Can't raw meat be rinsed directly at home? Are we doing it wrong again?

Not long ago, there was a hot search, the topic was "original raw meat can not be directly washed at home", the number of views is as high as 440 million, more than 40 media releases, and nearly 70,000 related Weibo, which can be said to have greatly attracted a wave of traffic
.
Under this topic, netizens have opened the mode of "confused" and "playing terrier", and some feel that such caution makes people anxious about food; Some netizens joked that "If you don't wash it at my home, then go to your home to wash it?" ”

As a "popular science" topic, it is true to grasp the "traffic password", and the reason is very simple
.
In fact, there are some bacteria on raw meat, and when rinsed with water, they will splash on the pool and stove with the water and cause the spread
of bacteria.

This statement itself is correct, but interpreting this "correct message" into "you can't directly rinse raw meat at home" is a bit of
anxiety-making.

Regarding the relationship between rinsing raw meat and food safety, the following points can be combined to constitute "correct cognition":

1.
From the perspective of bacteria, there is no need to rinse raw meat
.
Of course, there are some bacteria on raw meat, but cooking the meat kills
.
Moreover, rinsing with water and removing bacteria is also inefficient
.

2
.
People wash raw meat not to remove bacteria, but to wash off things like blood and water.
Or maybe it's just psychologically that it's time to wash it
.

3.
Rinsing raw meat splashes does increase the spread of bacteria a little, but in fact, in most people's kitchens, there may be much
more bacteria on the stove and sink than on the meat.
Whether you add that point or avoid that point doesn't really make much difference
.

4.
For kitchen hygiene, what needs to be done is to clean and keep dry frequently, and eliminate the hidden dangers of bacteria from various sources, rather than avoiding "bacterial contamination from a specific source"
.

5.
For kitchen food safety, "raw and cooked separately" and "fully heated" are the ultimate weapons
.

In short, for the matter of "rinsing raw meat with water", it is actually "not necessary", "can not be washed", or at most "it is best not to rinse directly" and "can be washed in a basin of water, try to avoid water splashing"
.
The word "can't" is said as if it is very harmful if it is directly rinsed
.

Finally, a "cold knowledge": take your mobile phone to test, there is a high probability that it is also full of bacteria
.
However, this "correct message" does not mean that you have to disinfect your phone every day, but that "bacteria are everywhere, and there is no need to hear that there are bacteria like a big enemy"
.

Wen / Yun Wuxin (Ph.
D.
in Food Engineering)