Watch how washing raw meat turns your kitchen into a germ-splattered mess

The moral of the story: Don’t wash raw meat before cooking it! Instead, cook it to a safe temperature. See chart below:

• Steaks and Roasts: 145°F
• Fish: 145°F
• Pork: 160°F
• Ground Beef: 160°F
• Egg Dishes: 160°F
• Chicken Breasts: 165°F
• Whole Poultry: 165°F

Food Safety FAQ: Whether to wash raw meat before cooking it

Thanks to Sharron Rudd for her question pertaining to my article on washing raw meat.

Are you saying that no meat at all needs to be washed before cooking?

Yes. That is what I am saying. Do not wash any meats before cooking them. According to the US Department of Agriculture:

“Washing raw meat and poultry can actually help bacteria spread, because their juices may splash onto (and contaminate!) your sink and countertops.”

Instead, focus on the internal temperature of your meat when you cook it. Use the chart below as a guide for the safe temperature to which meat products should be cooked.

• Steaks and Roasts: 145°F
• Fish: 145°F
• Pork: 160°F
• Ground Beef: 160°F
• Egg Dishes: 160°F
• Chicken Breasts: 165°F
• Whole Poultry: 165°F

You can determine the temperature of your cooked meat by inserting a probe thermometer, like the one mentioned in my article, into the thickest part of the meat.

Thanks for stopping by Kitchen Dilettante and taking the time to ask your question about washing meat.

Happy and safe cooking!

FAQs: Can you freeze meat in its original package? And should you wash poultry?

A reader named Pam wrote recently with a couple of excellent questions in response to my article about whether to wash meat before cooking it.

“Is it okay to freeze meat in the original store package or should it be rewrapped before freezing?”

Freezing raw red meat, fish, or poultry in its original store package is fine, just be sure to use it within two months of freezing it, otherwise, if you don’t think you’ll get to it in two months, wrap the whole package in airtight aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or freezer paper.

For more tips about freezing and refrigerating red meat, fish, and poultry, check out the Food and Drug Administration’s handy Refrigerator and Freezer Storage Chart which outlines how long you can leave meat frozen in the freezer before it loses its quality.

“It is still necessary to thoroughly wash poultry before cooking, right?”

Actually, no. It is unnecessary and even unsanitary to wash any raw meat before cooking it. This includes poultry.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, washing raw meat, fish, and poultry is one of the top mistakes people make which puts them at risk for food poisoning. Washing raw meat, including poultry, can spread harmful bacteria to your sink and countertops. The only things you want to wash when working with raw meat are your hands and any surfaces that come in contact with it, such as a cutting board.

For more information on food safety, visit FoodSafety.gov.

Chicken FAQ: Can you boil semi-frozen chicken?

After reading my article about whether it is safe to eat chicken that was boiled from a frozen state, Bella sent me this question:

So you can’t boil semi-frozen chicken?

Hi, Bella, I see no reason why you can’t boil chicken that has thawed a little but is still somewhat frozen. The key, whether you’re boiling frozen, thawed, or something in between, is to get the internal temp of the meat to the safe temperature of 165° Fahrenheit.

Bring your water to a boil on the stovetop, let the chicken cook for whatever the recommended time is for the amount you’ve got, and then check it with a cooking thermometer. If the thickest part of the meat has an internal temp of 165°, you’re ready to go! If it’s less than 165°, keep cooking.

Remember, it can take more than twice as long to boil frozen chicken, so it should take somewhere in between that for a chicken that is partially thawed. For example, if it takes 10 minutes to boil a fresh chicken breast and 20 minutes to boil a frozen one, count on it taking about 15 minutes for something in between. The key is that internal temp.

Thanks for stopping by and let me know if you have any other questions!

Chicken FAQ: Is it safe to thaw frozen chicken by boiling it?

After reading my article about whether it is safe to eat chicken boiled from a frozen state, a reader named Keke sent me this note:

I am feeling a little better about boiling chicken now. However, I was wondering, is it safe to boil frozen chicken to get it to thaw a bit and finish it off in an oven, say for 45 minutes to an hour at 400 degrees?

Keke, I’m so glad you’re feeling better about boiling chicken. As to your question, I wouldn’t recommend boiling a chicken to thaw it. Boiling it cooks it and, no matter when you take it out of the water, it’s already going to have started cooking such that when you put it in the oven, it will likely result in rubberized chicken before the internal temperature is at the safe 165° Fahrenheit.

Instead, save yourself a step by simply placing your frozen chicken breasts on a sheet pan and cook them in the oven at 350°F. It is actually safe to cook chicken in the oven from a frozen state, but just like with boiling, expect the cook times to double. So, for instance, if a thawed 4-ounce boneless chicken breast normally takes 20 to 30 minutes to cook in the oven, you can expect a frozen one to cook between 40 to 60 minutes in the oven. Just make sure to check with a food thermometer that the internal temperature of the breast has reached at least 165°F.

Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions! 

Boiling Frozen Chicken

I know boiled meat isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but every now and then my dog has a bout of pancreatitis and boiled chicken breast is the easiest food for his little body to digest while he gets back to normal. Toward the end of this last episode, the only chicken I had was frozen and I didn’t want to wait to defrost it in the fridge. I could have defrosted it in the microwave, but I was curious–can you boil frozen chicken?

After a quick Google search, it seems the overarching belief is that if chicken is boiled from its frozen state, whomever shall partake of it, will surely die a slow, painful death. I don’t know about you, but whenever I am within earshot of such panicked certainty, I immediately doubt whatever has been said. That’s when I gave up on finding the answer from the masses and turned to the experts at the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

Is it safe to boil frozen chicken?

Turns out, we can all rest a little easier now. Chicken can be cooked from its frozen state, but there are some important rules to follow.

First and foremost, get out that handy-dandy thermometer and check the chicken as it cooks for an internal temperature of 165°F. The FSIS says it will take about twice as long to cook a frozen chicken than a raw one and I found this to be true when I boiled a single chicken breast for my dog. Instead of taking five minutes to boil, it took just a little longer than ten minutes.

Second, only cook chicken on the stovetop (as in boiling) or in the oven (as in roasting). Do not try to cook frozen chicken in the microwave or in a slow cooker. In those instances, always defrost it first.

Let’s all take a deep, calming breath now, knowing that there is one less thing in life to be worried about. As long as you abide by those two rules, no one is going to die a slow, painful death because you boiled frozen chicken.

For more information about safely handling chicken in the kitchen, go to the Food Safety and Inspection Service website.

Should you wash raw meat before cooking it?

Long ago when I was in college I started making my mom’s fried chicken. It was comfort food at its best. Mom gave me directions over the phone.

Her first step: wash the chicken breasts before cooking them. In fact she and my cooking maven roommates all agreed–wash all forms of meat before cooking it.

I did this faithfully for years. The only exceptions to this rule were bacon and ground meat. I wasn’t sure how to go about washing them without making them all soggy.

Then one day, I started putting two-and-two together.

Why do I wash the raw steaks but not the ground beef?

Both steaks and ground beef are butchered and pass through who-knows-what sorts of processing plants before landing on my countertop. Both are exposed to the same kinds of bacteria as they make their journey to my fridge. Didn’t the heat from the oven or stovetop kill all those nasty germs? Why would it work for the ground beef and not the steak?

I sat with this question a long time before deciding to take the leap and forgo that particular cooking ritual. The first few times I did it, I held my breath in hopes that my instincts had not been wrong.

Fortunately for all of us, no one ever got sick. Was it a fluke? Had I been lucky?

My sister-in-law brought this up to me in a conversation we had recently. She asked if I wash meat before cooking it and, when I admitted I didn’t, a knot formed in the pit of my stomach. I wondered if all this time I had been putting everyone at risk for getting e.coli or something just as dangerous. Up until then, I had gone on instinct. I never took the initiative to go look up the actual rules. I’m glad she brought it up because it made me do some research to find the real answer and now I can share with you what I found.

Should you wash raw meat before cooking it?

According to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, the answer to that question is a resounding NO. It is not recommended to wash your meat before cooking it because–and this is important–a cook takes a much greater risk of cross-contamination by washing the meat beforehand. The water splashes, your hands touch it, then you touch the faucet, and then who knows what else before getting the dripping meat to a tray. The splashes in and around the sink touch nearby rags, utensils, and platters you might be using for cooking and/or serving. Any drips that make their way to the floor could have residual bacteria in them, having the potential to infect your dog who licks it off the floor or your child who plays in the water and then sticks her fingers in her mouth.

When it comes to washing raw meat, there is no question about it. The answer is definitively do not wash your meat before cooking it. Instead, buy yourself a good thermometer probe (I recommend the Thermapen Instant Read Thermometer) and make sure to follow the minimum internal temperature guidelines as recommended by the USDA:

• Steaks and Roasts: 145°F
• Fish: 145°F
• Pork: 160°F
• Ground Beef: 160°F
• Egg Dishes: 160°F
• Chicken Breasts: 165°F
• Whole Poultry: 165°F

Alternatively, not washing produce well enough, especially fruits and veggies you are not peeling or cooking, will put you at just as much risk for ingesting something awful. Therefore, do make sure to wash fruits and vegetables, especially if you are not cooking them or heating them through.

For more information about food safety, go to the USDA website.

Have a question about food safety? Drop it in the comment section below. I love hearing from you. Your questions inspire what I write!

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This article was first published for Kitchen Dilettante at srdryja.wordpress.com. Due to the overwhelming popularity of this article, I am reposting it at my new location here at kitchendilettante.wordpress.com. I will be using the questions you have asked over the years as a springboard for more articles to come. Thank you for all your questions and comments! Keep ‘em coming!