There’s no doubt that the turkey is the centerpiece of the Thanksgiving table. It’s also the part of the meal that has the greatest ability to make you sick.
According to Stephanie Bianco, assistant director at the Center for Healthy Communities and an assistant professor of Nutrition and Food Sciences at Chico State, if mishandled a turkey has a huge potential to create foodborne illness. The most common mistake happens before the turkey is even cooked, she said.
“What people tend to do is they tend to wash their birds and they shouldn’t,” Bianco said. “They really shouldn’t wash their birds, there’s no sense in washing their birds, and if you do you’re basically contaminating your sink, your counter space, your clothing, because it’s so large it gets up into the faucet …”
Basically leaving invisible trails of bacteria that can contaminate other food all over your kitchen, Bianco said.
The rule is the same for chicken, Bianco said. Don’t wash it.
“You’re not removing any of the bacteria by washing it. I think it’s kind of a false sense of security that people have when they wash their birds or any of their chicken, and it’s really making the situation worse,” Bianco said.
Instead of washing your turkey, Bianco recommends you just move to the step of dressing it. When you cook the turkey, make sure the bird has an ending temperature of at least 165 degrees, Bianco said. Only then is it safe to eat.