3 Ways to Safely Thaw a Frozen Turkey (2024)

FAQs

3 Ways to Safely Thaw a Frozen Turkey? ›

While frozen, a turkey is safe indefinitely. As soon as it begins to thaw, bacteria that may have been present before freezing will begin to grow again. There are three safe ways to defrost a turkey: in the refrigerator, in cold water, and in a microwave oven.

There are three safe ways to thaw food: in the refrigerator, in cold water, and in the microwave. Foods thawed by the cold water method or in the microwave should be cooked immediately after thawing.

It's best to plan ahead for slow, safe thawing in the refrigerator. Allow about 24 hours for every five pounds of turkey to thaw in the refrigerator. A turkey that has been thawed in the refrigerator can remain in the refrigerator for one to two days.

Check your turkey thaw with an instant-read thermometer

Use an instant-read thermometer, like our Thermapen^® ONE, to verify your turkey's internal temperature in multiple locations before putting it in the oven. It should be above 32°F (0°C) That's right, you measure the temperature of your turkey before you cook it!

You should never thaw large food items, such as roasts or turkeys, at room temperature. If you want to thaw these types of food, you can safely submerge the item under running potable water at 70˚F (21˚C) or lower; never thaw food in standing water.

Thaw the turkey in the cooler keeping its temperature at 41°F (5°C) or lower for several days. Which of these food items needs to be cooked to the highest internal cooking temperature in order to be safe? When thawing food in a cooler, keep the food's temperature at: 41°F (5°C) or lower.

Defrosting chicken at a cool temperature in the refrigerator is the safest method. People who have less time at their disposal can use a cold water bath or the defrost setting on their microwave.

Just get a cooler large enough to hold your turkey, make sure it's clean and put it in. That's all. The frozen turkey will provide its own refrigeration while it thaws. Depending on weight this can take three or four days.

If your turkey is still frozen solid:

Try a safe quick-thawing method. Cold water: Keep the bird in its airtight packaging or a leak-proof bag, submerge it in cold water, and change the water every 30 minutes. Microwave: Use your manufacturer guidelines to thaw for about 6 minutes per pound.

How to defrost turkey quickly? ›

Frozen turkeys should not be left on the back porch, in the car trunk, in the basem*nt, or any place else where temperatures cannot be constantly monitored. A package of frozen meat or poultry left thawing on the counter more than 2 hours is not at a safe temperature.

Thawing in the fridge takes a day (24 hours) per every 4 pounds (1.8 kg) of meat. We can simplify this to ¼ of a day (6 hours) per pound (0.5 kg). If we wanted to turn this into an equation, we would get: turkey thawing time = weight in pounds * ¼ of a day .

Thaw turkey breast side down, in an unopened wrapper, with enough cold water to cover your turkey completely. Change water every 30 minutes and if turkey cannot be completely covered, rotate every 30 minutes to keep the turkey chilled. You can expect 30 minutes of thawing per pound of turkey.

Frozen turkeys should not be left on the back porch, in the car trunk, in the basem*nt, or any place else where temperatures cannot be constantly monitored. A package of frozen meat or poultry left thawing on the counter more than 2 hours is not at a safe temperature.

Check the cavity of the turkey for the neck or giblets, and remove them if you can. If you can't get to the giblets, or if the giblets are still frozen inside the turkey's cavity, continue roasting, but check every 30 minutes to see if you can remove the giblets.

If your turkey is still frozen solid:

Try a safe quick-thawing method. Cold water: Keep the bird in its airtight packaging or a leak-proof bag, submerge it in cold water, and change the water every 30 minutes. Microwave: Use your manufacturer guidelines to thaw for about 6 minutes per pound.