Do You Wash Chicken Before You Cook It?

If you spend time preparing meals and know your way around the kitchen you might be able to help out a mom who's arguing with her daughter.

We've said it many times before if you ever have a question that you aren't sure where or how to come up with an answer to, we like to be the place that the Hudson Valley goes to find answers. Once or twice a month we allow folks of the Hudson Valley to "Ask us Anything" (AUA) and if they choose to ask a question we do everything we can to try and find the correct answer for them. This week's question comes from a mom who has spent the last week or so arguing with her daughter about the proper way to cook poultry.

Wash Poultry Before Cooking it?

Mom wrote us,

"This may sound like a crazy question but you guys always say we can Ask You Anything so here it goes. Last weekend my daughter and I got into a bizarre argument and I’m hoping you can help us. I've always thought that it is common knowledge that if you are going to cook a whole chicken you must remove the giblets and then wash the chicken inside and out before you cook it. However, my daughter said that washing it is a waste of time because the chicken is going to be cooked anyway. So she just removes the giblets and cooks away. Who do you think is right? So do you wash your chicken before you cook it, or do you just season it and throw it in the oven? What do you guys think?"

I don't do a lot of cooking but anytime I cook chicken on the bone I always wash it off and dab it dry with a paper towel, not to clean it but to make sure the seasonings stick to the meat. I don't think I have ever washed any meat before, how about you?

Never Wash Chicken

That was the response we got from many fans including Trish from Hartsdale who texted us, "No the experts say not to - that it more likely just spreads bacteria by splashing to your countertops, etc." Danielle from Pleasant Valley said something similar, "I have to chime in here...never ever wash your chicken! All it does is spread bacteria all over your sink and potentially your countertops, which can get you very sick. Cooking it properly will kill a...I have to chime in here...never ever wash your chicken! All it does is spread bacteria all over your sink and potentially your countertops, which can get you very sick. Cooking it properly will kill any bacteria on it."

How to Properly Wash Chicken if You Choose to

Ann from Mahopac texted us, "Good morning CJ and Jess as for the washing of the chicken you must remove the giblets and then you must wash the chicken with tons of salt and cool water inside and outside the cavity and rinse it until there are no bloody juices enjoy. Cluck Cluck!!"

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What Does Artificial Intelligence (AI) say is the Right Thing to do?

If you haven't heard about ChatGPT yet, you will as it's the platform that allows users to have human-like conversations with a "chatbot". It can answer questions and assist users with tasks like composing emails, essays, and code. Here is what the chatbot said after I asked, "Do you wash poultry before cooking?"...

"As an AI language model, I do not cook or handle food. However, according to food safety guidelines, it is not recommended to wash raw poultry before cooking as it can increase the risk of spreading harmful bacteria, such as salmonella or campylobacter, to other surfaces and utensils in the kitchen. When poultry is cooked to the correct temperature, any harmful bacteria should be destroyed. It is important to handle raw poultry carefully, washing your hands and any surfaces or utensils that come into contact with it before and after cooking."

Have a question you'd like us to answer? "AUA" us through the Wolf Country app.