The dangers of chicken meat

Are you also the ones who wash the chicken before cooking it? Although you think it is a good practice, this simple gesture that is repeated in homes and restaurants increases the chances that the bacteria it contains will expand through your kitchen. Some bacteria that, in addition, are resistant to antibiotic treatment, regardless of whether it is poultry, bought in supermarket, packed or in bulk.

When we talk about salmonella , we all come to the head the outbreaks of intoxication from the ingestion of eggs . Although the egg can contain this group of bacteria (both inside and in the shell), there are many other products that are the focus of food infections. One of them is chicken, a food that carries little known dangers if it is not handled correctly.

As the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the  United States assures , each year almost one million Americans are contaminated by consuming this food. And one of the main reasons is the treatment that receives so many before and during cooking.

The risk involved in this product has been extended thanks to the success of some potentially dangerous dishes, such as chicken sashimi . This typical dish of Japanese cuisine is usually made with other types of meat and fish, but has evolved. The result? A raw piece of chicken that has captivated palates around the world and causes many health problems ..

As the fame of this dish grows, alerts about its consumption have been increasing. An example is the warning issued by the Food Strategy Agency about raw chicken or that issued by FSIS about several Salmonella outbreaks in Minnesota. The cause of these outbreaks was the chicken badly cooked, this time it was chicken products frozen, breaded and pre-golden.

In Spain, the OCU has also published a report warning about the resistance of the bacteria found in eggs and chicken. The message conveyed by these organizations is clear: washing the chicken and cooking it badly increases the risk of cross-contamination .

How do I avoid salmonella?

Salmonella is a bacterial disease that affects the intestinal system and causes vomiting, diarrhea, high fever, etc. These bacteria live in the intestines of humans and some animals such as chicken. The main cause of infection is inadequate cooking or cross-contamination of poultry meat, eggs and unpasteurized milk . 

Some of the best tips we can give you to avoid this food poisoning with chicken are based on hygiene:

• Wash your hands with soap before handling the meat.
• Never wash the piece of meat that you are going to cook, because you will spread the bacteria throughout your kitchen.
• Make sure that the boards you use to cut and the knives are clean.
• Do not put any other food on the surfaces where you have placed raw chicken, since you will get them to become infected.
• Do not trust the color of the meat as an indicator that they are cooked. It is best to use a thermometer .
• The interior of the chicken must reach the temperature of 73.88 ° C
• If you have cooked chicken, clean the countertops and utensils you have used very well.
• When you stop handling the chicken, wash your hands with soap to avoid any possibility of infection.