With all this talk about Popeyes and Chik-fil-A's chicken sandwiches, we're in the mood for a nice dinner right around now. If you're more of a stay-at-home kind of guy or gal, you're likely thinking of what to make yourself tonight. One thing to consider if you settled on chicken: don't wash or rinse it before preparing it because you may actually be putting yourself at risk to catch an illness.
As you surely know, raw chicken can sometimes be contaminated with salmonella bacteria, which is not something you want to be putting in your body. That's why it's important to cook your meat thoroughly before eating it. However, a new study shows that maybe you shouldn't be pouring water over your chicken before popping it in the oven or the barbecue. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, cross-contamination is a major risk when you choose to wash your chicken in the sink before preparing it. Instead of running water over your poultry, the USDA is giving three alternatives.
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They suggest that, in order to prevent the risk of illness, you should prepare foods that will not be cooked, like salad or vegetables, before handling chicken. Another (quite obvious) option is to use sanitizer on the surfaces that you did prepare your chicken on. Finally, you'll want to invest in a meat thermometer so you know when your chicken is perfectly cooked and no longer containing traces of any disease.
Since chicken is the most eaten meat in the United States, this has been your ever-important PSA of the day. Do you rinse chicken before cooking it?
