To rinse or not to rinse: that is the question (2024)

Thanks, Helen, it was great to have a trusted 'go to guy' for this question. Just fyi, mostly, food bloggers know me from A Veggie Venture.

I knew it! My mother and I have been arguing about this for years. Thanks for clearing up our disagreement (I can't wait to tell her!)

It makes sense that simply cooking the fish/meat would kill bacteria far more efficiently than rinsing it, yet I've been rinsing it for years. Here's my kick in the pants to pay attention to logic :)

Hi
I don't know where you buy your meat and fish, but if it's wrapped in celophane, both meat and fish develop a gelantinous coating which makes it hard to handle in preparing. Rinsing while rubbing gently gets rid of this coating. Thats why our mothers did it. Sometimes a meat can have a odur that comes from this coating, but once washed off is no longer present.

One thing to consider is that chops tend to have a fine coating of tiny bone fragments that I guess could be rinsed off, but I tend to scrape the surface with a knife held at an angle to the meat. Sometimes there is also an errant scale or whatever on fish as well.

this is a great blog. Thanks for all your suggestions -very practical and profound. I am a huge fan of fish and poultry (do not eat beef, pork, etc). I found your fish market suggestions very helpful- where do you buy fresh poultry in Boston? Pls let us know- my husband and me- we both miss the simple and fresh poultry we used to eat back home (India)!

I rinse fish to get the slime off. Surely you don't mean to suggest that rinsing fish is unnecessary. My fish is very high quality and fresh (I live in Alaska) but it still needs a rinse.

Actually, I do mean that you don't need to rinse fish. I only rinse whole fish to get the blood out of the cavity, but I hear even that's not necessary. It's just a cultural preference. In US, we like to rinse proteins, in France they don't (they would never let water touch the fish). Whether you rinse or not, the most important thing is to dry it very thoroughly on paper towels (this will also get rid of the slime :) Cooking a damp fish (or any protein) doesn't work.

You have liberated me! :) Come to think of it, I don't even know if my mother washed her chicken...so I actually have no idea why I do!

I'm a cookbook editor, and we were all having this very discussion some time back. I'm no sanitation freak, but I rinse previously frozen fish and chicken because I assume the packing companies freeze them with liquid that isn't pure H2O but includes other chemicals. I don't know this for sure, and probably wouldn't get a straight answer if I asked, but it seems like a safe assumption.

Actually, I always rinse chicken because that allows me to get rid of extra fat, the slimy film, pieces of bone that are left from butchering, and feathers that might still be left in the skin. (I like leaving the skin on while cooking because I think it keeps chicken moist and delicious, but usually remove it afterward.)
I also rinse fish because there are always scales on the meat side.
Using a paper towel spreads just as much bacteria as a potential water droplet, unless you're careful. So I use the paper towels to dry the meats and use a bleach-based kitchen cleaner to get rid of bacteria.

Goodness gracious.... I hope to high heaven Anna means she uses a bleach-based cleaners to remove bacteria from her surrounding (potentially 'splashed') work areas!?

I live on a tight budget and therefore tend to buy frozen fish and poultry. I haven't noticed with my fish (the packaging states to cook from frozen in the oven, but I'm going to try something else because it keeps turning out as white mush) When I defrost chicken breasts I always rinse to get rid of the layer of slime which is thicker than with fresh chicken. I find using paper towels to wipe the chicken clean leaves bits of the towel behind so I end up rinsing it anyways!
<3Kat

So glad you are warning not to rinse meat and fish (particularly chicken though) as this really does spread the risk of bacterial contamination.
So many people do this from habit and it is a bad practice.
Just found the blog and find it very interesting and informative.
Thanks you.

I do always wash scallops to get rid of grains of sand that they seem to always have.

I am guessing that this originates from the days when the fish was caught by the household cooking it, and the fillets were washed to remove and blood or dirt. As some one who usually catches my own fish I do always rinse the freshly cut fillets for this reason.

When I clean my chicken, I do wash it with water mixed with lemon or something, so it takes away the chicken smell

Hello, I'm probably coming late to the game here but I had a question about cold smoked salmon. Should we rinse it before eating even though it's already cold smoked? It comes out of the air sealed package very oily but I'm not sure if this is OK to eat directly or not. Maybe you recommend to again use a paper towel to get the excess off?
Thanks!
Stephen

I wouldn't rinse. The juice around smokes salmon is perfectly safe to eat, but if it's unpleasant, use a paper towel.

I know I'm late to this post but the reason I rinse my fish, poultry, lamb, etc. (obviously not ground beef as it's virtually impossible to rinse) or ANY food that I have handled, is to wash off the fat that I've cut off it or the bones I've had to remove, in case I missed some lying on top. When I buy chicken thighs, which I love (breasts are way too dry) there's lots of fat on it that needs to be trimmed and its a mess once its done and needs to be rinsed. The same for other foods that one is "cleaning", meaning trimming off fat, etc. Once rinsed, yes, you have to pat it dry, especially if you're searing a salmon, water it the enemy to a good seae, but I have to disagree about not rinsing after trimming meat, any meat. Especially when you're removing loose scales from a salmon with skin or removing worms from COD, there must be a rinsing off from the debris that's created from the prep you've performed. BTW I just discovered your blog and love it as it's been very helpful with me eating more fish now due to being on the Mediterranean diet. I'm trying to lower my BP and cholesterol naturally so I can get off these annoying meds they put me on. Thanks for all you do, Helen.

