Reader Feedback You’ll Appreciate!
I’ve mentioned before how much I appreciate our readers—especially when they share helpful feedback. Such is the case this past week when I heard from one of our longtime readers, Kathy.
She wrote in response to one of the instructions given in the roasted chicken recipe featured in the article on clay cookpots (“Lots of Applause for Clay Cookers”). I’ll quote her: “It is not safe to rinse chicken. Rinsing will contaminate your sink and surrounding countertops. There will be splash and splatter, no matter how careful you are. The USDA also warns against doing it, not just because of the cross-contamination issue, but because it’s not necessary. Proper cooking will destroy any pathogenic bacteria.”
Kathy also included a quote from the USDA to validate her statement: “While washing meat and poultry to remove dirt, slime, fat or blood may have been appropriate decades ago when many slaughtered and prepared their own food, the modern food safety system doesn’t require it. Meat and poultry are cleaned during processing, so further washing is not necessary. Never use soaps or detergents on your meat or poultry products. They can contaminate your food with chemicals and make it unsafe to eat. (fsis.usda.gov)”
Kathy also added, “In addition, chicken (and turkey, by the way) is less dense than beef. Bacteria can penetrate into chicken meat. Rinsing will not kill those bacteria. Only proper cooking does.”
I was so grateful for her email. I wasn’t aware of there being no need to rinse poultry and thought maybe some of you didn’t know this either. So, here’s a very BIG and public “Thank you!” to Kathy for taking the time to write and share this important information.
And in a follow-up email, Kathy also made mention of how dangerous it is to eat “edible” cookie dough, minus the eggs, but with raw flour. She explained that this isn’t safe because flour needs to be heated to 160° and cooled before using in edible cookie dough. Raw flour can be as pathogenic as poultry.” I didn’t know this, either!
I want to close by just expressing my gratitude to all our Cook’n readers. I appreciate so much the opportunity to write for you. And you all need to know your comments and emails truly make my day. And I can confidently say this goes for all the Cook’n writers. YOU are the heartbeat of DVO. What a blessing to be part of the Cook’n family!
She wrote in response to one of the instructions given in the roasted chicken recipe featured in the article on clay cookpots (“Lots of Applause for Clay Cookers”). I’ll quote her: “It is not safe to rinse chicken. Rinsing will contaminate your sink and surrounding countertops. There will be splash and splatter, no matter how careful you are. The USDA also warns against doing it, not just because of the cross-contamination issue, but because it’s not necessary. Proper cooking will destroy any pathogenic bacteria.”
Kathy also included a quote from the USDA to validate her statement: “While washing meat and poultry to remove dirt, slime, fat or blood may have been appropriate decades ago when many slaughtered and prepared their own food, the modern food safety system doesn’t require it. Meat and poultry are cleaned during processing, so further washing is not necessary. Never use soaps or detergents on your meat or poultry products. They can contaminate your food with chemicals and make it unsafe to eat. (fsis.usda.gov)”
Kathy also added, “In addition, chicken (and turkey, by the way) is less dense than beef. Bacteria can penetrate into chicken meat. Rinsing will not kill those bacteria. Only proper cooking does.”
I was so grateful for her email. I wasn’t aware of there being no need to rinse poultry and thought maybe some of you didn’t know this either. So, here’s a very BIG and public “Thank you!” to Kathy for taking the time to write and share this important information.
And in a follow-up email, Kathy also made mention of how dangerous it is to eat “edible” cookie dough, minus the eggs, but with raw flour. She explained that this isn’t safe because flour needs to be heated to 160° and cooled before using in edible cookie dough. Raw flour can be as pathogenic as poultry.” I didn’t know this, either!
I want to close by just expressing my gratitude to all our Cook’n readers. I appreciate so much the opportunity to write for you. And you all need to know your comments and emails truly make my day. And I can confidently say this goes for all the Cook’n writers. YOU are the heartbeat of DVO. What a blessing to be part of the Cook’n family!
Alice Osborne
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2006
Email the author! alice@dvo.com
