The large day is arising quick however let’s face it, internet hosting Thanksgiving dinner is not any simple feat. Beyond the ruckus concerned in getting ready a dinner of epic proportions, meals security must be the highest precedence. After all, family members ought to finish the day with leftover pumpkin pie — not meals poisoning.
That’s why the researchers at Eat This, Not That! compiled just a few must-follow ideas for how you can thaw a frozen turkey: a course of that, if executed incorrectly, has the potential to deliver a ton of illness-causing micro organism to the vacation desk.
While there are just a few other ways to thaw a fowl, practically all of them require beginning the method just a few days previous to Turkey Day, so it is essential to prep accordingly.
Related: “Holiday food shopping this year will be more challenging than ever,” one business analyst stated.
How to thaw a Thanksgiving turkey
1. Thaw it within the fridge.
Don’t thaw a turkey on the kitchen countertop the place it may grow to be a nesting space for nasty micro organism — or your cat’s midnight snack. Instead, use the fridge.
Before it is popped in there, lay it on a rimmed tray, which can catch any leaks. Place it breast aspect up (the plumpest space in between the wings) and wrap it tightly with plastic wrap.
When thawing a turkey within the fridge, permit 24 hours of defrosting time for each 4 to five kilos of fowl, in keeping with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. So, if the turkey weighs 4 to 12 kilos, plan for it to defrost within the fridge for one to 3 days. If it’s 12 to 16 kilos, be sure that it is positioned within the fridge three to 4 days earlier than the vacation arrives.
Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey by Laura Vitale
2. Wrap the turkey when thawing it in chilly water.
If the plan is to thaw the fowl in chilly water, be sure that it’s in a leak-proof plastic bag earlier than it’s submerged. This will forestall any cross-contamination and be certain that the fowl received’t take in any additional water throughout the thawing course of. Then, fill a bowl that’s large enough to suit the fowl with chilly faucet water. Submerge the wrapped turkey in it and alter the water each half hour. Changing the water will assist to beat back any contaminating micro organism.
Allow half-hour of thawing time for every pound of turkey, which interprets to 2 to 6 hours for a 4- to 12-pound turkey. A 12- to 15-pound fowl will thaw in six to eight hours.
Still having bother figuring out the thaw time of the turkey? Check out Butterball’s thawing calculator — which permits folks to decide on both the fridge or cold-water methodology.
3. Consider thawing the turkey utilizing a microwave.
Before deciding whether or not to thaw the Thanksgiving centerpiece within the microwave, be sure that it truly suits in there … with some additional area to spin. If the fowl is sufficiently small, pop it in sans wrapping on a microwave-safe dish. Push the defrost button, punch within the weight of the fowl and let the microwave work its magic.
If the microwave occurs to lack a defrost perform, decide how lengthy the fowl wants to remain in there based mostly on its weight. Six minutes per pound is an effective rule of thumb. Since microwaves are inclined to warmth issues erratically, be sure that to rotate and flip the meat all through the thawing course of.
4. Always verify that the fowl has thawed fully.
To make sure the fowl is completely defrosted, attain one hand into the hole half and test for ice crystals. Then, utilizing a fork, poke the thick components of the fowl and ensure they’re now not arduous or icy. If they’re, the turkey undoubtedly wants extra time to thaw.
Related: Wondering how you can prepare dinner a turkey? From a Cajun-spiced turkey to a bacon-wrapped turkey, we have got you lined.
5. Don’t wait! Cook the turkey straight away.
After it’s thawed, the turkey should be cooked instantly. That’s as a result of as soon as the fowl is defrosted, micro organism that had been current earlier than it was absolutely frozen can start to regrow, in keeping with the USDA. That’s unhealthy information for anybody planning to hit the department stores the subsequent day for some Black Friday bargains.
Those invisible bugs might make folks horribly sick! If you overestimated the period of time the turkey wanted to defrost and it’s good to go just a few days earlier than the vacation, it’s protected to retailer the fowl within the fridge — simply don’t maintain it in there for greater than two days.
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