to wash or not to wash?????

[jack daniels]

chatting to a friend of mine today we both discovered that I wash all meat before cooking it - including mince, she doesn't wash any of hers.
I can't cook meat without washing & draining it first. I know some people will say that cooking it would kill all the germs but I think you don't really know where it's been or how/who has handled it in whatever way.
I also 'wash' fish in salt & vinegar or lemon juice which takes some of the strong 'fishy' smell out of it

Anyway I was wondering how many people wash or don't wash & their reasons for doing so

tia Anna x

[jack daniels]

Thank you for your input everyone - it's been quite an interesting subject.
BOO - that's exactly what my friend said! Interesting read on the link-thanks
Oh I wish you'd of remembered the reason welshlibranr
tigger - I let it drain well before cooking or dry it with kitchen paper too depending how it's being cooked.
mandimoo - I like your honesty ;-)
strange isn't it V&C?
I also throughly wash the sink and anything else i've used with washing up liquid, mr muscle and bleach (sink only) afterwards.
snags - I used to put the mince in a seive and then rinse but now I empty it into a bowl and add tepid water and immediately drain out the water.
I washed mushrooms for a long time & then started to wipe them only after so many people did only that.
jno lol!