SKIP IT
Rinsing raw chicken
Water splashes bacteria onto the sink, worktop and nearby food. Thorough cooking is what kills them.
See the experimentStart
KITCHEN HYGIENE, BY THE EVIDENCE
Clean board.
Safer supper.
Some kitchen habits that feel careful do the opposite.
Rinsing raw chicken looks thorough but splashes bacteria around the sink. A sponge that smells fine can hold billions of microbes. Here is what food safety agencies and researchers have found, in plain English.
Plain English, with the sources linked.
COOK ITdon't rinse it
Check your kitchen habitsKeep in mind
- Don't rinse raw chicken
- Wash hands and boards
- Cook it through
- Rethink the old sponge
THE SHORT ANSWER
Cook it, don't rinse it.
Most food poisoning in the UK traces back to one bug,
and raw poultry is its usual route in.
DO IT
Wash hands and boards
After raw chicken, soap and warm water for your hands, and a proper wash for the board, knife and worktop.
Four habits
RETHINK IT
The old sponge
Used sponges can be densely packed with bacteria, and regular sanitising did not clear the main groups.
Kitchen factsA QUICK HABIT CHECK
What do the sources
say about yours?
Pick a common kitchen habit. Each answer summarises guidance from Food Standards Scotland, the Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland, or a published study.
This is a summary of public guidance, not personal advice. Follow the linked sources for the full wording.
TWO STUDIES WORTH KNOWING
Germs travel.
Sponges collect.
What happens in a real kitchen sink
is messier than it looks.
26%
Washers who spread bacteria to their salad
In a US Department of Agriculture kitchen study, 60% of people who washed raw poultry had bacteria in the sink afterwards, 14% still did after trying to clean the sink, and 26% transferred bacteria to their salad lettuce.
RINSING RAW POULTRY · USDA 2019
54 billion
Bacteria per cubic centimetre, at the densest spots
Researchers who examined used kitchen sponges under the microscope found local densities of up to 5.4 × 10¹⁰ cells per cubic centimetre, and five of the ten most common groups were related to species that can cause illness.
USED SPONGES · 2017
Both findings run against intuition. Rinsing and scrubbing feel like cleaning, but water spreads bacteria and a sponge can become their home.
TRY IT TONIGHT
Four habits
for a cleaner kitchen.
Step 1
Put the chicken straight in the pan
Skip the rinse. Splashing water spreads campylobacter; cooking it thoroughly is what kills it.
Step 2
Wash your hands straight after
Soap and warm water, thoroughly, after handling raw chicken and before touching anything else.
Step 3
Clean the board, knife and worktop
Thoroughly wash every utensil, chopping board and surface used for raw chicken before using them again.
Step 4
Check the thickest part
Chicken should be steaming hot all the way through, with no pink meat and juices that run clear.
KITCHEN FACTS
Five things worth
knowing.
Millions of cases a year
The Food Standards Agency estimates around 2.4 million cases of foodborne illness in the UK each year.
One bug leads the list
Campylobacter is the most common cause of food poisoning in the UK, and about four in five cases come from contaminated poultry, says Food Standards Scotland.
More than the big names combined
Northern Ireland's Public Health Agency says campylobacter causes more cases of food poisoning than E. coli, listeria and salmonella put together.
Many of us still rinse
Food Standards Agency research from 2012 found that more than a third of consumers always wash raw poultry, despite the advice not to.
Cleaning a sponge is not a reset
In the 2017 sponge study, two of the dominant bacterial groups made up a larger share in regularly sanitised sponges, and the authors questioned such methods in the long term.
QUICK QUESTIONS
Kitchen hygiene, answered.
Short answers to the questions people ask most.
Should I wash raw chicken before cooking it?
No. Food Standards Scotland and the Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland both advise against it, because splashing water can spread campylobacter onto your hands, worktops and other food. Cooking chicken thoroughly is what kills the bacteria.
What is the most common cause of food poisoning in the UK?
Campylobacter. Food Standards Scotland calls it the most common cause of food poisoning in the UK, and says about four in five cases come from contaminated poultry.
How common is food poisoning in the UK?
The Food Standards Agency estimates around 2.4 million cases of foodborne illness in the UK each year.
Does cleaning a kitchen sponge make it safe?
Not necessarily. A 2017 study of used kitchen sponges in Scientific Reports found that two of the dominant bacterial groups made up a larger share in sponges that were regularly sanitised, and the authors questioned such sanitation methods in the long term.
How can I tell chicken is cooked?
The Public Health Agency advises making sure chicken is steaming hot all the way through. Cut into the thickest part to check there is no pink meat and that the juices run clear.
Destination
Where the facts come from
- New higher estimates for the role of food in UK illnessFood Standards Agency
- Campylobacter factsheet: how it affects youFood Standards Scotland
- Don't wash raw chicken (leaflet)Public Health Agency, Northern Ireland
- Food safety: campylobacterSouthend-on-Sea City Council
- How 26 percent of participants transferred bacteria from raw chicken to their saladsUS Department of Agriculture, 2019
- Microbiome analysis of used kitchen sponges (Cardinale et al.)Scientific Reports, 2017
Updated