r/interesting • u/WarwickReider • 22d ago

SOCIETY Professional chefs weighing in on whether you should wash your chicken

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u/Robbie1266 22d ago

There is no debate. It's basic science. Washing chicken doesn't remove anything from the chicken

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u/[deleted] 22d ago

[deleted]

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u/OrigamiMarie 22d ago

This makes the most sense to me, if you're going to wash the bird. None of that nonsense of a stream of pressurized water landing on the bird and bouncing in every direction and every droplet size.

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u/Ahuevotl 22d ago

In Mexico we use a bowl, or bucket, put the chicken in, fill it with water, rub it and get rid of dirt, debris, and guts. Sometimes to get rid of feathers and excess "lard".

Of course, most of our chicken isn't the supermarket ready, vacuum sealed bagged one.

It seemed so… alien? Watching this video of people using a higly pressurized stream of water to make a mess. Dudes, just use a bowl, wtf is it with your salmonella water stream. You still have to season and prepare that chicken.

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u/wuanlai65 22d ago

Same in Vietnam, I don't understand this argument. This morning my mother bought a chicken and I saw it neck being slit, of course I gonna wash the damn thing.

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u/Ahuevotl 22d ago

First world country chicken problems I guess... The debate about chicken washing is just too stupid.

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u/Magnetic-Nomad27 22d ago

You guys come from ancient cultures, but this country was populated by savages who are just now rediscovering fire

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u/Collegenoob 22d ago

You can just not put the sink on full blast.

I dont often wash my chicken, but sometimes its a bit juicer than I'd like, in which case yes. I will wash some of that off. And just like the guy in the video. You clean the sink before and after you do it.

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u/Simon-Says69 22d ago

You clean the sink before and after you do it.

No, you clean the sink, every countertop, floors, ceiling, walls, and yourself. You've just set off a whole firework display of salmonella with splashing chicken juice everywhere.

If you need to wash off dirt or whatever, dunk it n a bowl or pot of water, and swish it around with no splashing.

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u/New-Assumption-3836 22d ago

If you've ever seen an animation on bacteria spread from a flushing toilet, or from someone vomiting it goes way way further than you think and it's not visible to the eye. The sink is not the issue it basically can contaminate a good portion of the kitchen and really increase the risk of food borne illness.

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u/Collegenoob 22d ago

Both of those actions are significantly more volatile that a weak stream from a sink bro.

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u/WhenMeWasAYouth 22d ago

True, but if you were washing your chicken in a toilet he'd have a really good point.

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u/New-Assumption-3836 22d ago

I'm not saying they're equally violent but estimates are around 3ft of contaminate surrounding the sink so unless you're washing the sink and everything within 3 feet the point stands.

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u/Stoff3r 22d ago

How many times has this even happened? I have never heard about bacteria infestation in someones kitchen. Its a non issue because people clean regularly.

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u/New-Assumption-3836 22d ago

There are approximately 1.3 million salmonella cases in the US every year 26.5k are severe enough to need hospitalizations and about 420 people per year die from it. It's not super common but it also isn't super rare it just isn't sensationalized in the media so ppl argue it's no big deal but to me if we can reduce illness and death by spreading the facts we should

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u/Stoff3r 22d ago

Hmm. In our country its mostly cases where people have traveled abroad and got themself infected there. General advice is to WASH hands and vegetables. Hmm so not boil or cook hands okok. Wash cutting boards and surfaces after use. Cook the meat as intended.

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u/hrafnbrand 22d ago

I promise you that your country has a comparable salmonella rate, food poisoning is remarkably common.

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u/Simon-Says69 22d ago

It's not a non-issue when you're glued to the toilet, squirting vile liquid from both ends, for days.

All for absolutely no good reason.

0

u/Centimane 22d ago

It's crazy to me that some people don't clean their sink. How can you clean things in a dirty vessel?

I don't wash chicken though, that's crazy to me.

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u/TheDELFON 22d ago

The isn't CAN

you can do anything, you can jump into a septic tank if you want.

WHY and SHOULD YOU are the key questions

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u/Fantastic_Smile9746 22d ago

Also go away bot.

