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I rinsed the chicken as well as I possibly could, to make sure all the gel was off. What if there are small pieces of the gel stuck, and now I'm cooking it? Is it safe to eat or is it trash?

moscafj
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Jennifer
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    Does this answer your question? [What is the padding with red substance inside of steak packaging?](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/97438/what-is-the-padding-with-red-substance-inside-of-steak-packaging) – Allison C Feb 03 '20 at 18:01

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Don't worry, the materials in those pads are non-toxic. The absorbent material is silica (purified sand) or plant cellulose, and the plastic is thin and non-digestable. So if a small amount sticks to your food it's no big deal, just make sure it's cooked through as that will kill any bacteria in the gel that happens to be left. What I would do is let the chicken thaw and then rinse it thoroughly.

GdD
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    I'd recommend against washing the chicken, perhaps scraping and patting dry or just cutting a piece off of it https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/14570/does-meat-need-to-be-washed-before-preparation – Luciano Feb 12 '20 at 14:07
  • I do agree that rinsing chicken in general is counter-productive, but in this case I have to disagree with you @Luciano. Although the materials are non-toxic it's still better overall to gently rinse the material off. Scraping gives almost as much opportunity for cross contamination as you could splatter chicken, and cutting parts off is a waste of food. – GdD Feb 12 '20 at 14:14