Do you wash raw meat before cooking? The expert said why not do it

Do you wash the meat first before preparing it, because that’s how your grandmothers used to do it? You’re asking for quite a lot of inconvenience. Particularly risky is poultry meat, which is the most common cause of human campylobacteriosis and salmonella.

They reproduce better in water

“By rinsing, you can spray bacteria into the surroundings, up to a distance of several tens of centimeters. Some sources state up to 80 cm in height. Harmful bacteria can thus easily get from the sink to the dishes or food in the vicinity.” explains Michaela Smolková from the We can eat blog. Water is a very good carrier of bacteria, which can reproduce very quickly at room temperature.

According to the expert, there is no reason to wash the meat, all harmful bacteria on the surface of the meat are reliably eliminated by sufficient heat treatment. Sufficient heat treatment means that the meat will be sufficiently cooked and will not contain any raw parts inside. The internal temperature of the meat should reach 75 °C.

To further reduce the risk of illness, it is also important to wash your hands thoroughly before preparing meat. At the same time, it is also necessary to thoroughly wash your hands after handling raw meat and thus prevent the spread of harmful bacteria, for example on dish sponges, tea towels, towels. “Ideally, use a specially designated cutting board for preparation. And if you pat the meat, cover it with food foil or a bag,” advises Michaela Smolková.

How about packaged meat?

Great attention should be paid to the selection of packaged meat directly in the store. Improper handling, either by the chain or by the customer, can lead to spoilage of the meat, and an unpleasant surprise in the form of smelly meat can await you at home.

How to proceed with the purchase? What to notice? “For packaged meat, always check whether there is an unusual amount of meat juice or condensed water in the tray, i.e. whether the meat is swimming in its own juice. If a large amount of meat juice flows from the meat, it is probably already in the process of spoiling. Condensed water indicates temperature fluctuations and is ideal for the multiplication of microorganisms,” points out Michaela Smolková.

Also pay attention to the packaging with a protective atmosphere, which must not be broken in any way and anywhere. During packaging, the air is sucked out of the tray with the meat and replaced by a mixture of gases – a protective atmosphere. It mainly produces nitrogen, carbon dioxide and, to a lesser extent, oxygen. Such a mix then protects the meat from bacteria and helps maintain the correct shape, color and taste.

Watch out for bumps and bruises

The meat should not be visibly contaminated with blood and bone fragments. The meat must not be dry or slimy, have visible bruises and bruises. “Contamination significantly reduces the microbial quality of the meat, so it spoils sooner. In addition, such meat would have to be thoroughly cleaned and washed before preparation, which is not very convenient, as we have already explained.” describes the expert and advises to choose meat from smaller producers or meat processors.

“Meat that comes from large-scale abattoirs, which is typical of cheap meat from Germany, has a higher chance of not being thoroughly processed and of having defects created during slaughtering processing,” explains the food expert.

Other tips:

• Always put fresh meat (but also fish, frozen meat) in the basket at the very end of the purchase. It is not advisable to drive with meat for a few minutes after the store, where the ambient temperature reaches 20 °C or more.
• Take a thermal bag with you when shopping, where you can safely transport the meat immediately after paying at the cash register.
• Do not leave the meat in the bag for a long time and put it in the fridge immediately after returning home.