Prepare your turkey for Thanksgiving safely to avoid any food-borne illnesses. Jason Taylor with Washington County Environmental Health shared some tips with KCII News, including what to do when you take the turkey out of its bag, “When you get ready to open your bird for the meal, you don’t want to wash it. There’s a lot of talk out there that you rinse the bird all off, but then you’re spreading all that different bacteria throughout your kitchen, like salmonella and some of the other ones. So you don’t want to wash the bird at all. You know, they’re washing the bird at the plant before you get it.” If you do wash it, the water splashing off the turkey can cause bacteria to then contaminate surfaces in your kitchen where you’re preparing other side dishes or relish trays.

Also, remember to cook your turkey to 165 degrees before eating it. For a thawed 14-pound turkey at 325 degrees it’ll take nearly four hours to cook.