Culinary queen Ina Garten has weighed in on a contentious debate that goes back decades: should you rinse raw chicken before cooking it?
One of Garten’s role models, the world’s first celebrity chef Julia Child, famously taught that raw poultry should be washed before it’s cooked.
‘I just think it’s a safer thing to do,’ Child says as she prepares a roast chicken in a clip from her show The French Chef, which ran for a decade in the 1960s and 70s.
But today’s top chefs and food experts agree that the bubbly kitchen personality had it wrong.
Celebrity chef Julia Child, left, famously taught that raw poultry should be washed before it’s cooked, but Food Network’s Ina Garten, right, expressed the opposite view on Sunday in an episode of Food Network’s Cook Like a Pro
A Food and Drug Administration study found that 67 percent of people said they wash raw chicken before cooking it.
Ina addressed the question as she prepped a whole bird on an episode of Food Network’s Cook Like A Pro on Sunday.
‘I know there’s this whole debate about whether you wash the chicken before you do this, or you don’t,’ she said.
‘I never wash the chicken.’
And Ina’s not the only one preaching against the rinse.
According to the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, washing meat of any kind is not recommended because the juices can spread to other foods and surfaces causing cross-contamination.
In fact, research has shown that bacteria can splash as far as three feet out of the sink when you rinse.
A group at New Mexico State University created a media campaign in 2013 to warn people not to rinse their chicken – including an animated video that shows how far the germs spread.
‘There’s no reason, from a scientific point of view, to think you’re making it any safer,’ Jennifer Quinlan, a food safety researcher with the campaign, told NPR. ‘In fact, you’re making it less safe.’
Some bacteria can lead to foodborne illnesses such as salmonella.
An estimated 48 million Americans experience foodborne illnesses each year, resulting in about 3,000 deaths, according to the National Institute of health.
Common symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, and chills.
The USDA also points out that the reasoning behind rinsing meat is flawed.
‘Some consumers think they are removing bacteria and making their meat or poultry safe,’ the website says. ‘Cooking to the right temperature kills the bacteria, so washing food is not necessary.’
A thermometer should be used to make sure the thickest part of the meat reaches 165 degrees before it’s safe to eat.
For those who just can’t resist the urge to wash their chicken, USDA specialist Argyris Magoulas offers a safer alternative to rinsing: a water soak in the refrigerator for no more than two hours before cooking.