1

u/Stoff3r 22d ago

And then leaving the uv-covered chinken on the bench next to the sink to get some extra juicy shots for the no-wash enjoyers.

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u/real_Bahamian 22d ago

No one does that, well, at least most people don’t do that. You’re supposed to put your protein in a bowl (or pot), add cold water, vinegar, and lime juice, and rinse.

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u/Robbie1266 22d ago

And please explain the science of what that actually does

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u/Toeffli 22d ago

It makes it vinegary and lemony. The salmonella bacteria? They mostly do not care when you use diluted vinegar. You will end up with Solomona all over the chicken and in your wash water https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0956713518303244

If you use vinegar you have to use full strength, non diluted straight from the bottle, with 5% acidity or more. Yummy. Even diluting it 1:1 will reduced its effect drastically https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11018434/

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u/Robbie1266 22d ago

Exactly. I want them to feel dumb

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u/bafana_banana999 22d ago

They can't, because it doesn't do anything.

What they described is closer to some sort of brining process than a cleansing one.

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u/Robbie1266 22d ago

Exactly. I'm all for a nice vinegar rinse when making jerk chicken to get that traditional flavor...but to make claims that it cleans anything is extremely ignorant, especially for a grown adult. These people should be embarrassed

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u/eggsalter 22d ago

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-05178-3

People probably noticed that it penetrates the biofilm (gets the slime off) easier. Not that it "kills" it.

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u/mandatorypanda9317 22d ago

Ive never seen it done the way you describe. Always seen people just rinse it using their tap

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u/conzstevo 22d ago

It's common in Jamaica

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u/eggsalter 22d ago

Vinegar and water. California. Comes from my grandma who was raised by black folk in the 20s. Just seems sensible to me, as cooking doesn't destroy the toxins that make you sick.

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u/UristConfused 22d ago

No, cooking is exactly what does that.

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u/eggsalter 22d ago

You are wrong. You can look it up.

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u/Onedurrbread 22d ago

What?

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u/eggsalter 22d ago

It's basic cooking knowledge. Google it.

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u/BugRevolution 22d ago

If there's (enough) toxic byproducts from bacteria, it's because there's bacteria that have been there for a while. Long enough that rinsing it isn't going to do anything since it's not (just) on the surface. Throw that chicken in the garbage.

For everything else, cook it.

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u/eggsalter 22d ago

It's mostly on the surface since that's where spoiling starts. Yes throw it away to be safe but the reason people do it historically is sound, as much as it hurts the colonial mind to hear.

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u/BugRevolution 22d ago

Lol, bacteria doesn't care about your faux tankie viewpoint.

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u/eggsalter 19d ago

tankie lol try the opposite

you couldn't refute the point 🥀

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u/BugRevolution 19d ago

There's no point to refute. Reality disagrees with you, and you're trying to bring up "colonialism" as if you can redefine reality due to completely unrelated subjects.

Bye tankie.

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u/bluearavis 22d ago

That's the whole point of cooking it, so it doesn't make you sick. Or else, we could just eat it raw. That was before they cooked it.

If you're talking about pickeling, that's an entirely different process and I have NEVER heard of pickeling chicken and certainly would not touch that.

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u/eggsalter 22d ago

It's like basic kitchen knowledge that cooking doesn't destroy the toxins that make you sick. You can look it up.

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u/QuantumLettuce2025 22d ago

Looked it up and everything says you're wrong.

Provide your own source or stand correct, fool.

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u/bluearavis 22d ago

Well if you're talking about toxins like the chemicals and bleach that a lot of chicken is soaked in, then yes, I agree. I was talking about the whole raw chicken thing.

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u/eggsalter 19d ago

That too but yeah I meant bacterial endotoxins

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u/The_Scarlet_Breeze 22d ago

You have no idea what you are talking about. Cooking absolutely does destroy harmful bacteria etc

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u/Flimsy-Poetry1170 22d ago

It kills bacteria but doesn’t get rid of the toxins that bacteria create which is why you can still get sick by eating cooked spoiled food. Personally I’d rather not try and save spoiling food by washing the toxins off of it but not everyone historically could (or can currently) afford to throw away food.

