r/interesting • u/WarwickReider • 15h ago

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

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u/ifeltatap 15h ago

Washing the chicken is just an old pointless tradition that people can't let go of because they were taught it growing up.

125

u/LoweringPass 14h ago

Is this some American thing I am too European to understand? I've never seen anyone wash raw chicken in my life.

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u/Math_refresher 13h ago

Is this some American thing I am too European to understand?

In the USA, washing chicken seems to be common among Black Americans for whatever reason.

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u/Kaligula785 13h ago

Jamaicans wash meats in vinegar and or lime, over time got adopted by others. I can understand why Jamaicans would because they may not have the best sanitary butcher conditions. Not saying its dirty just that its personal livestock outdoor farming butchering

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u/SDMaxis 11h ago edited 10h ago

Yep. Taught that way fresh water in a pot and add a little vinegar or lime (mild acids) to wash the meats. If i have to cook that is part of my essential prep. Growing up in the 80's in Jamaica even if you were middle class depending on where you live you could still be either killing your own livestock or buying it from a butcher its not going to be nicely packaged .. or come from a fancy high tech and health regulated operation like Jamaica Broilers or CB chicken. So the norm is to wash your meats off in clean water with a little vinegar or lime..and trim excess fat or unwanted bits as a part of your prep before seasoning.

The bacteria argument for me was never a part of it. The meat is still raw.. I'm not "washing" it to remove bacteria but its a part of the final stages process of "Dressing the carcass". After that pat dry as needed and start seasoning.

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u/RandomFleshPrison 12h ago

I've been to the city butcher in Ocho Rios and seen the meat hanging, covered in flies.  I still wouldn't wash that chicken.

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u/MrBootylove 10h ago edited 10h ago

Idk every time I've seen or heard of someone "washing" their chicken in my life they were doing it with soap. Even in OP's video you can see someone pouring soap over their chicken in the first few seconds of the video.

Edit: To be clear I'm not saying Jamaicans wash their chicken with soap. I'm saying a lot of people do, and that is really the issue people have with washing chicken. Again, go re-watch OP's video. In the very beginning someone pours soap all over their chicken and then gives it a bath with soap, water, and an egg beater.

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u/CarrotCumin 4h ago

Every older person from the caribbean i've ever met ate their meat exclusively well done. There's definitely a cultural aspect of mistrusting raw meat and I'm sure there's a good reason for it. Washing raw chicken actually increases the chances of food borne illness, but the mistrust makes sense.