wife swap

[TEAK36]

I know this is a ridiculous question to ask,but here goes.Does mince have to be washed before cooking.I was watching Wife Swap on tv last night,and I am positive that I saw one of the guys with a colander full of mince which he was rinsing under the tap.Is this normal?

[coggles]

I didn't see the programme, but I have never washed minced meat and don't know of anyone who does...........

[sft42]

Don't suppose it would do any harm but can't see that it would be necessary.......did he use any fairy on it though? Typical man eh?

[Jaybee]

I've certainly never known mince to be washed before cooking! Or any meat (other than offal), for that matter!

[banana]

I saw that too and wondered what on earth he was doing. I have never washed mince - might it not just go down the holes? But I do always pour boiling water over chicken before it is cooked.

[darth vader]

washing poultry is perhaps advisable prior to cooking but certainly beef (or lamb or pork) shouldn't require washing!

[nicrite]

I've a friend whos mum is currently on a diet. Her mum now washes mince under the tap prior to makin a spaggetti bolognese because apparantly it rinses off some of the fat that has settled while it is packaged. Having said that I've never actually done it!

[brawburd]

Not much chance in browning mince for a recipe if you have wet it first!

[Gef]

Sorry darth, (this is a genuine question and not a criticism) but why wash poultry? The only way to get rid of salmonella is to cook it thoroughly. I always drain meat as I leave it to come up to room temperature and find that it browns more easily. I'm not an expert though.

[nuova1]

As a vegetarian I would never wash mince......God..why do you want to eat mince anyway??

[Jenny Tools]

Because vegetarians are too tough unless you mince them first !

[mynx]

No. You don't wash it to get rid of germs because the heat from cooking kills germs. And you don't wash it to get rid of fat because fat is waterproof and won't dome off with water.

[melandraf]

...i reckon things like this get passed on from Mother to daughter or son in this case. Like the woman who would always cut a piece off the Sunday joint every Sunday because her mother had done so. She decided to ask her Mother why she did this. The Mother replied that she did it because her Mother used to do it. Eventually the woman asked the Grandmother why she always cut a piece off the Sunday joint. Grandmother told her Grandaughter that it was because she could never fit the joint in her roasting tin as the tin was a little on the small side.... funny how these things begin...