The Greatest Option to Defrost Turkey, In keeping with Meals Security Specialists

For those who’ve ever cooked an entire turkey for Thanksgiving or one other vacation, you understand how irritating coping with a frozen turkey might be. Whereas a frozen hen is often essentially the most extensively accessible, handy, and affordable option, having a still-frozen turkey on Thanksgiving morning is the stuff of nightmares for a lot of. And never solely do you need to thaw the factor—you additionally must do it safely, lest you poison a dozen relations and mates. Luckily, it is actually not that tough to correctly and safely defrost a turkey. For steering, we spoke to 2 meals security consultants and a chef to seek out out the easiest way to defrost turkey—and which strategies residence cooks ought to keep away from. 

Why It is Vital to Defrost Turkey Accurately

Within the US, Thanksgiving turkeys sometimes vary from 12 to 16 kilos, with some even exceeding 20 kilos. Due to the hen’s massive dimension, defrosting it properly—and safely—might be difficult. Relying on the burden of your hen and the strategy you select, it might take as much as 5 days to your turkey to totally thaw. And although it might be tempting to let your turkey sit out at room temperature or in a bucket of heat water, this can lead to uneven thawing, with some elements of the hen hitting the temperature hazard zone (40 to 140ºF; 4.5 to 60ºC), the temperature at which dangerous micro organism corresponding to Salmonella, clostridium, or campylobacter can multiply rapidly and improve your danger of meals poisoning. 

The way you defrost your turkey issues, and to stop foodborne sicknesses, america Division of Agriculture (USDA) has strict tips on the way to safely thaw turkey. There are solely three strategies the group recommends for defrosting turkey: within the fridge, in chilly water, and within the microwave. Beneath, we’ll discover every of those strategies intimately so you possibly can thaw your turkey safely and in a means that units you up for cooking a juicy, succulent centerpiece of a hen.

How Lengthy Does It Take to Defrost Turkey?

The time it takes to defrost your turkey will depend upon its dimension. The USDA estimates that you just’ll want 24 hours within the fridge for each 4 to 5 kilos of turkey you’re defrosting, however many components can affect thawing time, together with the temperature of your fridge and the way crowded the fridge is. Past the turkey’s dimension, the reduce and form of your turkey will even affect how lengthy it takes to defrost. Jessica Pryles, chef and writer of Hardcore Carnivore, says an entire turkey is basically a “large, spherical, frozen ball,” and its density means it’s not conducive to fast defrosting. Whereas not generally discovered at conventional grocery shops, spatchcocked turkeys will each freeze and defrost sooner than an intact hen. Entire turkeys which were separated into parts after which frozen flat will even thaw sooner than an entire hen.

To offer your self loads of time to correctly thaw and brine your turkey, it’s finest to start defrosting the hen at the very least 5 days earlier than you intend to cook dinner and serve it. (As Kenji has famous beforehand, there’s no need to brine birds which are labeled as kosher, enhanced, or self-basting, as these have already been handled with salt.)

The Most Widespread Strategies for Thawing Turkey

Easy methods to Defrost Turkey within the Fridge

In keeping with Meredith Carothers, a meals security specialist with the USDA, and Catherine Nettles Cutter, a professor and meals security specialist in Penn State College’s meals science division, defrosting your turkey within the fridge is the easiest way to thaw it. “It is the best and the most secure,” says Carothers, who explains {that a} fridge set to take care of a temperature beneath 40ºF (4ºC) ensures that your turkey won’t ever hit the hazard zone, decreasing the danger of food-borne pathogens.

To thaw your turkey within the fridge, Carothers and Cutter advocate holding your turkey wrapped and storing it on a big platter or tray, corresponding to a rimmed sheet pan, to gather any juices which will leak. You’ll additionally need to place it on the lowest potential level in your fridge to maintain any rogue uncooked poultry juices not caught by the platter from contaminating anything in your fridge. 

