Tonight, my mother-in-law cooked dinner with ground beef, but she didn’t rinse it. I couldn’t eat it, and I kept my kids from eating it too. I always rinse ground beef before cooking. I can’t believe she doesn’t do that. Isn’t it necessary? See the first comment.

TikTok has delivered some terrific ideas when it comes to cooking at home, like the best way to chop onions, an easy baked feta pasta dish with just a handful of ingredients, and hot honey chicken that doesn’t require a trip to Nashville.

Recently, a TikTok video about washing ground beef has once again gone viral. The idea surprised us, so we checked in with the experts to get to the bottom of the question: Should you wash your ground beef before or after cooking, or at all?

Is There Any Reason To Wash Ground Beef?

“The most important thing to know is that the U.S. food system ensures that all beef is safe to eat and does not need to be washed before cooking,” Diana Clark, a meat scientist with Certified Angus Beef, tells Southern Living.¹ “If you are worried about food safety, the best practices are to keep ground beef stored in the refrigerator to keep it cool and fresh, and to then cook your ground beef to 160°F.”²

If you do decide to wash your ground beef before cooking, Clark says that it’s important to make sure you’re cleaning your sink and surrounding surfaces to avoid the spread of bacteria that could make someone in your house sick.

“In fact, USDA [U.S. Department of Agriculture] notes that water can splash bacteria up to three feet surrounding your sink, so it’s vital to clean those surrounding areas to avoid any cross-contamination,” she adds.³