Don’t let your holiday be ruined by food-borne illness. Make sure you thaw your turkey in a way that will keep it outside of the temperature danger zone. A turkey needs to be in a refrigerator below 40 degrees or cooking above 140 degrees. There are four ways to thaw a frozen turkey safely.
The safest, but slowest, way of thawing a frozen turkey is in the refrigerator. Leave it in the original wrapper and lay it on a cookie sheet to catch any drips. About five pounds of turkey will thaw in one day, so a 15-pound turkey should take about three days to thaw.
A second method to thaw a turkey is to place it under running water. Place the turkey in the sink and allow water to drip on it slowly. Cool water will keep the surface of the meat cold while the inside is thawing. If you live in a place that doesn’t have running water or your water is expensive, you can always fill the container up, wait about thirty minutes and replace the warmer water will cool water again. A 15-pound turkey will probably take about six hours to thaw under running water.
The third way to thaw a turkey is to do it in the microwave. Remove the packaging and put it in a microwave safe container to catch any drips and pop it in the microwave. Before you decide to thaw it in your microwave, make sure it will fit! Turkeys can be quite large. Follow the microwave manufacturer’s instructions for the length of time because different microwaves can be quite different. One thing to note is that if you choose to do the microwave method of thawing, the turkey needs to go into the oven straight away. Don’t thaw the turkey in the microwave today and put it in the refrigerator and cook it tomorrow.
The fourth method is just to cook it straight from frozen. All you do is double the cooking time. Take the turkey out of the packaging, season the surface and put it in the oven and the regular temperature.
Turkey can be a great addition to your family’s meals outside of the holiday season as well. Extension has a publication on serving turkey safely and a YouTube video demonstrating these thawing methods.
If you have more questions about thawing turkeys or other holiday food safety concerns, contact us using Ask an Expert or call 877-520-5211.
