropped a brick in it."

When the chicken is wet and the water is splashing, you give up most of your positive control over the situation. You have little control over where the water splashes and most importantly, the contaminated water will splash on places that you are not aware of like utensils, handles, cutting surfaces etc. Every time other employees touch those contaminated surfaces, they unwittingly become contaminated and can, in turn, cross contaminate whatever they touch, including other food and utensils.

The simple math is that rinsing does not remove or decrease the amount of bacteria found on chicken or anywhere else. Only a disinfectant or high enough heat can neutralize bacteria. Since the chicken is going to be cooked anyway and the cooking process will kill off all the bacteria anyway, rinsing it before hand is rather superfluous. 

This is not something that most professionals will mess around with. A case of salmonella will ruin your business in the blink of an eye.

If the chicken has dirt on it, chances are there is a problem with the chicken that water and rinsing are not going to solve. Washing doesn't remove feathers either. They must be either plucked out by hand to burned off with a lighter or kitchen torch.

As for the woman in the Caribbean who wiped the chicken with a cut lime, that's a technique that has been used for a very long time. Back in the days before refrigeration, it was believed that using a mild acid such as lime or lemon juice on poultry and fish would kill off any bacteria and give the meat a little flavor. The technique is also used to overcome any unpleasant odors that the protein may have due to various reasons, including smells generated by decomposition.


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Most authoritative sources in the last while have been against it.

I drain it and dry it with disposable towel.


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

There is a cool technique where you scrub the chicken with kosher salt.


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## chefwriter (Oct 31, 2012)

I only washed a chicken at home once when I left it in the frig for a day too long. A rinse and then dip in cider vinegar/water helped to freshen it. 
i don't remember ever washing chicken at work. Most places I've worked in buy parts anyway and usually it gets seasoned and goes right in the oven. Only one place ever bought whole chickens and I broke them down and cooked them the day of delivery.


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## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

I never wash chicken, or other fowl for that matter. I just wipe it down inside and out.


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## Robs (Nov 29, 2018)

Restaurants almost never wash their chickens. At home I ALWAYS wash it after butchering. Industrial slaughterhouses are not what I would call hygienic.


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## halb (May 25, 2015)

I once saw a video (I believe here) from someone who was proud of the speed he could break down duck. Everything flew all over the place. First comment was from somebody that said "now, how are you going to disinfect the kitchen?"



Robs said:


> Restaurants almost never wash their chickens. At home I ALWAYS wash it after butchering. Industrial slaughterhouses are not what I would call hygienic.


Why do you think restaurants don't wash chicken? Because they are lazy? There is good reason for it and as a culinary student you should know better!


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## Robs (Nov 29, 2018)

Space constraints, time, extra work that doesn't add anything to taste, and people don't get sick if you don't wash it.

The main argument against home cooks washing the chicken is that is spreads bacteria everywhere. I can see the point if it's a whole chicken, if you have a very small sink, or if you're running the water on full and just splashing water everywhere. 

I don't see how rinsing the chicken quarters on low running water has any different risk of contamination from washing the cutting board, minus the soap. I rinse the chicken, let the excess water drain off, then transfer it to a plate next to the sink where I then pat it dry with paper towels (pre-prepared) and transfer it onto a 2nd plate. 1st plate goes in the sink and I wash my hands, chicken plate gets transferred next to the range for cooking.


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## sgsvirgil (Mar 1, 2017)

Robs said:


> Space constraints, time, extra work that doesn't add anything to taste, and people don't get sick if you don't wash it.
> 
> The main argument against home cooks washing the chicken is that is spreads bacteria everywhere. I can see the point if it's a whole chicken, if you have a very small sink, or if you're running the water on full and just splashing water everywhere.
> 
> I don't see how rinsing the chicken quarters on low running water has any different risk of contamination from washing the cutting board, minus the soap. I rinse the chicken, let the excess water drain off, then transfer it to a plate next to the sink where I then pat it dry with paper towels (pre-prepared) and transfer it onto a 2nd plate. 1st plate goes in the sink and I wash my hands, chicken plate gets transferred next to the range for cooking.


You don't see it because you have never had a health inspector go through your kitchen with a black light looking for bacteria and other contaminates. You say "what's the big deal?" because you have no idea of the sort of volume of chicken that is put through a busy kitchen during a busy rush. While your careful method may work once, or even a few times, we need the method to work every time without fail, shift after shift, service after service. Period.

The bottom line for a home cook is wash away! Have a chicken pool party. No one is going to care. But, in the professional world, its just not going to happen. Why? Because like I said, when you introduce free flowing water to a contaminated source such as chicken no matter how gently the water flows, you lose positive control over the situation. You bring into the mix the probability that the water will splash, drip or spray on surfaces, utensils, other employees, yourself or other food without you knowing it. You could get a sleeve wet and contaminated with chicken water and for an entire shift, you'll go around and potentially contaminate everything you touch.

If I caught you doing this in my restaurant, you would be fired on the spot, no questions asked.

There's probably a hundred years of combined experience in this thread telling you this isn't done in a commercial kitchen. Wash a chicken at your first job out of culinary school. See what happens.


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## Robs (Nov 29, 2018)

I know how much volume of chicken goes through a kitchen, I come from restaurant family and worked front of the house at my dad's restaurant. If I worked in a commercial kitchen, I would never wash the chicken for contamination risks, but at home I always wash. My point is that food that gets processed in industrial slaughter houses is treated differently from how you treat food in your own home.


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## halb (May 25, 2015)

Robs said:


> My point is that food that gets processed in industrial slaughter houses is treated differently from how you treat food in your own home.


So you slaughter your own chickens?


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## Robs (Nov 29, 2018)

No, that's why I rinse off all meat, unless it's aged or seasoned in some way. I didn't know that this was going to turn into such a big debate.


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## halb (May 25, 2015)

Robs said:


> I didn't know that this was going to turn into such a big debate.


I don't see a debate, just you arguing with all the people telling you no. I would't expect Suzi Homemaker to know any better but you should.


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## Seoul Food (Sep 17, 2018)

I think the issue is that the original question did not specifically in what setting the chicken was being washed and what cut of chicken. For those of you talking about cross contamination, yes that is a possibility but if you are not smart enough to realize washing raw poultry until full running water could result in contamination of the surrounding area than the question is already mute because your sanitation practices are terrible. You should always be aware of what you are handling and any cases for contamination. When I cook something like a whole turkey or chicken at home I will rinse it because I don't want all that nasty juice just hanging out on the skin. I don't cook, nor do I see people cook enough whole poultry inside of the restaurant setting to really make a case one way or the other. I generally don't see people rinse chicken breasts but I would say that even if it was a standard practice, half of the time it wouldn't be done because of pure laziness. At the end of the day it doesn't really matter which way you do it as long as you can contain it in a safe setting.


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## Tyler520 (Oct 16, 2018)

it depends on why you're washing it. washing will only remove particulates (as you mentioned, dirt, pieces of feather, etc) - it will not remove bacteria if that is the concern; in fact, washing increases odds of spreading bacteria.

the acid wash you mentioned can kill of bacteria.


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## ktanasy (May 6, 2010)

dectra said:


> So, came across a rather excited discussion on the NYT website about Chicken, and if (or not) one should wash the bird before cooking. I have always done this, but the general consensus on the NYT's was against it; most feared spreading pathogens due to improper washing techniques.
> 
> One person did have an interesting approach regarding his wife, who was from the Caribbean. She cut limes in half - and wiped the entire raw bird with lime, then rinsed the bird parts in a bowl of water and salt. I'd think this would add flavor as well as to wash dirt, bones, and any feathers off the bird before preparing it for cooking.
> 
> Do you, as a Chef wash chicken before portioning / prep?


I've been in the food business for 45 years and always rinsed the chicken before cooking it. Haven't killed anyone yet. If it's not broken, don't fix it.


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