Should You Rinse Your Turkey Before Cooking? (2024)

FAQs

Should You Rinse Your Turkey Before Cooking? ›

According to a study by the food safety experts at the USDA, washing or rinsing raw turkey can put you at risk of foodborne illness. There's only one time you should wash a raw turkey, and that is after brining. Otherwise, do not wash a turkey before cooking.

Wash your hands, but not the turkey! Many consumers think that washing their turkey will remove bacteria and make it safer. However, it's virtually impossible to wash bacteria off the bird. Instead, juices that splash during washing can transfer bacteria onto the surfaces of your kitchen, other foods and utensils.

If ut came with giblets tucked into its body cavity, remove those; if you're making giblet gravy later, put those in pot with water, a little salt, and seasonings of your choice. If you like, you can wipe your turkey down with a damp paper towel, but there's no need to wash it.

“Washing meat before cooking is not really helping,” says Betty Feng, associate professor of food science at Purdue University. “The only thing it does [is] splash and could cross-contaminate a lot of your kitchen items—your sink, probably your clothes, whatever you have by the sink.”

Once rinsed, you can let the turkey air dry, uncovered, in the refrigerator for several hours, or pat it dry with a paper towel.

We recommend roasting turkey at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 13 minutes per pound for an unstuffed turkey. We've done the math for you — check out the chart below to determine both turkey cook times and estimated servings (with leftovers!).

Brining your turkey in saltwater adds extra moisture to the lean bird, helping it stay juicy as it roasts (even if you accidentally overcook it).

Some people swear by basting, but every time you open the oven door to baste, you let the heat out. Basting also gives you a less crisp skin. Instead of basting, rub fat (butter, olive oil or coconut oil, for example) all over the bird just before you tuck it into the oven.

One bucket with soapy water while the other with clean water to rinse the bird. If you need to give a bath, plan a couple of days proper to the show to do it so that the bird can condition back the feathers by preening. No your turkey is hopefully clean.

Do not wash or rinse raw meat or poultry before you cook it. Washing can cause bacteria found on the surface of meat or poultry to be spread to ready-to-eat foods, kitchen utensils, and counter surfaces. This is called cross-contamination. Rinse fruits and vegetables before eating.

Why do Americans wash meat before cooking? ›

Because they are removing any dirt, slime, fat, blood or excrement from the meat. And it's just the natural thing to do. Even when I've picked up Pork Chops from Publix or Wal Mart, after I've unwrapped it, my next thought was to wash it thoroughly and then put on whichever seasonings or tenderizers that I wanted.

The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service advise not to wash raw meat because it can lead to cross-contamination. The best way to kill bacteria and ensure ground beef is safe to eat is to cook it until it reaches a temperature of 165 °F (73.9 °C).

According to a study by the food safety experts at the USDA, washing or rinsing raw turkey can put you at risk of foodborne illness. There's only one time you should wash a raw turkey, and that is after brining. Otherwise, do not wash a turkey before cooking.

Once the dry-brining waiting period is up, there is no need to rinse off the surface of your food. The meat will not be overly salty, and rinsing the surface with water will undo all of the surface-drying achieved by the dry-brine process. That, in turn, will prevent browning.

Cooking to the right temperature (whether frying, baking, broiling, boiling or grilling) kills germs on meat and poultry, so washing these products is risky and not necessary for safety. Never use soaps or detergents on your meat or poultry products.

Place roast, skin side up, on a flat roasting rack in a 2-inch deep roasting pan. Do not add water to pan. Roast uncovered according to Cooking Schedule or until meat thermometer in center of breast roast reaches 170° F and in center of turkey roast reaches 175° F.

Pat It Dry

And if you're wondering, no—you don't need to rinse the bird, whether it's been dry-brined or wet-brined, before adding more seasoning and roasting.