People who process raw chicken often make a mistake: poultry should never be washed. Because this quickly turns the meat into a spinner.
Some work steps are so firmly entrenched in our everyday cooking that we no longer question them. Meat, for example. We take it out of the packaging, rinse it, cut it into bite-sized pieces and wash everything off with hot water. Sounds right? However, this is exactly where a treacherous error is hidden that can be dangerous.
Raw chicken should never be washed. The British "National Health Service" is now officially warning against rinsing poultry meat.
Please do not wash raw chicken
What seems hygienic is actually exactly the opposite: germs can spread around the kitchen while washing. The germs that are not harmless to the body spread through splashing water droplets.
Raw poultry meat is not only susceptible to the well-known salmonella, but also to a germ called "Campylobacter". The pathogen usually leads to severe diarrheal diseases, but the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment also warns of long-term effects: The bacterium can cause arthritis or Guillan-Barré syndrome, a disease of the nervous system that can lead to paralysis, among other things.
In addition, the Campylobacter germ is very common: According to studies, every second supermarket chicken is said to be contaminated with the pathogen, as reported by the NDR, among others.
In order to avoid infection with the bacteria, several rules apply – among other things, not to wash the poultry meat. In any case, this should always be heated strongly and fried well to kill germs. The washing process is therefore not necessary, but a pure source of risk to spread the pathogen.
In general, good kitchen hygiene should always be observed when processing raw chicken. This includes washing everything that has come into contact with the meat at at least 60 degrees. Cutting utensils should also only be used for the meat, not for other foods. At the same time, instead of the meat, wash your hands thoroughly with warm water and soap after the poultry has been processed.
Sources used: Federal Office for Risk Assessment, Ökotest, NDR, NHS