I just read (in an other blog) that you should SOAK salmon in saltwater to get rid of the slime. The blog did not specify how long the salmon should be soaked, but I assume that patting dry with papertowels would still apply. In your opinion is soaking the same as rinsing? Laurie

There is no big deal :) If you dry it thoroughly, washing is fine. But the reason it's covered in goop is not a butchering process, but vacuum sealing and chilling poultry in water. The birds I buy are air chilled, so they are not covered in goop. The only thing I wanted people to understand from this post is that washing proteins doesn't make them any safer to eat.

Lol I've been rinsing my ground beef and drying it

I use salt and lime

If you buy chicken from mass producers, I would recommend washing and drying it. It is adamant in removing the chemical taste. While I would prefer to purchase it free range organic, budget does not usually allow this. From experience, the formaldehyde-like taste is removed from washing. Fish doesn't require this.

Hi guys and girls, I'm against rinsing meats especially fish, but someone will ask a question and says, chicken from the slaughter house, transporting to butchers and dealing with them with their hands , some of them they go to the washroom and even they don't wash their hands plus the dust...how come I don't wash my whole chicken before I cook it and then I clean my sink with a hot water and soap? Cooking will kill all the bacteria , but the dirt is dirt.

LOL. I did that the first time I cooked it as well and my mum couldn't stop laughing at me 😆

Unfortunately, I can't get over washing my meats but not only with water...who rinse thEirik meats?! I use lemon, vinegar, and/or best bitter orange in the water. 1) kills the slimy texture of the meat and 2) rids any unwanted smells...
This is the norm in Caribbean countries and remember these acidic agents are also used to cook the meat and protect from any unwanted bacteria. But this is not recommended if you feel comfortable with the way the food is handledoing before reaching your table.
This practice is fading out and THAT is very unfortunate!!

She's right...wash! With an acidic agent. NOT rinse.

That's right...mostly rinsing meats is the focus here not washing meats or brining seafood.

what is the result of fish after washing?
for example for making tinapa fish ?
thank you...

When I rinse my fresh salmon the sink fills up with white bubbles. What is the chemical that is sprayed on it? It gives me leg cramps?

I don't believe the salmon I buy has anything sprayed on it. But sodium trypolyphosphate is a common preservative used in scallops.

Of course this practice is ok :) You can wash the fish with whatever you want, but it doesn't make it any safer to eat. Cooking kills all pathogens, so you won't get an upset stomach from cooked fish whether you washed it or not. Also, fresh fish shouldn't have a fishy smell.

some fishing companies are adding a 'cornstarch glaze' to the fillet when freezing. Can it be rinsed off if one is allergic to corn?

I haven't heard of this practice. Sodium Trypolyphosphate is often added, but I haven't heart of cornstarch glaze. If you are allergic to it, rinsing it off won't be sufficient. Buy fish that's not previously frozen. If buying frozen fish, read ingredients on the label. Any additives will be listed.

I wash my meat but am careful not to allow water to splash and cause surface contamination...but I do wash surfaces afterward despite being careful. Meat, especially with bone seems to have bone grit from the butching process. I don't want that in my gravy, it falls through the strainer. I have also seen the inside of butchering meats....it's impossible to fast and careful at the same time. My meat is always delicious and cooked to perfection. I also rinse out the inside f the chicken when I remove the giblets and of course the outside gets washed at the same time. Again I am careful. Meat or poultry stays low and I di not use a sprayer.

Yes! I bought frozen salmon and after defrosting, the bloody water smelled less than desirable. I rinsed it with water and rubbed with lemon and that did the trick:)

It is disgusting and nasty to not rinse n clean your meats, poultry, fish before cooking. All types of bacteria and germs are on the meats. We are a very sanitary and clean cooking family. I watch tons of cooking shows and my daughter and I go to cooking classes for fun as a hobby. From my great grandmother to my daughter, we thoroughly rinse in water, then let chicken or pork sit for 1 min in water n apple cider vinegar or fish sits in lemon juice n water for 1 min. We dry all meats w paper towels, rub lightly w a lil oil of choice, olive oil, vegetable oil, sesame seed oil. Then we season and cook. Soemtimes we tenderize it or marinate overnite in seasonings. It is always delicious, not harmful, clean and healthy. I would never serve unclean meats to me family. Any coordinated person is able to rinse food without splashing all over the place. You should be disinfecting your kitchen surfaces throughout the cooking process anyways! Laziness = nastiness.

I rinse fish that has the skin still attached. The skin, especially on fish like salmon, produce a slime. This is why some fish you buy or get at a restaurant sometimes tastes 'fishy.' It was most likely froze/packaged with skin to meat. As an avid salmon fishermen in the pacific northwest, you know this is a no no. When I fillet, clean, and vacuum seal the fish, I am careful to never let skin touch meat. The slime will leach out while thawing, and could get on the meat in bags. Fish that's not rinsed and gets cooked with a slime coating tastes fishy. Idk about what it does for bacteria though. All about taste.

Yes, of course, it's ok to eat. you don't need to rinse them.

For heaven’s sakes heat kills germs! Go vegetarian if it’s such an issue. I bet you’re all not that careful with everything.

I’m going to RINSE my MEATS FOREVER Always have 40 + yrs.. for splashes OBVIOUSLY u use disinfect, bleach, etc to clean sink & surfaces this practice have Worked for grandparents moms great aunts etc‼️