Thanksgiving is almost here, and if your turkey is still in the freezer, it could be time to take it out.
If you’ve got a sizable bird (20 to 24 pounds), it may take three to four days to thaw in the refrigerator according to the USDA. Four to five days for a 16 to 20 pound turkey, three to four for a 12 to 16 pounder and one to three for a four to 12 pound guy.
Once a turkey is thawed, it can sit in the refrigerator for one to two days before being cooked. If your T-Day plans end up getting canceled, the USDA says you can refreeze your bird however it may lose some quality.
If you’re cutting it close on time, the USDA does say that it is safe to expedite the thawing process with a cold water bath. Zip up your bird in a waterproof plastic bag then submerged it in water from the cold water tap. You should then change the water every 30 minutes until it’s thawed then cook immediately.
For this method, a 20 to 24 pound turkey will take between 10 and 12 hours to thaw, a 16 to 20 pounds should be ready in 8 to 10 hours. Thawing time for a 12 to 16 pounds bird should be 6 to 8 hours and it should take 2 to 6 hours for a 4 to 12 pounder.
If you’re in a real crunch, the USDA does say it is safe to thaw your turkey in the microwave but depending on the size of the bird and the size of your microwave, this is probably best used as a last resort. The USDA recommends following your microwave manufacturer’s instructions on dethawing a turkey. You must immediately cook the turkey after dethawing it this way and it cannot be refrozen.
Let’s say you have a frozen turkey on Thanksgiving morning and you don’t want to use the microwave method; the USDA tells us not to fear; you can actually cook a turkey while it is frozen. It will take up to 50% longer than it would if thawed, so plan accordingly.
General consensus is that for a thawed turkey you should plan on 13 minutes per pound if unstuffed and 15 minutes if stuffed when roasting. However other methods like smoking and frying may take different amounts of time; just make sure the internal temperate reaches a safe temperature.
165 degrees is the minimum temperature at which the USDA says a turkey should reach to kill off harmful bacteria. Most chefs say to pull the bird at 150 and as it rests the temperature should rise to 165.
Happy Thanksgiving, we wish you a day of safe cooking (don’t fry a turkey inside).
