There’s a lot of advice online about thawing a whole turkey, but the easiest and best way is to give yourself plenty of time and thaw your bird slowly in the fridge over multiple days.
There are one or two safe shortcuts to defrosting a turkey faster than that, but you’re running the risk of ending up with rubbery meat. We cover the best option for thawing a turkey in just hours below. Whatever you do, don’t even think about using the microwave.
Defrosting a turkey generally takes a long time — far longer than cooking it. To get that bird from frozen to thawed safely, you’ll need to do it the right way. This takes several days for even a small or medium sized turkey.
Below you’ll find the slow, albeit very easy, way to safely thaw your turkey ahead of your holiday celebration this year. If you’re serving something other than turkey, such as brisket, leg of lamb, pork shoulder or duck and need to thaw out your entree, these same techniques work best for just about any cut of meat.
Can you defrost a turkey or roast at room temperature?
No. It’s not safe, nor is it recommended to defrost a turkey, rib roast or another large cut of meat at room temperature. The key to safely thawing is not letting any part of the flesh rise about 40 degrees Fahrenheit for any extended period or food-borne bacteria will begin to grow and multiply. You might be able to get away with room temperature defrosting of smaller cuts of meats such as steaks and pork loins, but larger meats take so long to defrost that you can’t safely defrost them this way.
The best way to thaw holiday meat: Use your refrigerator
This method is the most time-consuming option but will net the best results: The USDA suggests 24 hours for each 4 to 5 pounds in a refrigerator set at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, which means you’d need to set aside a few days or up to a week for a large bird. This method requires the least amount of effort. All you have to do is put your turkey in a container to catch drips and let it hang out (covered) in the fridge.
To make sure your turkey (and any other meat) you’re serving is safe to eat, get a meat thermometer. It’s an affordable investment in both helping you figure out when your food is ready and keeping your guests safe.
Details
How long does it take to defrost a frozen turkey?
Here’s a snapshot of how long it could take you to thaw a frozen turkey of varying weights. See? It’s definitely wise to have a plan and set an alarm for the day your turkey needs to come out of the freezer.
- 4 to 8 pounds: 24 hours
- 8 to 12 pounds: 36 hours
- 12 to 16 pounds: 4 days
- 16 to 20 pounds: 5 days
- 20 to 24 pounds: 6 days
The fastest way to safely defrost a turkey quickly is cold water
This method for defrosting a turkey is faster than in the fridge, but it requires a few more steps. First, put the turkey in a leak-proof bag and put it in a cold tap water bath in the sink or a large receptacle (such as a cooler or clean recycling bin).
The USDA recommends that you change the water every 30 minutes. I’ve found that it’s easiest to defrost your turkey in a cooler that has a spigot: This lets you easily drain the water to make room for fresh water — or drain it completely once the bird is defrosted. It will take about 30 minutes per pound to completely thaw your turkey this way.
Can you defrost a turkey in the microwave?
The USDA says that you can defrost a turkey in the microwave as long as you follow the product instructions and cook it immediately after thawing.
Even if you can fit that big brisket or bird inside, I’d be extremely wary of relying on a microwave to defrost such a large piece of meat. I’d suggest avoiding the microwave at all costs. Even whole chickens are difficult to defrost well in a microwave and they’re typically half of the size of a turkey.
If anything, use the thaw setting for just a few minutes to get it started and then employ a combination of the cold water bath and fridge methods above to defrost your turkey. Don’t use the entire time that your microwave suggests for defrosting this amount of frozen meat, especially all in one go. It won’t be pretty, I promise you.
For more turkey tips, see the 6 ways people screw up turkey and how to make crispy stuffing in the air fryer.
Read the full article here
