Washing Chicken Spreads Germs

Raw chicken, with its slightly slimy sheen, doesn’t look clean enough to eat. That doesn’t mean that you should wash it with water, though. While it’s common practice for some — and even the legendary chef Julia Child washed her poultry — scientists consistently agree that rinsing chicken is dangerous.

A report from the US Department of Agriculture released on Tuesday is the latest in a long line of research to link poultry washing to an increased risk of becoming ill. That’s because raw chicken is often contaminated with Campylobacter bacteria, as well as Salmonella and Clostridium perfringens bacteria. Cooking chicken at 165 degrees Fahrenheit is all you need to destroy these bacteria and make the meal safe to consume.
Meanwhile, washing chicken easily spreads the bacteria to other surfaces and foods, increasing the likelihood of an unsuspecting encounter that causes people to become sick.