Here's why you should never rinse your turkey

By: Patrick Jones

Whether you're a rookie to cooking on Thanksgiving or a veteran always more to learn and be careful about when it comes to making a feast.

Here's a tip you may not have thought about.

When cooking your turkey, you may have the impulse to rinse it off first but don't do it. It will do the opposite of what you're trying to do!

Related: The ultimate Thanksgiving recipes:

According to the United States Department of Agriculture washing an uncooked turkey can splash pathogens onto kitchen surfaces -- diseases like salmonella which you don't want.

The good news is the best course of action is to just pop it in the oven, after seasoning it of course.

According to the USDA the best way to take out bacteria on uncooked food is to cook it.

Also, just in case make sure you're washing everything the turkey touches thoroughly, including cutting boards, the counter, your hands.

So the good news is on top of potentially stopping you or a loved one from getting sick we also took a step out of an already crazy day.

Hopefully that saves some stress too!

More in lifestyle
Chefs reveal the menu items you should never order
12 Thanksgiving sides to make if you only have 20 minutes
An average person may consume 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving