The One Meat You Should Rinse Before Cooking (2024)

FAQs

The One Meat You Should Rinse Before Cooking? ›

According to the USDA, it's not recommended to wash any raw meat before cooking. Not only does it not remove all bacteria, it also causes the bacteria on the meat to get on the sink or other surfaces that get splashed in the process of washing.

While washing meat and poultry to remove dirt, slime, fat or blood may have been appropriate decades ago when many slaughtered and prepared their own food, the modern food safety system doesn't require it. Meat and poultry are cleaned during processing, so further washing is not necessary.

Washing meat with water vs.

Raw meat, poultry, and fish may be contaminated with harmful bacteria and viruses that lead to food poisoning ( 1 , 3 ). Common foodborne pathogens include the bacteria Salmonella, Listeria, Campylobacter, and E. coli, plus the viruses norovirus and hepatitis A.

Washing beef, pork, lamb, or veal before cooking it is not recommended. Bacteria in raw meat and poultry juices can be spread to other foods, utensils, and surfaces. We call this cross-contamination. Some consumers think they are removing bacteria and making their meat or poultry safe.

Lemon juice, vinegar, and other acidic solutions may help reduce bacteria in raw meat, but they don't seem to combat harmful viruses. The best way to prevent cross contamination is to follow food safety measures like washing your hands and keeping cooked and raw foods separate when storing and cooking them.

Rinsing raw ground beef could pose a health risk by splashing bacteria-filled juices all over your kitchen's surfaces. After the beef has been cooked, you're just rinsing away good flavor. If you want to get rid of some of the grease, drain the beef, but don't rinse it. It's just not necessary.

It is suggested that after you have marinated meat for a length of time – you should wash it off prior to cooking.

As a matter of course, no, we don't. There's no reason to. Any bacteria that's on the meat will be killed by the heat of the oven. However, if you rinse meat, you create a cloud of water droplets spreading whatever microbes were on the outside of it to the sink, your apron, your forearms, etc.

Myth: Washing or rinsing raw chicken or turkey before cooking removes harmful bacteria. Fact: Thoroughly cooking chicken and turkey to 165°F is the best way to kill harmful bacteria such as Campylobacter and Salmonella.

"Today, ground beef and poultry are cleaned during processing, so any further washing is unnecessary and can actually increase the risk of foodborne illness," Marcus told Fox News Digital. While washing beef may seem like a harmless thing to do, it's not, according to Marcus.

Should I rinse ribs before cooking? ›

Do Ribs Need To Be Rinsed? Carr says ribs do not need to be rinsed. “Rinsing fresh meat or poultry is unnecessary as the bacteria causing possible foodborne illnesses will be terminated with proper endpoint cooking temperature and time combination,” explains Carr.

Washing chicken before cooking is an unnecessary practice, according to health authorities. Instead of ridding the poultry of bacteria, washing chicken only increases the risk of food poisoning and cross-contamination.

Reasons for washing meat

The main reasons for this were to remove dirt, slime, blood, or feathers, and washing makes them feel safer. There was also a misunderstanding that washing helps to remove germs. Respondents mostly learned the practice from family members or through their own experiences.

The consideration of its purpose is related to washing for the removal of bacteria or washing as a part of the preparation process to remove unwanted matter. Most Jamaicans, and other Caribbean nationals, would have been taught to clean and wash meats and poultry before cooking.

It is important to note that when using balsamic vinegar to tenderize your meat you do need to plan ahead. Depending on how tough the meat is, you should leave it soaking in the refrigerator for at least twelve hours and not longer than five days. The longer it marinates, the more tender the beef will become.

For steak, let it sit outside the fridge for around 30 minutes while the grill heats. Trim any excess fat. When steak heats from room temperature instead of chilled, it cooks faster and keeps more tenderness and flavor. Make sure to plan brine or marinating time into your pork prep.

You should never wash raw fish in your sink, either.

Remove the scales from fish if a recipe calls for it, but leave your fish unrinsed to prevent your kitchen from becoming a breeding ground for germs.