Chicken – It’s Better Not to Wash It

If you want it to be clean, it has to be washed, right? But you should better leave the chicken alone. In the worst case, the liquid sprays several meters through the kitchen under the water jet. This is how you spread a lot of bacteria that stick to the meat. Kitchen appliances, work surfaces, pots and clothes are therefore potential sources of infection. People with a weakened immune system, such as children or the elderly, are particularly at risk.

It is better to dab the chicken with a dry cloth to remove any traces of blood or the like. Then season and cut on a plastic cutting board. And: Please don’t forget to clean the boards and kitchen tools thoroughly afterwards. And that’s before you cut other things with the knife or on the board.

“Campylobacter infections can be avoided by consistently separating raw meat, especially poultry such as chicken, and foods that are consumed without further heating,” says Professor Dr. Andreas Hensel, President of the BfR. “Good kitchen hygiene also includes consistent cleaning of hands, kitchen utensils and preparation surfaces after contact with raw animal food and before preparing other components of a meal.”

Incidentally, Campylobacter is not to be trifled with. Symptoms of infection include severe diarrhea, abdominal pain and cramps, and fever, which can usually last up to a week. Sometimes longer. And nobody really wants that.