Chicken anxiety' confessions are trending — here's how to cook the meat perfectly - New York Post
Playing chicken comes easy to these cooks.
TikTok's latest trend #chickenanxiety has many home chefs admitting they are less than egg-cited and have a strong fear of undercooking the poultry.
Viral confessions, which have racked up nearly 23 million views, have people revealing moments when they chickened out of eating the staple meat because they were unsure if it was cooked properly.
One TikToker, who goes by @anysiaaa_, posted a clip of herself anxiously cooking chicken, trying to confirm all the pieces were cooked through. She captioned the eight-second clip, which garnered over 11,400 views since it was posted on Aug.14, "You have chicken anxiety and the big pieces are extra sus."
That's when she realized she wasn't the only one who worried about cooking chicken perfectly, with nearly 9,000 comments on her video with similar confessions.
"I swear my chicken anxiety eventually led to me veganism," wrote one person. "I will always defend the fact I cut my chicken open to check it. Chicken anxiety is real!!!"
The Post reached out to @anysiaa_ for comment.
The worrisome cook has a valid reason to fear undercooked poultry because it does contain dangerous bacteria that can cause illness if underbook.
Raw chicken is often contaminated with Campylobacter, Salmonella and Clostridium perfringens bacteria, according to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC).
If someone takes a bite of the undercooked meat, they could experience food poisoning and experience symptoms like diarrhea, nausea or even death.
Another fretful woman, who goes by @chandlermarieking on TikTok, spilled how she combats chicken anxiety in a clip with 21.1 million views.
"I have to cut and inspect each and every inch to visually ensure it's done," she admits. "The meat thermometer just isn't enough for me."
Many people agreed with her coping method and commented that they do it too.
"I appreciate this," praised one person. "Same! I cut them before cooking, then cut them 4 more times to literally half bite-size,"
"That's just safe, honestly. Better safe and shredded chicken than Salmonella."
However, Brooklyn-based chef and TV personality Chef Will Coleman revealed ways to confirm chicken is ready to eat without having anxiety deter them.
"To ease anxiety around overcooking or undercooking your chicken, I recommend using a quality thermometer such as a thermopen," he told The Post.
The CDC also agrees with that sentiment, confirming once the thermometer reads above 165 degrees Fahrenheit, the chicken is fully cooked.
"I enjoy using chicken thighs when cooking because it's a bit more forgiving than chicken breast," Coleman added. "However, whichever cut of chicken you use, you can always stick a knife through to verify that the inside flesh is a grayish-white color."
So, even if chicken anxiety kicks in while you're at a restaurant, don't hesitate to send your dish back to be fully cooked.
According to a study conducted by the Environmental Health Specialists Network of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 43% of restaurant "managers knew the temperature to which raw chicken needed to be cooked for it to be safe to eat."
The study confirmed that restaurant chicken preparation, "cooking practices and manager's food safety knowledge need improvement."
Comments
Post a Comment