T-minus two days till Thanksgiving, and experts are warning anyone preparing the centerpiece poultry for the holiday meal not to wash the turkey and to keep in mind some other important food safety tips while preparing the feast.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shared its annual PSA ahead of Thanksgiving about the dangers of raw turkey, which can carry germs that cause food poisoning.
An estimated 48 million people, on average each year, get sick from a foodborne illness. 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die, per the CDC.
The agency advises home cooks to follow these four steps for food safety:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture also warns, as studies have shown, that rinsing raw poultry puts people at risk for spreading germs that cause foodborne illness.
A USDA study found that "participants who washed their raw poultry, 60% had bacteria in their sink after washing or rinsing the poultry. Even more concerning is that 14 percent still had bacteria in their sinks after they attempted to clean the sink."
Another 26% of participants "that washed raw poultry transferred bacteria from that raw poultry to their ready-to-eat salad lettuce."
Chef and educator from the Institute of Culinary Education, Palak Patel, spoke to "Good Morning America" about the best practices for poultry prep.
Washing raw poultry can cause bacteria on the chicken to splash and cling to clean surfaces, including your hands, causing cross-contamination. Cut out any steps of washing the bird from the recipe entirely.
Just cooking poultry thoroughly eliminates harmful bacteria and pathogens.
The safest way to handle raw poultry is to prevent it, and its juices, from touching other foods, especially fruits and vegetables.
Before and after handling raw poultry, be sure to wash your hands, surfaces, knives, tools and cutting boards with warm, soapy water for 20 seconds.
Where chicken or turkey is placed in the fridge and freezer is important, as chicken juice has a tendency to leak outside of its container. This can cause contamination if it comes into contact with your produce or cooked food.
Place the turkey package in a bag or remove it and place it in a container. Alternatively, place it on a plate, then cover it -- and always store it on the bottom shelf of your refrigerator.
After buying poultry, store it at a proper temperature in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf. If the meat is frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and not on the kitchen counter. At room temperature, poultry and other raw meat can develop harmful bacteria.
Use thawed poultry within 48 hours, and do not put it back into the freezer after defrosting.
Pre-prep all ingredients, including chopping and pre-heating pans, before handling raw poultry.
Pro Tip: Invest in two separate cutting boards, one for meat only and another for produce. Use tongs to handle raw and cleaned tools for cooked meat.
Don't wash the poultry, but wash your hands before and after handling it. Limit handling raw food as much as possible during prep and cooking.
Once the poultry is cooked, the risk of food poisoning is gone, but if there is any cross-contamination during cooking, there is still a risk for illness from consuming the raw produce.
It's not safe to refreeze chicken that has been defrosted.
Rely on a proper thermometer. An under-cooked breast isn't safe, but an overcooked one isn't tasty. Use an instant-read thermometer to make sure the thickest end gets to 155 degrees. Carry-over heat will take it to 165 degrees, which is safe, without drying them out.
Pro tip: A digital thermometer reads temperatures accurately and removes any guesswork.
