Chook Me!

Before cooking poultry are you supposed to wash it?

I thought I saw my mom doing this when I was younger, but I'm not sure. Are you supposed to rinse all poultry before preparing or only if it's a whole bird (not just breast or thighs)? Or do you do it at all? If so, what is the purpose? Your input would be helpful!

Public Comments

1. Yes it's a good idea. The moisture is good for cooking it too.
2. Yes, you should wash it
3. I would. What does it hurt. The extra moister helps with the breading too.
4. most restaurants wash poultry only when it is first having signs of starting to go bad you kinda have that smell other then that i have not just washed poultry
5. Yes, it removes some of the bacteria, and 'ickiness.'
6. Always wash poultry before cooking....but make sure that you wash your hands with warm water and soap before you touch anything else after cleaning your bird
7. You can, but it isn't true that it removes bacteria. Cooking the chicken to the right temperature(160-170 degrees) kills bacteria.
8. You should rinse ALL foods before cooking and or eating. If you are worried about germs, get a spray bottle put in some Listerine and spray the food before rinsing...............kills all the germs.
9. This question was raised to Cook's Illustrated, and the magazine's response was that it's better not to. It's not necessary, and could cause the raw chicken juices to splash around the sink area, leading to possible contamination of other foods. They also did a taste test of rinsed vs non rinsed birds, and found the rinsing made no difference in taste. The US Department of Agriculture also advises against rinsing chicken. If you're worried about bacteria, just don't eat it raw!
10. of coarse wash the whole thing and make sure the inside of it is clean and has no red blood vessels