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Dr. Oz Says There's 'No Benefit' To Washing Chicken And ‘The Breakfast Club’ Isn’t Having It

First, no washing legs. Now, this!

UPDATE: Famous doctor and TV host Dr. Oz stopped by The Breakfast Club and is now reinforcing the notion that washing your chicken may in fact just be a cultural thing!

Last week we were surprised to learn that some people just don't wash their legs. Now, we are suddenly back on the debate that washing your meat before cooking it is apparently just a notion that P.O.C. adhere to and there is no scientific basis behind it. Dr. Oz says, "No matter what you do, there’s no incremental benefit to washing your chicken. If you wash it, you’re not killing your salmonella with water. Believe it or not."

Watch Dr. Oz's response when Charlamagne Tha God asked about washing chicken:

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The hosts of Canadian talk show The Social chopped it up about a very important matter—washing meat. In fact, the debate became a color issue since co-host Marci Ien, the only Black person on the panel, seemed to be the only one who washed her meats before cooking them. The realization came mid-segment while discussing a new product that would allow folks to deposit their meat directly from the bag to the pan without having to ever actually touch the meat.

Her fellow non-Black co-hosts were actually astonished when Marci broke down her in-depth meat cleaning routine, which involves rinsing your chicken or meat of choice with water and using lemon. “Hold on, when are you washing your meat? Does anybody wash their meat?” Marci exclaims. “Maybe it’s a West Indian thing.”

Who knew there was a cultural divide around washing meat? Well, after Miss Marci schooled us on her technique, we did some research to find out who is right. “To wash or not to wash?” is the question. Turns out the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) actually does not recommend washing meat before cooking it. Bloop.

Let us explain. The real issue isn’t the actual washed meat itself, it’s the increased likelihood of spreading germs around your kitchen, mainly your countertops and onto other food.

“Water can splash bacteria up to three feet surrounding your sink, which can lead to illnesses,” says Marianne Gravely of the Food Safety Education Staff of the USDA according to Madamenoire. “We call this cross contamination. Researchers at Drexel University have shown that it is best to move meat and poultry straight from package to pan, since the heat required for cooking will kill any bacteria that may be present.”

But if washing your meat is your jam, and you’re all about kitchen cleanliness and scrub down your sink and countertops after you do so, do you, boo, boo. So now that you know the facts, we got to ask—are you the “Rip and Dip” kind, or are you sticking with Marci on this one?

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