Should You Rinse Your Turkey Before Cooking? (2024)

Planning a Thanksgiving dinner is fraught with all kinds of decisions.

First comes the sweet potato casserole—should it be topped with marshmallows or pecans (or both)? Next is deciding between stuffing versus dressing. When it's dessert time, you'll hear squabble over whether pumpkin pie or sweet potato pie is better. But if there's one part of Thanksgiving that shouldn't be up for debate, it's the bird. And we're not talking about when to buy Thanksgiving turkey or which turkey brine or seasoning blend to use. No, rather: Should you clean a turkey before you cook it or not?

If your roasted turkey begins by thoroughly rinsing the bird, it's time to take a second look. It turns out, giving your turkey a pre-oven bath can do far more harm than good. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), it's impossible to remove all the bacteria from a raw turkey by rinsing it, and trying to do so can splash and spread harmful bacteria all across your kitchen! There's only one time that you should ever rinse your bird. Read on to find out more, and the safest way to do it.

How do you clean a turkey before cooking it?

Well... you don't! Just like with other meat, the USDA recommends skipping washing your turkey before you cook it. It doesn't matter if you're roasting, frying, or smoking your turkey, there's no need to give it a rinse unless you've brined it (more on that below). Cooking the turkey kills any bacteria, but washing a turkey before you cook it opens the door to dangerous cross contamination. Instead, take your turkey straight from the package to the roaster. The only "cleaning" you need to worry about is removing the neck and giblets from the cavity (to save for giblet gravy, of course!) and patting the turkey dry with a paper towel to achieve crispy skin.

When should you rinse a turkey?

The only time you should ever rinse your bird is if you've brined it first. This is to remove some of the salt from the turkey. You'll want to do a little prep first, though, to minimize the spread of bacteria. "When rinsing brine off of a turkey, be sure to remove all other food or objects from the sink, layer the area with paper towels, and allow a slow stream of water to avoid splashing," according to the USDA recommendation. Be sure to rinse the outside and the inside cavity of the bird with cool water and hold the bird up to drain the water from the cavity before transferring it to a roasting pan. Then, toss the paper towels in the trashcan and thoroughly disinfect your sink and surrounding countertop. Finally wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with warm water and soap.

Do you wash the inside of a turkey before cooking it?

Nope! Just like with the outside of a turkey, there's no need to rinse the cavity. All you need to worry about is removing the neck and giblets. Now, if you're working with a brined bird, you will need to rinse the inside. Ree Drummond likes to rinse the inside and outside of her turkey under a running faucet with cold water for several minutes. Then, she'll fill up a big pot with cold water, submerge the rinsed turkey, and allow the bird to soak for about 15 minutes. This flushes away some of the saltiness. It's best to soak the turkey in a pot rather than your sink to control the spread of germs.

What happens if you don't clean a turkey?

There's no harm in skipping cleaning your turkey. According to the USDA, it's impossible to wash all bacteria off the bird. In fact, cooking the turkey removes far more bacteria than rinsing ever could. By not cleaning your turkey, you'll cut down the risk of spreading harmful bacteria all around your kitchen, and you'll also save some much-needed time on Thanksgiving Day. Use that extra time baste your bird and locate that handy dandy meat thermometer to ensure the turkey is cooked to juicy, golden brown perfection. The USDA recommends roasting a bird until the thickest part of the turkey breast reaches 165 degrees.