How many of you...

[dadsr4]

Unless there is something I wish to wash off, I don't. I do drain any juices into the sink.

[kds9547]

Always. Unless it's ground beef!!!

[lantern]

Originally Posted by rookiedad

i wash it all. break open a cryo-pack of pork and you are sometimes going to smell a rotten smell even if the meat is not expired. rinse it off and it smells fresh. it can't be good to cook meat with that gak on it. also, you are going to get off any bone chips from butchering.

THIS!


I'm not the biggest fan of the cryovac smell or the bone chips that often lay in the cracks and crevices of different cuts of meat from the butchering process.

[SmokinM]

Originally Posted by Okie Sawbones

I guess you should define what you mean by WASH. Do you mean a rinse or a wash? Some people WASH their food in a sink with a small amount of Clorox. I will do a quick rinse to get off bone chips, the cryo slime, etc., if necessary, but never a wash.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture states:

Washing raw poultry, beef, pork, lamb, or veal before cooking it is not recommended. Bacteria in raw meat and poultry juices can be spread to other foods, utensils, and surfaces. We call this cross-contamination.

Some consumers think they are removing bacteria and making their meat or poultry safe. However, some of the bacteria are so tightly attached that you could not remove them no matter how many times you washed. But there are other types of bacteria that can be easily washed off and splashed on the surfaces of your kitchen. Failure to clean these contaminated areas can lead to foodborne illness. Cooking (baking, broiling, boiling, and grilling) to the right temperature kills the bacteria, so washing food is not necessary.

Even though I never heard of a person using soap or worse yet, Clorox, I should have clarified more in detail. Since your explanation states that cooking food to the right temperature kills the bacteria, why do you bother "rinsing" your food anyways (the same reasons I do, to remove the smell of cryovac or any small bone chips).

[Grillman]

....

[kds9547]

I don't wash it off to kill the bacteria. I wash it off to get the dirt or sh!t or whatever else was on it when it slid across the floor at the meat packing facility. Think it doesn't happen? You never looked at a package of meat and didn't pick it up because you weren't sure what those little black spots were? I know I have. But you can't see everything.

I don't feel any more at risk washing it off than I do opening the package. I also know the importance of disinfecting afterwards though.

My mom's been doing it this way for 67 years now, so screw the USDA.

[Eggtastico]

I dont wash the meat, but i may open the pack & run a cold tap into the pack to get rid of the excess blood & juices before removing & then pat dry with kitchen paper.

Really depends on the meat. I never wash poultry though. The bacteria can easily spread and cause all sorts of health hazards in the kitchen.

If the food is cooked to correct temperature, then it should kill the nasty bacteria.

My brother works in enviromental health & he says you could eat a turd if you deep fried it! Not that im going to try it

[luke duke]

I never wash meat. I see no point in doing so.

[Kimo1]

I am one of the few who doesn't wash their meat (bbq that is). But will give a quick rinse, except for chicken.

[Toeter]

Rinse! All the time