TikTok viewers spark debate over whether or not to wash chicken - so who’s right?

A TikTok creator’s video sparked debate over whether or not chicken should be washed before it’s cooked.

Zoe Barrie (@zoebarrie) posted a video, which has now reached over 3.4m views, on 17 July to reveal her step-by-step process for cooking “spatchcocked roast chicken.” Though the footage was one minute and 23 seconds long, skeptical followers were only concerned with the first 30 seconds: the prep work.

Barrie was seen unpackaging a full raw chicken, taking out the guts, and cutting it open. She moved the meat to a wired tray and sprinkled it with salt crystals. Barrie proceeded to place the bird in her fridge before blotting it with a paper towel and searing it in a pan.

Immediately, critics flooded the woman’s comment section to question her methods. “Wait, no wash?” one TikTok user asked, while another added: “Um, did you wash it first, though?”

“Don’t you rinse before cooking?” one person questioned.

Among the suspicious users, kind followers came to Barrie’s defense when they didn’t believe that washing chicken wasn’t necessary. “Washing chicken is as stupid as washing your bread,” one individual wrote.

“These washing meat comments are sending me. Y’all are so silly,” another woman remarked.

Despite the overwhelming number of individuals who argued raw poultry needs to be rinsed, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) advises against it. The FSIS warned that washing chicken leads to the spread and cross-contamination of bacteria and “poultry juices” onto other food and surfaces. Water also won’t “destroy” bacteria like Salmonella or Campylobacter, and “only cooking will destroy any bacteria that might be present on fresh chicken.”

Cross-contamination increases the risk of food poisoning, according to the FSIS. “This can occur if raw poultry or its juices come in contact with cooked food or foods that will be eaten raw, such as salad,” the report read. Per the 2019 Food Safety Consumer Research Project analysis, individuals who washed their chicken in the sink were more likely to contaminate their produce due to the bacteria left on the surface.

The Minnesota Department of Health noted that, even if you wash chicken in a “slow stream of water,” risky germs are still able to splash on to fresh food or other dishes.

Although most reports advise against soaking or rinsing poultry, some people still prefer to do so. In this case, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put together a list of recommendations for how to safely clean the raw food. First, chefs shoud “run the water gently over the chicken to reduce splashing”. Then, immediately clean the sink and area around the sink with hot soapy water and sanitise it thoroughly. After handling raw poultry, people should also wash their hands for 20 seconds.

Barrie went on to let the chicken brown in a pan and bake in the oven. Finally, she garnished the meat with a chimichurri-like spread.

The Independent has reached out to Barrie for a comment.