Is It True That Chicken Doesn't Need To Be Washed Before Cooking? This Is An Expert Explanation

JAKARTA - Chicken is one of the popular food ingredients, which is processed into a variety of delicious dishes. However, in chicken processing, errors often occur that can threaten health if they continue to be done.

The mistake was washing the chicken before cooking it. Many think that washing chicken with water can remove mucus and bacteria in raw chicken, such as salmonella and campylobacter, which can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and fever.

However, it should be noted that washing raw chicken before cooking creates a risk of spreading bacteria through water splashes. Washing water that contains bacteria can spread to kitchen areas, such as sinks, tables, cooking utensils, and clothes.

"Usually people think they can get rid of bacteria by washing, but it's much safer to cook alone," said Ciara Lundy, RDN, an inpatient clinical nutritionist at the Mayo Clinic, quoted from Health.

Lundy insists that raw chicken processing doesn't need to be washed, just cook it right away. He said that raw chicken when cooked at 165 degrees Celsius will help kill the bacteria in it.

"If you cook a chicken up to a temperature of 165 degrees Celsius, it will kill all the bacteria," he explained.

Apart from not washing it, there are other things that must be considered in processing chickens to reduce the risk of poisoning due to the bacteria they contain. After buying chickens, everyone must decide whether to process them immediately or not.

If you don't process it right away, the chicken must be stored in the freezer. When you are about to process frozen chicken, avoid placing it on the table for too long or water it with cold water to speed up the disbursement process.

"Disbursing chicken meat in a refrigerator (not a freezer) for a few days is recommended", Lundy continued.

Meanwhile, for those of you who are used to washing chicken before cooking, you can keep doing it, but you have to be very careful. Channel the water slowly on the chicken to reduce the risk of splashing, then clean the sinks and the surrounding area after washing the chicken to avoid the spread of bacteria.