Should you wash a raw turkey?
No. The USDA says rinsing raw poultry doesn’t remove bacteria and can spread it around your kitchen. In its 2019 study, 60% of people who washed poultry had bacteria in the sink afterward.
Quick Answer
No. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says not to wash raw turkey or other poultry. Rinsing doesn’t remove bacteria such as Salmonella and Campylobacter, and splashing juices can spread them to the sink, counters, utensils and other food. In a 2019 USDA study, 60% of participants who washed raw poultry had bacteria in their sink afterward, and 14% still did after trying to clean it. Also, 26% of those who washed it transferred bacteria to ready-to-eat salad lettuce. What kills the germs is heat: cook the turkey to a minimum internal temperature of 165°F, measured with a food thermometer in the thickest part of the breast and the innermost parts of the thigh and wing. Thaw a frozen turkey in the refrigerator, allowing about 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds, and refrigerate leftovers within two hours.
By the Numbers
Key Facts
- The advice
- Don’t wash raw poultry, says the USDA
- Why
- Rinsing doesn’t remove bacteria, and splashing can spread it
- What makes it safe
- Cooking to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer
- Thawing
- In the refrigerator: about 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds
A safer turkey, step by step
- Thaw in the refrigerator
Keep it at 40°F or below and allow about 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds.
- Skip the rinse
Take it straight from the package to the pan, then wash your hands and anything the raw turkey touched.
- Cook to 165°F
Check the thickest part of the breast and the innermost parts of the thigh and wing.
- Chill the leftovers
Refrigerate within two hours, or one hour if the room is above 90°F.
What the USDA found
In 2019, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service released an observational study of how people handle raw poultry in a test kitchen. Of the participants who washed or rinsed it, 60% had bacteria in their sink afterward, and 14% still did after cleaning. Twenty-six percent of those who washed their poultry transferred bacteria from it to their salad lettuce.
Heat does the work
The USDA says it’s virtually impossible to wash bacteria off a bird. The only way to kill it is to cook the meat to a safe internal temperature, which for turkey is 165°F, and to check it with a food thermometer. For a whole turkey, check the thickest part of the breast and the innermost parts of the wing and thigh.
Thawing and leftovers
The USDA says to thaw a frozen turkey in the refrigerator at 40°F or below, allowing roughly 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds. Don’t leave perishable foods out for more than two hours, or one hour if the room is above 90°F.
Myth vs. Fact
MythRinsing a turkey makes it cleaner and safer.
FactThe USDA says it’s virtually impossible to wash bacteria off the bird, and rinsing can spread germs. Cooking to 165°F is what kills them.
MythA turkey is done when it looks done.
FactUse a food thermometer. The safe minimum internal temperature is 165°F, checked in the breast, wing and thigh.
The Bottom Line
Skip the rinse. The USDA says washing raw turkey can spread bacteria around your kitchen, and only cooking it to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer, makes it safe.