I have to admit I was floored when I heard that many health organizations suggest that you don't wash your freshly thawed turkey off in the sink before you put it in the roasting pan or fryer. Wait, turkey is poultry and you have to be really careful about germs and disease and cleanliness don't you?

Well according to United State Department of Agriculture washing or rinsing your thawed turkey doesn't make your bird better. It contaminates your kitchen.

Let me explain, that splashing water that is hitting the surface of your bird is splattering all over your sink and the adjacent counters. Many of those counters happen to be filled with other foodstuffs on a day like Thanksgiving. That splattering water is carrying bacteria from your bird and spreading sometimes as far as two feet away.

Another reason why the USDA says don't wash or rinse the turkey after thawing is the fact that it simply does very little good. That flowing water won't remove a majority of the microscopic creepy crawlies anyway. In order to kill the bacteria you need soap and I don't think you need to be told that soaping your turkey will not enhance the flavor.

Food specialists with the USDA say you're simply better off just placing the bird directly in the roasting pan from the fridge. They do say the quicker you can move the turkey from the cool storage to the germ-killing fires of your fryer or oven the better off you'll be.

By the way, make sure you at least pat dry your turkey if you plan on frying it. Oh, and make sure it is completely thawed too. There's something about hot oil and cold water and ice that will make firemen want to visit your home on Thanksgiving.

So unless you have a desire to meet members of your local fire department I suggest you follow that advice. I have met a lot of firemen so I speak from experience.

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