I will be making and freezing pies on Friday and will need the freezer space. Will it be OK to begin defrosting the turkey, in the refrigerator of course, 6 days early?
2006-11-15 04:30:45 · 13 answers · asked by clbamz 3 in Food & Drink ➔ Other - Food & Drink
I went to www.butterball.com and they said that you can thaw it "several" days a head of time. I would say that's 4-6, so I think you will be okay...just make sure to put the turkey on a tray in the fridge :)
2006-11-15 04:34:49 · answer #1 · answered by cutiewithabooooty 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Two safe methods for thawing:
* In the refrigerator. This is the preferred method, but can be difficult to arrange with a fully stocked fridge. Clear some space and allow one day for every 5 pounds of meat: a 15-pound turkey will require three days to thaw thoroughly.
* Submerged in cold water. Using your sink or a bucket, keep the turkey in its original wrapper and make sure it is completely covered with cold water. You may need to cover the turkey with a plate and place some heavy cans on top of it to keep it totally submerged. It is vital for the sake of safety that you change the cold water every 30 minutes. Using this method, it will take approximately 30 minutes per pound to thaw a turkey.
It is also possible to use a combination of the two methods--use the fridge for the first two days of thawing, and the sink on the day before Thanksgiving, when the refrigerator fills up with other holiday dishes.
2006-11-15 06:47:35 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends on how big the bird is. Experts reccomend a day of refridgerator thawing for every 4 pounds of bird. So if you have a 12 lb bird, that translates to 3 days in the fridge. I would think if it was at least 18-24 lbs it should be fine in there for 6 days, otherwise, i would fine a way to keep it frozen as long as possible.
2006-11-15 04:37:30 · answer #3 · answered by Let ME be President! 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Thawing turkey in the regrigerator is always the safest and it would not be a problem thawing it early just keep in in the rear of the refrigerator since that is where it is the coolest. The bird must be kept at a temp of at least 39 degrees (that is the setting of most units) It can be held at that temp for at least one week but don't open the packaging.
2006-11-15 04:34:37 · answer #4 · answered by Robert 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You'll want to make sure that the turkey doesn't stay in the fridge too long. They recommend 2-3 days before it goes bad(never frozen), but considering that it is frozen you can add at least 2 more days to that. If it deforsts too fast you may want to turn your fridge up just a bit to keep it at a lower temp in order to keep the turkey fresher longer. Good luck.
2006-11-15 05:01:03 · answer #5 · answered by aulnersgirl 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It should be ok as long as it was already frozen when you bought it or you froze it straight away after buying it. It will take a good 48 hours to defrost in the refrigerator anyway so it shouldn't be a problem.
2006-11-15 04:34:02 · answer #6 · answered by Galaxy 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Defrosting depends upon the size of the turkey but you should be good with puttting it in the fridge portion on Friday.
2006-11-15 04:33:58 · answer #7 · answered by COACH 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
6 days is too long in the fridge unless your have a monster bird over 30 lbs. Assuming your fridge keep thing around 8 c. I wouldn't let it rest in the fridge for more than 3 days.
2006-11-15 05:59:00 · answer #8 · answered by minijumbofly 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As long as your not putting it on the counter you should be fine. I'm going to be buying mine Sunday and putting it in the fridge.
2006-11-15 04:40:06 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
As long as it stays refridgerated, I don't see why it would be a problem. Good luck with the pies!
2006-11-15 04:43:47 · answer #10 · answered by nmtgirl 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