This is when to put your frozen turkey in the fridge

Cooking a whole turkey can be a daunting prospect for both the uninitiated and the skilled turkey roasters among us. There are important decisions to make: What size turkey do I need? Do I want to fry, smoke or deep fry? Do I absolutely have to brine a turkey or can I skip this step?

But first things first: Before turkey cooking can take place, the turkey must be prepped (brine or no brine), and even if you don’t plan on messing with the bird, you can’t skip the thawing step. The frozen turkey you pick up from the supermarket needs to get from your freezer to the fridge with enough time to thaw completely before putting it in the oven, smoker or fryer.

When should you put a frozen turkey in the fridge?

The general rule of thumb is to refrigerate a frozen turkey to thaw at least 4 days or up to 1 week before Thanksgiving.

Lindgren recommends following the six hours-per-pound rule. Lindgren says that he follows the rule of six hours per day. pounds and gives the following example: “If you have a 16 lb turkey, you need to keep it in the refrigerator for 96 hours or 4 days.” Lindgren adds that it’s “always better to add a little extra time to be safe. You don’t want to cook a turkey that’s still frozen in the middle.”

How should a frozen turkey be stored in the refrigerator?

Store a frozen turkey that you are trying to thaw in the refrigerator in its original packaging. Lindgren also advises placing the turkey on the lowest shelf in the fridge if possible.

Also because the bird will release liquid when it thaws, you should place it in a large mixing bowl or pot – and not just directly on the shelf, says Lindgren. Liquid that oozes from the turkey as it thaws can spill onto other foods and is something you definitely want to avoid due to contamination.

“If you don’t have a bowl or pan that’s big enough, you can put it in a clean garbage bag to catch any liquid that seeps out,” says Lindgren.

Can you put a frozen turkey in a cooler if you don’t have enough free space in the fridge?

If you’ve run out of space in your fridge, a cooler is not a good backup plan for your frozen bird. Lindgren explains that it is much more difficult to measure the temperature in your cooler, while your refrigerator will typically be set between 38-40 degrees Fahrenheit. For this reason, “It’s hard to use the same rules you would use in the refrigerator for defrosting if you’re not sure what the temperature is in the cooler,” Lindgren points out.

However, you can move a turkey that has had time to thaw in the refrigerator to a cooler filled with plenty of ice if you’re worried about running out of room for other things leading up to the big turkey dinner.

Can you thaw a frozen turkey in the sink or in a large tub on the kitchen counter?

Technically, yes, you can thaw a turkey on the counter or sink, says Lindgren, but the trick is to submerge the turkey in water and change the water to fresh every 30-60 minutes. minute. “If you do this, it will take 30 minutes per pound to thaw,” Lindgren says, noting that for a 16 lb turkey, it will take eight hours to thaw—and that’s at least eight water changes and as many as 16.