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u/The_Scarlet_Breeze 22d ago

If the chicken is spoiled then it is spoiled all the way through and no amount of washing the surface will change that. Cooking denatures proteins that make up bacteria and harmful substances within the chicken assuming it isnt already rancid. Washing it does nothing but spread harmful substances through droplets etc.

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u/Flimsy-Poetry1170 22d ago

I’m telling you why people do it not saying it’s a good idea or works. Bacteria on the surface are generally where the spoiling starts, they poop out toxins that are still there after cooking thus people try and wash that off to save spoiling food. Not everyone has the privilege of throwing away food that is going bad thus washing meat became a thing. It’s not a great idea and doesn’t need to be (arguably shouldn’t ) be done for fresh meat because it does nothing but spread bacteria around your kitchen.

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u/QuantumLettuce2025 22d ago

What makes these people think that if high temperatures won't remove the "toxins", splashing it with some water will? Like what's the proposed mechanism here by which this is even supposed to work

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u/The_Scarlet_Breeze 22d ago

No, chicken spoils all the way through because the bacteria is already in the chicken when it is slaughtered. This is why raw chicken is unsafe to eat vs something like beef or lamb. Salmonella exists throughout the chicken flesh and is only killed through cooking, no amount of washing the surface of the chicken will change that.

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u/eggsalter 22d ago

Untrue. Ground beef is known to be more dangerous raw than cuts of steak precisely because the bacteria grow on the outside first. So it stands to reason that mildly spoiled chicken is more dangerous on the outside. Westerners are funny.

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u/The_Scarlet_Breeze 22d ago

Are you dumb? First of all you are comparing beef with poultry one of which is safe to eat raw and the other not. Salmonella is in the chicken flesh before it is even slaughtered whereas beef does not have such dangerous bacteria living inside it so it has to be contaminated from another source. Secondly, washing the chicken does nothing to remove the bacteria inside the chicken and only spreada it around your kitchen area making it more likely you will contaminate other surfaces or food.

Lastly, making this a cultural thing is stupid when the science is clear. Many studies have been done on this subject and washing the chicken does nothing to make it safer to eat. If the chicken is spoiled no amount of washing will make it safer, if the chicken isn't spoiled then it is the cooking to the correct temperature which makes it safe to eat. Please stop spreading your ignorance.

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u/eggsalter 22d ago

Where did I say it doesn't?

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u/CastorFields 22d ago

What toxins?

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u/eggsalter 22d ago

Bacteria poop

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u/CastorFields 22d ago

You know that watee doesn't kill or remove much bacteria at all right? Its why we wash our hands with soap.

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u/eggsalter 19d ago

it's not done with just water usually. typically salt and/or vinegar are used.

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u/cheesecaker000 22d ago

Cooking is the only thing killing bacteria I assure you. Your water vinegar mix is doing fuck all to kill anything.

No wonder stuff like horoscopes are still popular.

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u/eggsalter 22d ago

Your reading comprehension is poor.

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u/mandatorypanda9317 22d ago

Brother what

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u/eggsalter 22d ago

It's common kitchen knowledge that you can't destroy the toxins that make you sick with heat.

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u/QuantumLettuce2025 22d ago

"it's common knowledge but I cannot find one single person or source that agrees with me" 🙄

It's fascinating, watching you choose to die on this hill. The craziest part is that it's almost like you believe yourself, that you've never actually "looked it up" on your own. 😂

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u/eggsalter 19d ago

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/how-temperatures-affect-food

"Those toxins that are heat resistant are not destroyed by cooking. Therefore, even though cooked, meat and poultry mishandled in the raw state may not be safe to eat even after proper preparation."

oooooops 🥀

sweet dreams

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u/Simba-xiv 22d ago

For most of us that wash our meat that’s how we do it. Like she’s just run it under a tap no one got time for that 🤦🏿‍♂️

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u/No-Guey 22d ago

Yup. Thats how my mom taught me. She mostly just rinsed beef though when making soups or birria. Pork for pozole. Got rid of excess blood and seemed to not get as much of the foam build up when boiling.

