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Get startedDo you really need to wash chicken and is reheated rice dangerous? 6 food safety myths busted
With help from experts at the Food Standards Agency, we reveal the common cooking habits that could put your health at risk
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Many of our daily cooking habits are passed down through generations, and you might think 'I've done it this way for years, and I'm fine!', but some of these practices can inadvertently spread harmful bacteria across your kitchen and into your food.
You never know when one instance of cross-contamination can make you poorly, but by understanding the biology behind cross-contamination and bacterial growth, you can protect yourself and your family from preventable foodborne illnesses.
We spoke to Narriman Looch, head of Food Hygiene and Foodborne Disease Control at the Food Standards Agency (FSA), to separate culinary fact from fiction and help you and your loved ones avoid a nasty case of food poisoning.
1. Do you really need to wash chicken?
Washing chicken is a common habit for many home cooks who believe they are rinsing away germs, but in reality it's the exact opposite.
'You should never wash chicken or other raw meats,' said Looch.
'Chicken can be contaminated by bacteria such as campylobacter or salmonella during the rearing, slaughter or processing steps.
'If you rinse chicken at the kitchen sink, water can become contaminated with these bacteria and could splash around the kitchen sink, counters and on any nearby utensils.
'This increases the risk of cross-contamination with other foods, including fresh foods like salads.'
The only way to effectively kill the bacteria on raw meat is to cook it to the correct internal temperature (at least 74°C at the thickest part for chicken). No amount of rinsing will do the job.
Save the cleaning for your dishes and countertops – see the best kitchen cleaning sprays and best washing-up liquids from our tests
2. Are wooden chopping boards more unsanitary than plastic?
The debate over plastic and wooden chopping boards has raged for some time, with some believing you can't keep wooden boards sanitary due to their more porous nature.
But there's little evidence to suggest that wooden or plastic chopping boards are better to use from a food safety standpoint.
'The important thing is that they’re kept clean, in good condition and properly disinfected between tasks,' Looch explains.
'If possible, use different chopping boards and utensils for raw meat, fish or poultry; fruits and vegetables; and ready-to-eat foods like salads and cheese.
'If that's not an option, then prepare vegetables and fruit first, followed by raw meat, fish or poultry last, washing with soap after each use.
'Always use a clean chopping board to prepare ready-to-eat or cooked foods. And clean as you go – if you spill some food or juices from food, clear it up straight away and clean the surface thoroughly.'
While one material isn't necessarily safer than the other, you might consider switching to wood if you're concerned about microplastics from plastic chopping boards. Find more easy plastic swaps you can implement in our dedicated guide.
We've tested wooden and plastic chopping boards to find the most durable for your kitchen. See which are the best chopping boards
3. If something smells OK, is it safe to eat?
We've all done it: opened a pack of ham or a pint of milk and given it a quick sniff to see if it’s still good. But relying on your nose can be a dangerous game when it comes to high-risk foods.
It largely comes down to whether your food has a 'use-by' date or a 'best-before' date.
'For food with a use-by date, the "sniff test" isn't an appropriate method for testing if food is safe to eat,' said Looch.
Food can look and smell fine even after the use by date has passed, but the product will not be safe to eat. We can’t see or smell the bacteria that can cause food poisoning.
'For foods with a best-before date (which concerns food quality), you may choose to use sensory cues to find out if the food is OK to eat.
'For example, you could look for visible mould on bread, taste to see if biscuits or crisps are stale, or smell some dairy products with a best-before date to see if they have soured.
'Manufacturers are responsible for deciding whether to apply a use-by date or a best-before date on their products. This will depend on factors such as how the food is made and how risky it is. They will make sure the right label is used on the product.
'If you have a problem with your sense of smell and cannot use it to detect if food with a best-before date has gone off or stale, then ask someone else to check it for you.
'If that's not possible, then we advise that you stick to the best-before date on the packet, as this has been determined by the manufacturer to be the date by which the food is at its best.
'The FSA advises consumers to follow the manufacturer’s "open life" instructions, which usually indicate where to store products and for how long after they have been opened.'
Confused by food labels? You're not alone. Our research has found that while shoppers like nutrition labels, they're not always easy to understand
4. Is it OK to cut the mouldy parts off food?
It can feel incredibly wasteful to throw away an entire loaf of bread or a block of cheese just because of one small fuzzy patch. However, according to Looch, the 'trimming' method is riskier than it looks.
'Food that's obviously rotten or containing mould should not be eaten due to potential health risks from the mould.'
'While it's possible that removing the mould and a significant amount of the surrounding product could remove any unseen toxins that are present, there's no guarantee that doing so would remove them all or remove the invisible growth in the food.
'This advice is especially important for vulnerable groups. This includes children, those who are pregnant, older people and those who have a weakened immune system.'
Storing your food incorrectly can make it go off more quickly – read our food storage tips to make your food last longer
5. Is it safe to eat raw cake batter?
This childhood rite of passage could be riskier than you think – though not just because of the raw eggs. In reality, there's another raw ingredient in the bowl that poses a threat.
'It’s best not to eat flour or flour-based products like pastry or dough unless they’ve been properly cooked,' said Looch.
'Although getting ill from uncooked flour is rare, there's still a risk because flour isn’t usually treated during processing, so it can sometimes contain bacteria like E. coli and salmonella that could make you unwell.
'These bacteria are only killed during proper cooking. Food businesses can apply processes that will kill food poisoning bacteria that may be present in uncooked flour. This is why some shop-bought products, such as cookie dough used in ice cream, are safe to eat.
'You can check the instructions on the packaging as this will often tell you whether the product needs cooking before consuming.'
6. Can you safely reheat rice?
While many of us treat rice like any other leftover, it actually requires different storage and reheating because bacteria can survive the initial cooking process in unique ways.
'Similar to other foods, you can reheat rice – but to stay safe, it's important to store and reheat it properly,' advises Looch.
'The main difference is that when leftover rice is stored in the fridge, you should eat it within one day, whereas other leftovers can be kept for up to two days.
'If you have leftover rice, you should chill it as quickly as possible, ideally within one hour. Removing rice from the rice cooker, steamer or saucepan and dividing it into smaller portions can help with this.
You should never reheat rice more than once and extra care should be taken with takeaway rice.
'Ideally, takeaway rice should be eaten shortly after purchase or after it has been delivered. This is because some food businesses may pre-cook their rice and then reheat it before serving it to customers.
'Uncooked rice can contain spores of a bacterium called Bacillus cereus – these bacteria can cause food poisoning. If rice is cooled slowly or kept at room temperature, Bacillus cereus spores can grow and produce toxins that aren’t destroyed by reheating.
'Reheating rice more than once increases the time it spends in the temperature "danger zone", which gives bacteria more opportunity to multiply and produce these toxins.'
If you want to save your rice for later, you can freeze it, but make sure you're not making these mistakes when freezing food.
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