Discussion
My girlfriend was having a discussion with her colleagues the other day, and apparently they all wash their meat before cooking it, be it chicken, steak, fish, mince, the whole shebang.
Now I'd never heard of such a silly pastime, but they all swear blindly by it (granted are originally from hot countries that aren't known for their hygiene).
Does anybody else do this? The only time I think I would wash my meat is if I drop it on the floor, and cleaning scum off scallops / shellfish.
If you're going to cook it anyway, what's the point? Most the stuff I buy is sealed from the supermarket, and I've never had a problem. I have a reasonable amount of trust that the meat I'm buying is produced in a clean environment, and I'm no blue-steak fan so a bit of heat should kill off most of the nasties surely?
Dave
Now I'd never heard of such a silly pastime, but they all swear blindly by it (granted are originally from hot countries that aren't known for their hygiene).
Does anybody else do this? The only time I think I would wash my meat is if I drop it on the floor, and cleaning scum off scallops / shellfish.
If you're going to cook it anyway, what's the point? Most the stuff I buy is sealed from the supermarket, and I've never had a problem. I have a reasonable amount of trust that the meat I'm buying is produced in a clean environment, and I'm no blue-steak fan so a bit of heat should kill off most of the nasties surely?
Dave
Washing meat makes the outside wetter and which makes it more difficult caramelise the outside and cook it properly. The only time I would ever wash meat was if it came vac packed and there was a lot of slimy blood in the pack, but I rarely buy meat like this. If its cooked correctly any nasties (most of which being on the outside) will be killed by the heat.
fadeaway said:
I've heard of people washing chicken. Never have myself. Think the idea is to wash away germs/bacteria. But I've read that it doesn't work and can actually make things worse.
Unless you're getting some serious detergents / bleach out I can;t see that a quick rinse in water is going to do anything to reduce bacteria really...
There is no need to wash meat,execpt a whole chicken inside the carcase if it has been in your fridge at home for a day or two,as there is no cold air circulating around it.
The heat from cooking it will kill all the germs,but yes in a hotter country it's a good idea.
I dated a girl who always rinced every thing including minced beef, I didn't know this until I saw her do it one day.
Often wondered why the meat was so tastless,silly cow.
The heat from cooking it will kill all the germs,but yes in a hotter country it's a good idea.
I dated a girl who always rinced every thing including minced beef, I didn't know this until I saw her do it one day.
Often wondered why the meat was so tastless,silly cow.
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Factsheets/Does_Washing_F...
"Washing raw poultry, beef, pork, lamb, or veal before cooking it is not recommended. Bacteria in raw meat and poultry juices can be spread to other foods, utensils, and surfaces. We call this cross-contamination.
Some consumers think they are removing bacteria and making their meat or poultry safe. However, some of the bacteria are so tightly attached that you could not remove them no matter how many times you washed. But there are other types of bacteria that can be easily washed off and splashed on the surfaces of your kitchen. Failure to clean these contaminated areas can lead to foodborne illness. Cooking (baking, broiling, boiling, and grilling) to the right temperature kills the bacteria, so washing food is not necessary."
"Washing raw poultry, beef, pork, lamb, or veal before cooking it is not recommended. Bacteria in raw meat and poultry juices can be spread to other foods, utensils, and surfaces. We call this cross-contamination.
Some consumers think they are removing bacteria and making their meat or poultry safe. However, some of the bacteria are so tightly attached that you could not remove them no matter how many times you washed. But there are other types of bacteria that can be easily washed off and splashed on the surfaces of your kitchen. Failure to clean these contaminated areas can lead to foodborne illness. Cooking (baking, broiling, boiling, and grilling) to the right temperature kills the bacteria, so washing food is not necessary."
jjones said:
my wife does this, christ knows why. her father was a butcher and i am sure she didn't learn it from him
Perhaps a butcher's daughter sees more of what goes on than we do?I certainly would not assume the meat hadn't been dropped on the floor, but then I do spend a bit of time in abattoirs and butchers.
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