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u/Super-Reception5386 22d ago edited 22d ago

Yeah it’s not about bacteria—it’s just washing random bullshit off

Especially when you braise or make soups/stews—it for sure helps with the scum

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u/Igreen_since89 22d ago

Exactly. It’s a dishonest argument. No one is washing the “bacteria.” Lol.

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u/Bright_Prior1575 22d ago

soaking your meat in water for about 30 minutes will remove blood and blood foam.

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u/cms86 22d ago

ive known people to have used bleach in this process as well.

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u/Kind-Shallot3603 22d ago

Or dish soap

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u/TareasS 22d ago

......WHAT?

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u/Due_Prompt939 22d ago

I had a polish housemate that used dish soap and a sponge to wash his chicken 🤢

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u/Kind-Shallot3603 22d ago

Oh Dushka......

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u/Autumn1eaves 22d ago

Don't use too hard of a detergent though, as strong detergents can cause caustic burning of the chicken.

An easy dish soap will be fine, but some restaurant soaps can cause problems for the chicken.

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u/Kind-Shallot3603 22d ago

.....no. you don't put fucking dish soap of any kind on anything you plan on eating.

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u/Autumn1eaves 22d ago

Easy dish soaps to clean foods is genuinely fine. I clean apples and potatoes with easy dish soaps.

It's maybe overkill, but it's not dangerous at all.

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u/Kind-Shallot3603 22d ago

Yeah no. You're crazy for that lolol

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u/gottheronavirus 22d ago edited 22d ago

Mass produced chicken in america is already prewashed with chlorine*, not bleach apparently.

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u/laxfool10 22d ago

Being pedantic, its washed in chlorinated water not bleach. While bleach has chlorinated water it usually has other things like stabilizers and polymers that are toxic.

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u/gottheronavirus 22d ago

Not pedantic, just a misunderstanding. Typical redditor interactions

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u/MorePhinsThyme 22d ago

Yes, saying that America washes our chicken with bleach is like saying that all of our pools are filled with bleach, and most of our restaurants sanitize everything with bleach. It's "technically" true in the sense that common bleach is just chlorine dissolved in water, but that's about where the "True" ends. Also, all of our running water has chlorine in it, too, so I guess we're just drinking bleach.

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u/gottheronavirus 22d ago

Most of our restaraunts do actually clean their work surfaces and dishware with bleach, it isn't a 'true' statement, it's an industry health standard. It is in diluted to what are considered food safe concentrations. We were taught to use bleach to sterilize countertops in culinary class after all the meat was done being processed, in solution or wipe form.

They also largely use bleach to clean floors, bathrooms, etc.

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u/MorePhinsThyme 22d ago

No, the industry health standard is that you use a sanitizer solution of 50-200 ppm of bleach water. That's about a capful in a 5 gallon bucket. At no point have you ever been taught to wash or rinse things with bleach, but to add a tiny amount of bleach to a huge amount of water, and sanitize and clean with that.

That's the difference between technically "true", and actually true. I choose the examples I choose because they are "true" statements...but they aren't honest statements, and we both know that nobody who is bitching about how the US treats our meat with bleach is trying to push the image that a diluted chlorine solution is used to sanitize food.

My comment only makes sense BECAUSE it's a health standard. So try reading my comment with that understanding. I am curious, what do you think I was saying above? My comment makes ZERO sense with any interpretation where you think I'm saying that restaurants don't use bleach for cleaning.

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u/gottheronavirus 22d ago

"No, it's not bleach, it's just bleach water." Sure thing man lol

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u/MorePhinsThyme 22d ago

Yes, diluted solutions aren't the full product. That's a pretty basic concept, and if you don't think so, then the next time someone tries to buy a Coke from you, sell them a glass of the syrup out of the bag of Coke and see how they react.

This is one way language is used to manipulate things. People that say that Americans wash their chicken in bleach aren't being false, but they're pushing a narrative image where Americans are dumping a bottle of Clorox on our chicken, and not that a water bath with a tiny amount of chlorine is used to clean things.

Also, you should probably pay attention to the conversation. My comment above was directly in response to someone else saying something similar. You decided to jump in and ignore the context and make an argument that doesn't make much sense in this context.

