Mistake: Washing chicken prior to cooking.
Poultry doesn’t need a spa day. Actually, you can save time and your health by not washing chicken.
“I’m always amazed at how often I see people washing or at least rinsing meat,” says Beckman. “Chicken should never be rinsed, as it will spread the potential contaminants all around the sink area.”
How to fix it: Before preparing your chicken, grind pepper, select your salt, prepare the herbs and spices, and place them all into a small bowl for seasoning the raw meat. That way, you don’t need to touch the pepper mill or salt box with contaminated hands.
Then, “just pat chicken—and other meats—dry with paper towels, and throw them away immediately,” suggests McManus.
Now you’re ready to season the meat, but be sure to “throw the rest of the salt and pepper away, wash the bowl and wash your hands and anything else you touched, using hot, soapy water,” according to McManus.
