India, Oct. 4 -- If you grew up in a home where rinsing chicken under the faucet was treated as an unshakeable law, prepare to have your kitchen habits turned upside down. For generations, many home cooks have believed that rinsing raw chicken before cooking it was essential for hygiene. Also read | Stop eating chicken every day: Study says it can lead to cancer

But according to Delhi-based cardiologist Dr Alok Chopra, that seemingly harmless habit was doing the exact opposite: it was actively contaminating your kitchen counters, utensils, and surrounding food.

Taking to Instagram on September 30, Dr Chopra issued a warning, asking a straightforward question: "Still washing raw chicken before cooking it? You may be making your kitchen l...