Okay, so here’s one of those strange kitchen debates that surprisingly comes up every time someone is hovered over a sink with a raw chicken – should you wash meat before cooking it? I mean, you’re rinsing it under cold water so does that really do anything? Or are you just giving your bacteria a nice little tour of your kitchen?
This one’s messy, mainly because your aunt will swear that you have to rinse the chicken “to get all the slime off,” but the USDA will also tell you absolutely not, because you’re going to cause yourself food poisoning. But let’s dive in.
Why People Swear By Washing Meat (When They Shouldn’t)
The practice of washing is rooted in tradition. Many people – especially older generations and people who grew up in home cooking traditions – learned that washing the meat is just part of the process. You open the pack, rinse, season, and it feels cleaner. More… hygienic. Like you are doing your due diligence to scrub off the invisible gross.
But here is the issue: it does not do what people think it does. Washing meat does not make it safer. It does not kill bacteria. It certainly does not disinfect it. You are only making a splash zone.
Why You Shouldn’t Wash Chicken At All
So here is the science-y part. The USDA and the FDA (you know, the ones who’s actual job it is to prevent you from accidentally poisoning yourself) state that washing raw meat is a great way to spread bacteria around your kitchen, ficticularly poultry. When raw chicken or turkey are rinsed under a faucet, droplets of water (that are hopefully aquaductively holding salmonella) are splashed off the meat and on to your sink, counter, cutting board, hands, and face. Bacterial fireworks: invisible and highly unwanted!
Also: rinsing does not remove bacteria. Heat destroys bacteria. Cooking your meat to the correct internal temperature (like using a thermometer, and not just poking at it and guessing) is how you destroy the bad stuff. Not rinsing! This may even wash away a small portion of the good parts, flavor bits and juices that you’d want. So that’s not a desirable outcome.
Okay, But What About Other Meats?
Good question, because depending on the meat, it’s all a little different.
Poultry (chicken, turkey, etc)
Do not rinse – seriously – just open it up, (maybe patch dry it with some paper towels if you’re going for crispy skin or something) and go about your business…no action at the sink needed.
Red meat (beef, lamb, pork)
Same thing. Don’t rinse it. Just unwrap, season, cook.
Seafood (fish, shellfish)
Okay – we’ll cheat a little…this is the one area of rinsing meat where a rinse makes some sense. Some fish still go through processing with little dirt or scales. If that’s the case, a rinse under cold water is absolutely acceptable, mainly for the sake of texture or appearance. Then, make sure you pat it dry so it steams instead of sears.
Ground meats
Definitely don’t rinse with ground meats. Ever. Ground beef, turkey, and pork—anything ground is much more likely to be contaminated internally, so the solution is to cook it properly. 160°F minimum. No shortcuts.
Fruits and vegetables
Yes. Wash away. Dirt, pesticides, weird waxy coatings—this is the sort of rinsing that has benefits. Just don’t lump this with your raw chicken and call it a food safety plan.
Basic Meat Handling 101 (So You Don’t End Up Googling “What Does Salmonella Feel Like”)
To be fair, it is less about rinsing and more about you not turning your kitchen into a biohazard.
Wash your hands before and after touching raw meats. Not a quick splash. Like, affordably scrubbed.
Use separate cutting boards; one for meats, and then separate from that anything that isn’t cooked.
Use a thermometer because color is not a reliable indicator of doneness, no matter what your uncle says.
Clean everything—sinks, knives, counters, everything—after you handle raw meats. And not just a quick wipe down with a sponge that’s seen way too much.
So… Are We Done With the Meat-Washing Thing Now?
Look, habits are hard to change. If rinsing meats is something you grew up watching people do, it’ll feel awkward to stop. But food safety experts make it pretty clear: washing raw meat—raw poultry especially—is more of a risk than anything helpful. There is simply no upside to washing meat. You aren’t making it cleaner, you’re making your kitchen a more dangerous place.
Instead? Focus on what actually is food safe; cook it fully, handle it cleanly, and stop making your sink a splash zone. The chicken does not need a bath. It just needs temperature.