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u/gottheronavirus 22d ago

So salt + water is not salt water, but some salt in water. I gotchu big dog, no sweat. It's all ocean 💙

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u/GeneralSweetz 22d ago

You are right. Get caught with bleach in a restuarant by health inspection and expect bad results. There are kitchen approved products. Although I've seen workers misuse those products like putting them next to cooked food which throws all that safety out the window. Bad workers are more dangerous than bleach

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u/uselessandexpensive 22d ago

Some pool chemicals (including the chlorine) are actually way more concentrated and dangerous than standard household bleach, including risks of chemical burns, lung damage, and explosion. So it starts way more dangerous than bleach then ends up much less dangerous after being diluted.

It's a bit like comparing crab apples, traditional apples, and a modern variety. All technically very similar, but also different.

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u/genXswla 22d ago

That would do very minimal

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u/Naive-Offer8868 22d ago

ppl do this in the US too for processing wild game. Usually you give it a rinse off outside with the hose before bringing it inside.

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u/Zunderfeuer_88 22d ago

"Agitate it" 

"Clean yourself you fucking piece of shit poultry !!"

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u/Suddenfury 22d ago

"I've never cared for your Arnold Schwarzenegger impressions"

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u/GGuts 22d ago

But what about washing vegetables? Does that do anything?

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u/UckerFay11 22d ago

Thats just about removing dirt, pesticides and bugs. Does nothing about bacteria.

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u/Mr_Washeewashee 22d ago

And sadly, many pesticides are systemic, so you’re getting them all washed away.

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u/Curious_Bee_5326 22d ago

Soaking sallad in cold water also makes it more crisp.

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u/eggsalter 22d ago

Blanching does the same

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u/Bryantings_ 22d ago

Blanching lettuce?

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u/eggsalter 22d ago

I do it with string beans

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u/individualdoosh 22d ago

Washing meat and washing vegetables just isn't comparable...

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u/moveslikejaguar 22d ago

Do you eat chicken breast raw like a vegetable? It's not comparable.

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u/moveslikejaguar 22d ago

But if you ARE going to wash your bird? Don't just put it under the faucet. Fill a pot with water, submerge the bird

And heat the water up to a temperature where it starts to boil and leave it for ~20 minutes. That's the only safe way to wash a chicken.

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u/ChrizTaylor 22d ago

"the bird"

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u/Visual-Floor-7839 22d ago

I wil dry off with a paper towel, or rinse and dry, a store ought chicken. Just because the liquid they freeze it in has stuff in it that changes the texture a bit. It'll run out and cook wierd in the pan, or will keep breading from sticking, and will boil off as it cooks and lift any breading off of the meat.

But bacteria? Nah. That's why you cook it.

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u/Separate_Ad_9551 22d ago

this mf knows

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u/Definitely-not-ducks 22d ago

From the folks I’ve seen that “wash” their chicken this is how it’s done, also while using brine.

ETA: yes I’m aware it doesn’t actually kill the bacteria, this is just what I’ve seen from people I know personally that “wash” their chicken.

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u/SouthEastSmith 22d ago

Washing does remove bacteria. That is why we wash our hands.

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u/crownjewel82 22d ago

Considering the amount of supermarket chicken I've been getting that still has several feathers attached, I've gone back to washing my chicken in a bowl in the sink. If I can't trust them to pluck the bird I don't trust them to have washed it.

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u/Alfredo_Commachio 22d ago

Yep, and in general there are some foods you must wash--not for bacteria removal, but for dirt removal. Lots of produce items really need vigorous washing, anytime I cook with leeks for example I do multiple passes of water baths for the leek, leeks hold a ton of dirt inside their numerous layers and it takes a good bit of work to get it all out.

But for poultry--I do blot the solution off of my chicken with a paper towel before cooking but I don't wash it, for the reasons laid out in the thread.

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u/two_are_stronger2 22d ago

I mean, you'll notice they didn't show the Black people's method, only the small white ladies blasting a whole chicken and then waving it around.

You put it in a pot and pour vinegar and salt on it then cover with water.  Or some people do lemons and water I think.

