How to Thaw Frozen Turkey: According to USDA, there are three safe ways to thaw birds for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is just around the corner!If you plan to cook big birds, say USDA is 3 ways Safely thaw frozen turkey.

Defrost the refrigerator

According to USDA, every 4-5 pounds in Turkey will require 24 hours of thawing time in the refrigerator.

“If the turkey weighs 16 pounds, it will take about 4 days to thaw. It’s safe to thaw for another 2 days, so you can start thawing 6 days before Thanksgiving (Friday before Thanksgiving),” USDA said. Is recommended. ..

According to USDA, turkeys are thawed at a consistently safe temperature, so thawing turkeys in the refrigerator is the safest way.

But if you forget to thaw the turkey and need to do it right away, don’t panic. There are other ways.

USDA recommends:

Thaw in cold water

“For cold water methods, the turkey is left in its original packaging and submerged in a sink (or container) filled with cold water. It is important that the water is cold so that the turkey is kept at a safe temperature. Need to change Add water every 30 minutes. Empty the water and replace with fresh cold water. This method takes 30 minutes thawing time per pound, so 16 pound turkeys this way It takes 8 hours to thaw using (may be needed) Start around 4pm!) Once the turkey has melted, cook it immediately. “

Microwave defrosting

“Before thawing the turkey in the microwave, check the owner’s manual for the size of the turkey that fits in the microwave, the number of minutes per pound, and the power level to use when thawing the turkey. All outer packaging. Remove and place the turkey in a safe dish in the microwave to catch any leaking juice. Use the weight-based defrosting feature. As a general rule, when thawing the turkey in the microwave, 1 It takes 6 minutes per pound. Be sure to spin it a few times. You can even turn it over during the thawing process. “

What if the turkey actually started cooking instead of just thawing?

USDA says it will rest for about 5 minutes before resuming thawing.

“In the middle of thawing, you can cover the wings and the tip of the drumstick with a small foil to protect it from the microwave and prevent it from being cooked. Once the turkey is thawed, it should be cooked immediately.” USDA says.

If you’re worried about using aluminum foil in the microwave, USDA says it’s okay to actually use it Foil in a small microwave..
But what if the turkey is still frozen on Thanksgiving morning? USDA says it’s completely safe to cook frozen turkey. It just takes time to cook.

“A well-frozen turkey takes at least 50% longer to cook than a thawed turkey,” USDA said. “Remember that if the turkey is only partially frozen, it will take some time to cook. Using a food thermometer, the bird is the innermost part of the thigh, the innermost part of the wings, And when measuring 165F at the thickest part of the chest, ready. “

click here For more tips on safe decompression methods.

This story was originally published in November 2020.

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How to Thaw Frozen Turkey: According to USDA, there are three safe ways to thaw birds for Thanksgiving

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