Danger of infection: Never wash raw poultry!

Many people wash poultry meat before they start preparing it, to prevent possible food poisoning. But this is a huge mistake.

Do you wash poultry meat even before you prepare it?

To rid their poultry meat of bacteria and other pathogens, many hold the raw chicken thighs or whole, raw duck under running water to wash the meat. Not only is this more than unnecessary, it has the exact opposite effect. The British National Health Service (NHS) warns: washing raw poultry dramatically increases the risk of infection.

This is why you should never wash poultry meat

If you wash raw poultry meat you are making a big mistake. By doing so, you are ensuring that, among other things, campylobacters that are on the meat are spread by droplets flying around - on surfaces within a radius ofhalf a meter. The contaminated droplets fly onto work surfaces, floors and, in the worst case, even onto other foodstuffs, creating new sources of infection. Now there may be slightly fewer germs on the raw meat, but they are everywhere in your kitchen. Washing the meat is also unnecessary because the heat from cooking kills the germs anyway. For this, the inside of the meat must reach a temperature of at least about 70 degrees Celsius. Have a meat thermometer handy if you want to play it safe." Food poisoning: tips for protection

How to clean your poultry meat

Who in any case does not want to refrain from cleaning the meat before preparation, for whatever reason, can take some kitchen paper to hand and carefully dab the meat. Afterwards, the used kitchen paper should be thrown away immediately and hands should be washed. Because one thing is clear: you want to avoid infection with Campylobacter at all costs. Campylobacter causes the most common food poisoning and can cause abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. Symptoms don't set in until three to four days after the germs are transmitted. Since infected persons carry and excrete the bacteria in their bodies for up to four weeks, they are advised to stay home if in doubt. In addition, the infection is a disease that the attending physician must report to the authorities. Even though the infection is actually a classic food poisoning, it can be fatal in pregnant women, young children, the elderly and immunocompromised people in the worst cases." Defrost properly: Preserve flavor, avoid health risks Print