Cooking habits are often passed down through families, which is why people can have strong opinions about how meat should be prepared. Some home cooks believe rinsing ground beef makes it cleaner or removes excess fat, while others never wash it at all. But when it comes to food safety, there is a clear recommendation.

Washing raw ground beef does not reliably remove harmful bacteria. In fact, running water over raw meat can cause tiny droplets to splash onto sinks, countertops, utensils and other foods, potentially spreading microorganisms throughout the kitchen. This is why food-safety authorities do not recommend washing raw beef before cooking.

Instead, proper cooking is the most important step. Ground beef should reach an internal temperature of 160°F (71.1°C), which is best checked with a food thermometer. Color alone is not always a reliable indicator of doneness. It is also important to wash your hands and thoroughly clean any surfaces or utensils that have come into contact with raw meat.

But here’s the main point many people may not know: you should not rinse raw ground beef with water before cooking it. Washing it does not make it safer and may actually spread bacteria around your kitchen through splashing. If you want to reduce the amount of fat, simply drain the cooked beef after preparation instead.