In the US, chickens are washed in a chlorine solution.
This is not allowed in UK/EU, as it's believed it's better to fix the problem at source and that no-one will bother to do that if there's end-bleaching.
This is not allowed in UK/EU, as it's believed it's better to fix the problem at source and that no-one will bother to do that if there's end-bleaching.
Well, there are two other problems:
- There's rather limited evidence that the chlorine thing is particularly effective for removing surface bacteria.
- Chicken meat can and commonly does harbour bacteria in the interior.
https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2019/08/20/washing...
also, AFAIK people rinse off meat to "get rid of the blood/slime", not to get rid of the chroline smell. Presumably they do a good enough job rinsing off the chlorine that it doesn't smell like pool water by the time it hits store shelves.
As long as you continue treating everything as if it’s still lined with bacteria, why not wash?
Exactly. I'm not a least-common-denominator that these public health recommendations cater to. Give me the real info please.
I am skeptical that they would rinse the chlorine off of the chicken at the factory. That seems like an extra step adding not only cost but risk of a bacterial bloom occurring between the factory and the store/home.
I live in a non-chlorinated-poultry country, and there are still dept of health ads every Christmas warning people not to attempt to rinse turkeys; wherever the idea came from it probably wasn't chlorination.
I would not expect a health agency, which requires processors to use a chlorine rinse that presumably the agency approves as "safe and healthy", to say that your chicken should be rinsed of any excess chlorine before cooking. They think the amount of chlorine is safe and want you to believe so as well.
And I know people rinse chicken for reasons other than what I am suggesting.
However I am still looking for a good answer to whether there is chlorine residue on chicken that can be removed by rinsing in the home. Perhaps I wasn't clear enough at first.
That's not a thing here; I think deep-frying turkeys is purely an American phenomenon. The reason that health authorities discourage it is that it can lead to aerosolized bacterial contamination.
> I would not expect a health agency, which requires processors to use a chlorine rinse
Chlorine rinses aren't allowed in the EU. Incidentally, they're not actually _mandatory_ in the US, though they are common practice there, I gather because they're seen as a cheaper way to meet salmonella prevalence goals than controls earlier in the process.
> However I am still looking for a good answer to whether there is chlorine residue on chicken that can be removed by rinsing in the home.
I mean, if you're in a chicken-chlorination country, maybe? But small amounts of chlorine don't seem particularly a problem.
why not? health agencies approve pesticides as well, but they advise you to rinse off vegetables/fruit.
As far as I know, the rationale given for washing fruits and vegetables is not because of pesticides, but because of dirt and bacteria. As far as the public is to be concerned, any pesticide residue that makes it into your home is to be considered "acceptably low."
The USDA makes no mention of pesticides:
>Before eating or preparing fresh fruits and vegetables, wash the produce under running tap water to remove any lingering dirt. This reduces any germs that may be present. If the fruits or vegetables have a firm surface, such as apples or potatoes, they can be scrubbed with a brush.
Eeek.
Basic precautions include:
* Do it outside away from structures
* Keep a fire extinguisher handy
* Make sure there's no ice in the bird
* Measure the displacement of the bird (by filling your pot with water), and add the appropriate amount of oil
* Heat the oil up to 250, then add the bird. Don't let the temp get over 350.
I have a propane stove I use for making beer; it's often sold as a turkey fryer stove
I don't disagree with this point (in fact I think it is prudent), but isn't the bird now wet once again, which was how this conversation started?