Don't Wash Raw Chicken
Rinsing raw chicken under the tap doesn't remove meaningful bacteria from the meat's surface — any water hot enough to actually kill bacteria would also cook the chicken — but it does splash bacteria-laden droplets up to 3 feet across your sink, countertop, and anything nearby, exactly the kind of cross-contamination that causes foodborne illness. USDA guidance is explicit: don't wash raw poultry or meat; cooking it to a safe internal temperature is what actually kills the bacteria.
Sources & methodology: These tips draw on established food-science references —
Harold McGee's food-science writing, America's Test Kitchen /
Cook's Illustrated testing, Serious Eats'
technique reporting, USDA food safety guidance,
and peer-reviewed food-safety research (including UC Davis
cutting-board studies) — not reworded recipe-blog consensus.