But no. Just no. Do not rinse your raw beef, pork, lamb, chicken, turkey, or veal before cooking it, says the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. But there’s icky stuff on there, you cry! Again, just no. If we could reach through the Internet to slap your hand away from the kitchen sink faucet, we would. You want motivation? The very reason you’re rinsing meat—to clean it—is actually making the problem worse. Cooks who rinse their raw animal proteins are increasing the risk of cross-contamination.