Julia Child And Jacques Pepin Couldn't Agree On One Thing About Chicken - Tasting Table

"Both Julia Child and Jacques Pépin made massive contributions to the culinary world, making French cooking more accessible to home cooks by sharing their knowledge and techniques with home viewers. Pépin is still alive, and although Child passed in 2004, she left us with amazing cooking tips for home chefs that still stand true to this day. However there is one piece of Child's advice that doesn't comply with modern food safety standards, and that was her firm stance on washing chicken."

"In a 1971 episode of "The French Chef" titled " To Roast A Chicken," Child explains that she prefers to wash the chicken directly in the sink, with the water running both inside and outside the inner cavity, then shakes the excess water off the chicken directly onto the countertop next to the sink (we do not advise this process). Child says "I just think it's a safer thing to do," following up with the caveat that in some states, USDA inspections might declare that your state's chickens are fine, but some states may not have "good chicken laws passed," so you should wash and pay special attention to the chicken. Keep in mind that this was 1971, and poultry laws in the United States have been updated to modern standards since then. To be clear, modern safety guidelines advise against washing raw chicken due to the risk of contaminating other areas of the kitchen, and it's generally agreed that, in the United States at least, washing a chicken before cooking it is a bad idea."

Historic home-cooking guidance recommended rinsing raw poultry in the sink, including running water through the cavity and letting excess drip onto nearby surfaces. Poultry inspection standards and food-safety understanding have since advanced in the United States. Modern guidelines advise against washing raw chicken because splashing can spread bacteria and contaminate countertops, sinks, and utensils. Safe handling emphasizes avoiding rinsing, using proper cooking temperatures to eliminate pathogens, and thoroughly cleaning any surfaces that contact raw poultry. Earlier recommendations to wash chicken now conflict with contemporary cross-contamination prevention practices and are considered hazardous to kitchen hygiene.

Read at Tasting Table