Mistakes Everyone Makes When Washing Raw Meat

Imagine it. You're ready to cook up a nice, juicy steak, some chicken thighs, or maybe a pork loin. Whether it's fresh or once frozen and now thawed, you have a ready-to-cook cut of raw meat, and you're starting your food prep. Once you take that cut of meat out of its packaging, what's your first step? If you answered with something along the lines of "wash the meat" or "rinse the meat off in the sink," then you may be making some serious mistakes — mistakes that could cause you and your entire household to fall seriously ill (and maybe even die).

Still, it's something that many people do without thinking about the potential consequences, much like eating raw cookie dough or thawing your frozen foods out on the counter over the course of an entire day. Maybe it's something your parents or grandparents did without a thought, so you assume it must be safe, or even in the case of rinsing meat off before cooking, the right and best thing to do.

However, if you want to ensure you're keeping your kitchen (and the food that comes out of it) as safe as possible, you'll want to avoid some certain mistakes.

The myth, refuted or not, that unwashed meat is unclean — and therefore unsafe — leads to one of the biggest cooking mistakes of all, at least when it comes to handling raw meat: washing your raw meat in the first place. Rather than simply rinsing off all of that food-borne illness-causing bacteria and sending it down the drain like you might assume you're doing, washing your raw meat actually doesn't really get rid of the bacteria at all, according to a report from Michigan State University, and, instead, spreads it around further, meaning those who wash raw meat are at a higher risk for food poisoning.

Think you can wash your raw meat then sanitize or bleach your sink and then you'll be good to go? Think again. The same report notes that, when you wash raw meat, the bacteria can actually spread up to three feet from where the raw meat was washed, meaning a lot of the surfaces in your kitchen are compromised. You don't even get clean, bacteria-free raw meat for your trouble, either, as the residual bacteria on the meat will just follow it to your cookware (though, no worries, the bacteria is killed during the cooking process).

Some consumers go beyond simply giving their raw meat a brief shower and opt for an entire, hours-long bath, which they say not only impacts the cleanliness of the meat but also the taste. As one of the Redditors who responded to the thread mentioned above said, "I was brought up to always clean chicken and, I dunno [sic] if it's psychological, but I can taste a difference if I don't clean it now. I don't just rinse it though. I soak [it] in water plus salt plus vinegar for a little bit and then rinse and dry."

This type of soak is different from a brine, which the USDA clarifies does not include any rinsing or washing and always takes place in the fridge, in a covered and sealed container, in order to keep the meat at a safe temperature.

Simply soaking the meat in your sink, for the intentions of washing bacteria or any other undesirable substances off your raw meat (for example, some may decide to soak saltier cuts of pork in an attempt to remove some of the salt), is useless, the USDA notes. If you, for some reason, do decide to soak your meat, the department recommends following a method similar to brining, using only a sanitized and sealed container in the refrigerator, rather than your sink.

Whether or not you wash or soak your raw meat, if raw meat is in your kitchen at all, you need to properly clean all of the surfaces in your kitchen, including countertops, your sink, and any used cutting boards or utensils. However, there's a difference between sanitizing and disinfecting these surfaces, and it's important to know the difference so that you can properly clean your kitchen.

According to the USDA, sanitizing products are often safe to use on items that touch your food, such as utensils or cutting boards. You can buy kitchen-safe sanitizers or make your own with a bit of water and bleach. Likewise, your dishwasher can sanitize many of the items in your kitchen that you might often use when cooking raw meat. Disinfectants, on the other hand, usually include products that are not safe for use on items that touch your food. Instead, disinfectants are best for areas like countertops or sinks.

After sanitizing and disinfecting, make sure to wash your hands, too, and don't forget to throw any cleaning cloths or towels you might've used into the wash on a high heat setting.

You're getting a meal ready, you're moving between different dishes and prep areas in your kitchen, and you're juggling multiple tasks at once (not to mention any outside distractions, from other family members to incoming texts) — it can be all too easy to simply toss some of your foods' packaging materials to one side and say you'll clean up later. However, this is one mistake you won't want to make when handling raw meats, regardless of whether or not you wash your raw meat.

The USDA says that plastic wrap, foam trays, and other meat packaging can harbor bacteria from whatever they contained far after their original use, meaning they could contaminate other foods, your hands, and even your kitchen counters. Your best bet is to throw any raw meat packaging away immediately. And definitely do not, under any circumstances, reuse the packaging for something else (even egg cartons, which are sometimes used in children's crafts, are considered a cross-contamination threat and should be disposed of immediately).

But all of the health and safety rules aside, there are a few instances where you are actually supposed to rinse off or wash your raw meat. One of these instances? When you're brining a turkey.

According to the USDA, if you're cooking a brined turkey (whether you bought it pre-brined or are brining it yourself at home) that's the only time you should consider rinsing your turkey before popping it into the oven. Of course, safety precautions should be taken. The USDA advises that you rinse the turkey in your kitchen sink, carefully removing any items out of and away from the sink in order to avoid cross contamination via splatters. Cover the surrounding countertop with paper towels, and have your roasting pan (or other cookware) at the ready. Then, clean your sink with hot, soapy water before filling it a few inches with cold water. Place your turkey in the sink and gently rinse it inside and out with more cold water (and be careful not to splash!). Place your turkey in your pan and transport it to the oven, drain the sink, throw out your paper towels, and then clean the entire area thoroughly.

Of course, if the thought of rinsing your turkey now makes you queasy as you consider all those food-borne illness warnings, you can always opt for a recipe that strictly leaves out the rinsing step, like this one from Nigella Lawson.