This methodology is the one one the USDA recommends utilizing for those who plan on dry brining your turkey, as the opposite two USDA-approved strategies—thawing within the microwave and in chilly water—are thought-about “speedy” and require you to cook dinner the hen instantly after it thaws. Thawing within the fridge comes with two trade-offs, although: time and house. A 20-pound hen will want about 5 days to defrost, taking on valuable fridge house you could possibly in any other case use to retailer different Thanksgiving substances. Nonetheless, it’s essentially the most hands-off methodology and is the most secure method, as it’s the just one that ensures your turkey can be held at a food-safe temperature the complete time it thaws. (We advocate utilizing a fridge thermometer to make sure your fridge is on the proper temperature.)

TL;DR: Defrosting turkey within the fridge is the most secure and most hands-off methodology, and is the one USDA-recommended methodology for those who plan on dry brining your turkey. Additionally it is the slowest methodology and requires you to have vital fridge house.

Easy methods to Defrost a Turkey in Chilly Water

For those who’re operating delayed and wish to hurry up the defrosting time of your hen, submerging it in cool water will do the trick. (We advocate holding the turkey in its authentic packaging to stop the meat from changing into waterlogged.) With this methodology, it takes about half-hour to defrost per pound of turkey, Pryles says. A ten-pound hen will defrost in about 5 hours, quite than the 2 to a few days it will require within the fridge.

As a result of chilly water conducts warmth higher than air, this methodology is quicker than thawing within the fridge. This methodology, nonetheless, is a little more hands-on than thawing turkey within the fridge. As I wrote in my guide to defrosting chicken, the USDA says this methodology is okay so long as your faucet releases water within the 55 to 65ºF (12.7 to 18.3ºC) vary. You’ll even have to vary the water each half-hour or so to make sure the water stays within the really helpful vary; because the frozen turkey defrosts, the water round it turns into cooler, and ultimately turns into chilly sufficient to stop the hen from adequately thawing.

The opposite downside with this methodology is discovering a container massive sufficient to carry your turkey. Kenji has really helpful utilizing a large cooler or tub and altering out the water each hour or so. A cooler, Pryles says, will even assist maintain the temperature extra constant and probably scale back the variety of occasions it’s worthwhile to refill it. Many coolers have spigots on the backside, making it simple to empty if you’re executed defrosting. For those who don’t have a big sufficient cooler, Pryles suggests utilizing a five-gallon bucket. “You simply need to guarantee that there’s loads of room between the precise turkey and the aspect of the bucket so it might really be immersed within the chilly water,” she says, which can assist thaw the hen evenly.

In case you have neither a cooler or five-gallon bucket, defrosting your turkey in a clear kitchen sink and even your bathtub can also be an possibility. For those who plan on defrosting your turkey within the sink or tub, be sure you completely clear them to stop any filth, micro organism, or dish detergent and residues from bathing or cleansing merchandise from contaminating your poultry. (Though we advocate holding your turkey within the packaging, there’s a probability of it being breached.)

As a result of defrosting through chilly water is taken into account a rapid-defrost methodology, the USDA recommends you cook dinner meals defrosted this fashion instantly as soon as it is thawed, which sadly means you gained’t be capable to dry brine a turkey defrosted this fashion.

TL;DR: Defrosting a turkey in chilly water is quicker than thawing within the fridge, however it’s barely extra hands-on because it requires you to vary the water regularly to take care of a temperature of 40ºF (4ºC) or beneath. Additionally, you will want a big vessel, corresponding to a cooler or five-gallon bucket, for thawing the turkey. A turkey defrosted this fashion should be cooked instantly after thawing, which implies you gained’t be capable to dry brine it.

What About Defrosting a Turkey within the Microwave?

