5 ms·

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

by coob 5y ago

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.

hammock 5y ago
Is this why chicken should be rinsed, to remove the chlorine?
- gruez 5y ago
  You shouldn't rinse chicken, period. https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2019/08/20/washing-raw-poultry-our-science-your-choice 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.
  - azinman2 5y ago
    According to that linked article, it’s because ppl believe it’ll “clean” the raw chicken making it safer (which seems insane to me unless you’re using soap.. which would be a weird thing to do with meat). As long as you continue treating everything as if it’s still lined with bacteria, why not wash?
    - hammock 5y ago
      >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.
- rsynnott 5y ago
  Chicken shouldn't be rinsed; it's a weirdly persistent myth, not actual safety advice. 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.
  - hammock 5y ago
    The warning not to rinse turkeys is probably because you don't want a wet bird to go into a deep fryer, that is how explosions happen. 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.
    - cyberpunk 5y ago
      Woah hang-on there. People deep fry christmas turkeys? Eeek.
      - rootusrootus 5y ago
        It's pretty tasty. I just did one for the first time a couple weeks ago (as a test so I'd understand the process and timing a little better before Thanksgiving). I don't know if it's necessarily that much better than a good oven roasting, but I did a 14 pound turkey in 45 minutes.
      - QuercusMax 5y ago
        It's not as bizarre as it sounds. They're not breaded, simply dinked into hot oil and deep-fried for half an hour or so. If you're not an idiot and follow basic precautions it's a pretty reasonable way to do things, as it's much quicker than roasting for multiple hours. 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
EliRivers 5y ago
Don't you worry about that, BoJo is on the case. He'll get the UK onto chlorine washed chicken soon enough!
- CodeGlitch 5y ago
  Citation needed
rsynnott 5y ago
> as it's believed it's better to fix the problem at source 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.

by coob 5y ago

hammock 5y ago

Is this why chicken should be rinsed, to remove the chlorine?

gruez 5y ago
You shouldn't rinse chicken, period. https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2019/08/20/washing-raw-poultry-our-science-your-choice 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.
- azinman2 5y ago
  According to that linked article, it’s because ppl believe it’ll “clean” the raw chicken making it safer (which seems insane to me unless you’re using soap.. which would be a weird thing to do with meat). As long as you continue treating everything as if it’s still lined with bacteria, why not wash?
  - hammock 5y ago
    >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.
rsynnott 5y ago
Chicken shouldn't be rinsed; it's a weirdly persistent myth, not actual safety advice. 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.
- hammock 5y ago
  The warning not to rinse turkeys is probably because you don't want a wet bird to go into a deep fryer, that is how explosions happen. 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.
  - cyberpunk 5y ago
    Woah hang-on there. People deep fry christmas turkeys? Eeek.
    - rootusrootus 5y ago
      It's pretty tasty. I just did one for the first time a couple weeks ago (as a test so I'd understand the process and timing a little better before Thanksgiving). I don't know if it's necessarily that much better than a good oven roasting, but I did a 14 pound turkey in 45 minutes.
    - QuercusMax 5y ago
      It's not as bizarre as it sounds. They're not breaded, simply dinked into hot oil and deep-fried for half an hour or so. If you're not an idiot and follow basic precautions it's a pretty reasonable way to do things, as it's much quicker than roasting for multiple hours. 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

EliRivers 5y ago

Don't you worry about that, BoJo is on the case. He'll get the UK onto chlorine washed chicken soon enough!

CodeGlitch 5y ago
Citation needed

rsynnott 5y ago

> as it's believed it's better to fix the problem at source 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.