Hello! My name is Michelle, and I'm a writer for BuzzFeed Food. During a scroll through the comments on one of our videos, I noticed a ton of people saying they wash their chicken before cooking it.
Curious writer (and self-conscious person) that I am, I decided to poll the BuzzFeed community to see where they stood on the practice.
So, who's actually in the right, hygiene-wise? To get to the bottom of this question, I decided to ask the experts.
First up? USDA spokesperson Marianne H. Gravely. She said that the department "falls squarely in the 'Don’t wash your chicken' camp."
Sounds fair, but I wanted another opinion, so I turned to a second source: germ expert and associate professor of environmental health at the University of Arizona Kelly Reynolds.
Her take on the practice? Don't do it. 😯
But! I wanted to know, what if you washed the chicken using really hot water?
Okay, fine, but what about a vinegar-and-salt soak? I hear that's more effective than using plain water.
So is there any advantage at all to washing chicken?
Now, reformed germophobe that I am, I decided to check one last source: a chef at poultry house Le Coq & Fils — for a less clinical reference point. And, you guys, not even a chef at a fancy French chicken restaurant recommends washing chicken.
And if a few experts aren't convincing enough, perhaps this very official packaging label is?