True or false: can water inside a turkey which you've cleaned out, turn into bacteria?

Question

my brother thinks that if you clean out the turkey now, and put it in the fridge, over night, the water inside might turn into bacteria even after you've cleaned it out.

True or false?

Answer 1

Water turn into bacteria. False... Water is water and bacteria is bacteria.

Also, if you put the turkey, cleaned and unstuffed, straight into the refrigerator. The cold temperatures inhibit the bacterial growth so the concerns of the bacteria multiplying is dimished.

Another word of advice. After you wash and dry the turkey. Wrap it up so the outside doesn't dry out.

Answer 2

Water does not ever turn into bacteria. Bacteria are part and parcel of the "normal flora" of every living thing, including you, and they can & do grow in water. There is no such thing as 100% sterile and you would not want it if there was. Washing out the turkey will not make it sterile.

More to the point, bacteria grow extremely quickly. A "generation" for many bacteria is as little as 20 minutes. In fact, scientists have estimated that a single E. coli colony (a bacteria present in the digestive tract of all mammals) could turn into a heap of bacteria the size of a 747 airplane in about 24 hours if a way could be figured out to continually deliver proper nutrition and take away the waste.

I think that what your brother means to say is that cleaning out the turkey tonight will not stop the growth of bacteria in the turkey. That is absolutely correct.

Answer 3

Stop being so hard on the girl...I don't think she meant "turns into" as in a magical transformation, but rather she is wondering if a turkey sitting in the fridge overnight can become a bacterial cesspool.

So, based on that, the answer is true, but not for the reasons you may think. The bacteria are there regardless...they are in the meat and you can't "clean it out" to get rid of them. It is the cooking process that kills the bacteria. Most bacteria are harmless to humans even if they were consumed. In fact, we have all kinds of bacteria running around in our systems and on our bodies all the time that either do nothing or even do some good. However, in raw meat there can be bacteria that is harmful, like salmonella or worse. Not to mention that there can be parasites and other nasties alive in uncooked meat.

Answer 4

Water, obviously, does not turn into bacteria, but I don't think that's what your brother meant. The point of washing out the turkey is to remove residues that have been in contact with the turkey and might be teeming with bacteria.

If you wash it, then put it in the fridge, that water, which will further be mixed with blood and juices and will be in contact with the turkey will, indeed, now be a residue/substance that has been left in contact with the turkey and might be teeming with bacteria.

You will need to give it another rinsing, so if your brother's point is you might as well wait and just do it once, he's right.

Answer 5

False

Answer 6

Water doesn't spontaneously turn into bacteria. There has to be bacteria already in the bird to contaminate the water that's left.

And if you store it properly, you should be fine provided you cook the bird properly.

Answer 7

the answer is false-because water needs to be at a cert en
temperature for bacteria to grow.

Answer 8

false.