Regardless of being endorsed by the USDA, defrosting an entire turkey within the microwave is solely not real looking for most individuals, as most turkeys are too large to slot in a normal microwave. This methodology is extra appropriate for thawing smaller cuts like drumsticks or wings rapidly, although we don’t advocate it until it’s the solely possibility accessible. As I discovered in my analysis and testing on how to best defrost chicken, this methodology ends in erratically thawed meat; as a result of the microwave jumpstarts the cooking course of, the outer edges of the poultry could also be absolutely cooked by the point the middle of the hen is defrosted. The feel of the meat can also be dry and ugly to eat. 

For those who insist on thawing cuts of turkey within the microwave, the USDA recommends utilizing your microwave’s poultry defrost setting to take action, and planning on it taking about six minutes per pound. You also needs to rotate and flip the items all through the method to ensure it’s defrosting evenly. As a result of that is one other speedy defrosting methodology, the turkey ought to be cooked instantly after it has thawed.  

TL;DR: Most turkeys are too large to slot in a normal microwave; this methodology is finest for thawing smaller cuts of turkey like thighs or wings. Turkey defrosted this fashion may have a drier texture, and we don’t advocate utilizing this methodology until it’s the just one accessible. As a result of the microwave is a speedy defrosting methodology, the turkey should be cooked instantly after it has thawed.

Why You Ought to By no means Defrost a Turkey at Room Temperature

Leaving an entire frozen turkey out at room temperature is the riskiest defrosting methodology, and the USDA doesn’t advocate thawing turkey this fashion, nor can we. Give it some thought: Even weeknight-friendly cuts of poultry like hen breasts, which usually weigh about one to 2 kilos, can take a number of hours to thaw at room temperature. A complete turkey—which is greater than triple the scale of these cuts—will take for much longer. Because the turkey sits at room temperature, its exterior will thaw first, and sure hit the temperature hazard zone whereas the inside has but to totally thaw, making it susceptible to bacterial development.

Pryles notes that for those who reside in a chilly local weather the place the surface temperature is constantly beneath 40ºF (4ºC), you could possibly safely defrost the turkey exterior in your yard or your porch. The USDA, nonetheless, doesn’t advocate thawing turkey this fashion, whatever the exterior temperature. If the turkey occurs to be in direct daylight or if the temperature fluctuates all through the day above 40ºF (4ºC), Carothers says, you’re placing your visitors in danger. She additionally warns {that a} porch isn’t as sterilized as your kitchen, and the thawing turkey might appeal to undesirable Thanksgiving visitors within the type of native wildlife and neighborhood pets. For these causes, we don’t advocate this methodology both. 

TL;DR: Thawing your turkey at room temperature is the riskiest defrosting methodology. We don’t advocate utilizing this methodology.

Can You Cook dinner Frozen Turkey?

Until you’re deep-frying your turkey—by which case the hen needs to be 100% thawed and completely dried earlier than taking a dip within the oil—you possibly can technically cook dinner a turkey from frozen and it’ll still be food safe in accordance with the USDA. From a culinary standpoint, we don’t advocate it; a hen you’ve thawed within the fridge and dry brined is all the time going to be extra flavorful and juicy. But when it’s Thanksgiving day and your turkey continues to be a block of ice and cooking it frozen is the one possibility left, you possibly can, certainly, do that. Simply remember that a frozen turkey will take at the very least 50% longer to cook dinner than a thawed turkey, and simply tossing a frozen hen within the oven will definitely not lead to a wonderfully cooked, moist hen with crisp pores and skin. We aren’t going to supply directions for it right here, however you possibly can head on over to Thermoworks, the place there’s a thorough information on the way to cook dinner a frozen turkey.

The Takeaway

For defrosting an entire turkey, our best choice is the fridge. Make sure to begin defrosting at the very least 5 days earlier than you intend on cooking the turkey, and calculate that it’s going to want 24 hours within the fridge for each 4 to 5 kilos of turkey you’re defrosting, presumably longer. Make sure to construct in time for prep strategies, like dry brining.