About 9 people in 10 clean off their chicken before cooking it, usually by rinsing it in the sink under water. But a recent study done by the Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service suggests that doing this may actually increase your chances of getting food poisoning. A second study done at Drexel University found that rinsing chicken only increased the chances of spreading bacteria around your sink and counter tops. From there it was easily transferred to other foods.
How can this be?
The DoA study observed 300 people as they prepared chicken thighs. They found that 60% of those who washed the chicken left bacteria in and around the sink after washing. Even after cleaning the sink, some bacteria remained. And more than 1 in 4 of the participants transferred the bacteria to other food as they prepared their meal.
What to do?
First, prep any other raw food that will be part of your meal (e.g., a salad) before you handle the poultry. Wash your hands before starting to prepare your food, and wash them again immediately after handling any raw poultry.
Cooking the poultry to an internal temperature of 165 deg F will kill any bacteria present and the DoA says that this is the only way to ensure that poultry is safe to eat. Don't guess. Use a meat thermometer.
So skip the bird bath.
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