Experts explain why you should not rinse raw meat

Personally, I’m one of those people who don’t like to be talked into cooking. So I can understand that my friend didn’t look exactly thrilled when I started nagging him in his own kitchen some time ago. But in my defense, I had good reason. We all cook a little differently, and I respect the practices of others. But when he pulled the meat out of the fridge and started rinsing it in the sink first, I had to explain to him the dangerous thing he had just done.

Clearly, he’s not alone. Most people have a tendency to turn on the water and rinse the dish after they take the raw meat out of the plastic box. But this is a very crucial mistake that can ruin not only the dish but also your health. If you don’t want to spend the evening in the toilet, it’s best to avoid this step.

An understandable mistake

It’s actually not that strange that people want to wash the meat before using it. For one thing, it’s simply our instinct, but at the same time, practically every recipe starts with the words: “Rinse the meat, cut it…”

No! The handling of raw meat needs to be handled with excellence, because any mistake means dangerous bacteria will start spreading around the kitchen. These are naturally present on food, but running water won’t remove them.

Instead, water makes it very easy for bacteria to transfer through splashes onto the kitchen counter, and then you wipe your hands on your apron, where they can stick and travel to other dishes. The bacteria then spread to the kitchen walls, to the floor, getting into the food you are working with. So one rinse can mean really big problems for your health.

“Despite what you’ve been told or seen on social media, you should never wash raw chicken before cooking. That is, unless you want to increase your risk of foodborne illness,” says Julian Cox, Australia’s vice-chair of the Food Safety Information Council.

So how to handle the meat?

The biggest problem is chicken meat, which contains bacteria such as Campylobacter or Salmonella. However, rinsing meat is not recommended in other cases, even with fish. Simply remove the meat from its packaging (ideally with a fork) and immediately place it in a pan or pot. If you are going to process it in any way beforehand, make sure that your kitchen is tidy and your utensils absolutely clean.

You can place the meat on a cutting board, slice it, pat it down and season it. Then, with dry, clean hands or a fork, place it in the container in which you will cook it. Admittedly, my friend will probably never cook with me again because I had some reservations about his methods. But hopefully, at the very least, he will remember my advice and not put himself and his family at risk the next time by processing the meat incorrectly before cooking.