The US government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned the population via Twitter: you should never wash raw chicken meat. The reason, the agency explains, is that washing chicken can transfer disease-causing germs and bacteria, especially the dangerous salmonella, to other foods and kitchen utensils.
“We didn’t want to make you worried, but it’s true: kill germs by cooking food very well and not washing it,” added the CDC, which made yet another recommendation.
“In fact, you should not wash eggs and any type of meat, either beef or pork, before cooking,” the US agency explained. “All these foods can spread germs around your kitchen.”
In the same post, the agency reinforced other good cooking practices: do not place cooked food on surfaces or containers that are dirty with raw meat, so there is no cross-contamination.
And, of course, always wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw foods, especially meats. The ideal is to wash your hands well for at least 20 seconds.