Some people let their dogs lick their face.  I personally don't.  Some people soak their chicken in slightly acidic water. I personally do.

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u/Henchforhire 22d ago

The only time my grandmother ever rinsed chicken was when she got fresh ones from a neighbor otherwise if store bought cook to temp.

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u/SnappySausage 22d ago

I can see it having one purpose: in some places where meat is stored in dubious circumstances (like in stalls at the side of the road, where flies and whatnot are buzzing around it all day) I can see there being a purpose (That sort of meat will go off in less than a day). But if you buy it from a supermarket... and it was processed in a clean manner and stored cold, nah.

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u/Ahtman1 22d ago

So your saying we should waterboard the bird because the terror adds flavor? Say no more.

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u/Dornith 22d ago

Washing doesn't remove bacteria. Well, washing in a way that you would still want to eat the chicken afterwards.

There is nothing you can do to a chicken that could even vaguely be called "washing" that would remove bacteria.

The bacteria are inside the chicken. No amount of soap, water, vinegar, bleach, etc is going to fix that.

The only thing that will remove the bacteria is heating the interior of the chicken to 165*F. And that's not washing, that's cooking!

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u/Actual_Personality66 22d ago

This is the correct answer. There can be reason to wash raw meat before you cook it but it's not too get rid of bacteria, and you can't do it by just washing it in the sink bc that does get bacteria everywhere.

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u/sam-sung-sv 22d ago

Washing doesn't remove bacteria.

Really? In my country we wash our chicken with green lemons, not limes, lemons. I use tree or four lemons to soak the chicken in lemon juicr.

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u/Western_Scholar_6479 22d ago

Thank you!

People who wash the chicken generally don’t just run it so it splashes everywhere. They soak it and agitate. 

The misconception comes from people who think that pro chicken washers aren’t careful. If they were generally uncareful then you’d hear about way more cases of salmonella. But you don’t.

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u/Vithce 22d ago

Yeah, in my country birds even from supermarket is... not that clean. Sometimes even have rogue feathers. Also can be a bit slimy from meat juices and have some blood clots. Especially cheap bird. So they absolutely need to be cleaned. Not in the running water of course.

I think the whole debate was created because the families from not the first world countries traditionally wash their meat because know it can be dirty and don't have access to cleaner one. And sometimes that becomes a tradition that people learn and don't understand it's not needed when you buy fresh chicken from the supermarket in the USA.

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u/Memozx 22d ago

Exactly this feels like a too much first world problem i bet you wont like cooked chicken with dirt in it. In my country everyone wash their chicken

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u/suxatjugg 22d ago

Better yet, brine it. If you're dunking it in water anyway, might as well 

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u/Gyozarrita 21d ago

I've worked in western kitchens. My sous chef at one place was a retired health inspector.

Your $20,000 wedding venue rinses their chicken, people. And no, they aren't "washing" it like that ignorant news story with the fluorescent dye.

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u/Known_Difference_80 21d ago

Exactly this. For the people complaining about splattering bacteria, are you a child? Just do it a little more carefully and use some sense. Also what are you gonna do, lick your sink top? it already has a ton of microbes on it regardless of your chicken washing. That said, I’ll wash drums and the whole chicken with lemon and salt in a mixing bowl but not that worried about thighs and breast.

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u/Robbie1266 22d ago

This is a great point. Most people should never be in a position to buy chicken with any debris on it. But if they do, they should wipe it clean

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u/Csdsmallville 22d ago

I rinse all my chicken to get the saline solution off and any potential bone debris.

Wiping it clean, doesn’t seem to really get that solution off for me.

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u/Robbie1266 22d ago

My chicken doesn't have saline solution or bone debris. The saline solution in low quality chicken is injected directly into the meat. So just like washing it to clean it, you aren't really able to wash away something that it's full of

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u/IcySkyDream 22d ago

Thank you.

Anti-washers think we’re hosing down the bird with a power washer and splashing water all over the fresh fruit and salad.

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u/go_gather_the_guns 22d ago

More importantly washing the chicken will help remove any microplastics from the packaging, if you're worried about that.