I thawed my turkey in hot water and let it sit in the water bath form about 8 hours. It is a 16 lb turkey. I then put it in the fridge because i'm not actually going to cook for 2 more days. I needed it thawed so I could brine it. So, is it still safe to eat?
2007-11-20 03:51:14 · 24 answers · asked by mary g 2 in Food & Drink ➔ Cooking & Recipes
The problem with thawing such a big bird is that doing it safely takes a long time no matter what. The other answerers are correct; never thaw meat in warm water. The safest way to thaw frozen food is to put it in the refrigerator until it thaws. For a turkey, this is usually about 4 hours per pound and for most Thanksgiving turkeys, that means about 2 or 3 days in the refrigerator. If it is thawed that way, the bird should last another week in the fridge before being cooked. The faster way to thaw a turkey safely is to place it in COLD water at room temperature, changing out the water every 30 minutes. This way, it should take closer to 30 minutes per pound to thaw, but that is still all day for most birds.
But since you already thawed the bird in hot water, there is real risk of eating contaminated meat. I have done a lot of research on food safety, so when I'm serving other people, I'm especially careful about cross-contamination, etc....but if it's just me eating, I sometimes go with the "sniff test" (which doesn't prove the food safe, but makes me feel a little better about eating it).
Assuming you are feeding a group of people Thanksgiving dinner, I would go ahead and cook the bird you thawed and then I'd refrigerate it. Then, I'd go out and get a fresh turkey (not frozen--there might not be enough time to thaw it properly) to cook for my guests.
Later, if you want to risk eating the first turkey--it's your choice. But I wouldn't feed it to other people.
Good luck!
Tessa Somers
2007-11-20 04:18:59 · answer #1 · answered by Somersky 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Firstly you should never thaw out meat in Hot water??? This causes the bacteria to multiply and speed up the decaying process although not visible to the naked eye. It should have been left out at a cool room temperature then once thawed put into the refrigerator between 5/4c, it had 2 days to thaw out so why the rush. If you want to end up at your doctors or in the hospital over thanks giving then go ahead and eat it. As a qualified chief my advice would be to throw it and buy a fresh Turkey. Do not feed this to the young or elderly if you decide to go ahead and cook it. This can be fatal.
-x-
2007-11-20 11:58:46 · answer #2 · answered by Debbie 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You must not thaw your turkey in hot water, let alone any frozen foods. You will be at risk of getting severe food poisoning if you then go on to cook and eat the turkey. Bacteria multiplys extremely quickly in warm, moist enviroments between 4 and 70 degrees centigrade. To defrost foods safely, leave overnight in your fridge to defrost/thaw naturally.
2007-11-21 08:40:53 · answer #3 · answered by muj 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The problem you will have is not bacteria - the brine or cooking will kill anything on the turkey. However some of the bacteria will have formed spores; the spores will be impervious to brine and heat.
So, the things to ask yourself, how long did it sit in the hot water at a temp of greater than 40 degrees? Given the specs you give in your question you should be okay for the turkey but I would not trust any stuffing in the turkey and I would make sure it is cooked thoroughly - use a thermometer and do not trust the little "pop-out" guide in the turkey.
2007-11-20 12:01:15 · answer #4 · answered by RancherChef 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Chances are yes, but it is not the recommended way to thaw a turkey. The reason is that the parts that thawed out first might have let too much bacteria grow while the rest of the turkey thawed out. So you are taking a risk, but be sure to cook it all the way.
2007-11-20 11:56:26 · answer #5 · answered by Future Citizen of Forvik 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I wasn't sure about it either but the butcher at the store we bought our turkey at suggested it. His exact words in answer to my question "How do I get a frozen turkey thawed by tomorrow" was "put it in hot water".
I said "what about bacteria?" and he said, "I've done it, and I haven't gotten sick". This was from a butcher who works with meat every day so I did exactly that and now my turkey's in the oven.
It's up to you though...
2007-11-22 16:50:14 · answer #6 · answered by Michelle M 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It will not be safe at this point. Never thaw poultry in HOT water, and never leave it in the same water for 8 hours! You will get VERY ILL if you leave this bird for two days and then cook it! Throw it away and buy a fresh bird. It costs more, but you won't get food poisoning from it.
2007-11-20 12:01:34 · answer #7 · answered by Pixie 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
You may be ok if you are going to brine it.. However, meat should NEVER be thawed in hot water... It breeds excess bacteria... I suggest you thaw it out in a cooler in ice water and change the water when the ice melts.... You can also use the cooler to do the brine stage.
2007-11-20 11:55:20 · answer #8 · answered by pebblespro 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Unless you'd like your holiday memory to include severe stomach cramping, vomitting, and fevers as well as possible trips to the hospital, from food poisoning, NO.
Don't thaw meat in hot water. Don't allow meat to sit in cold water more than 30 minutes without changing it.
2007-11-20 12:09:20 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Well, it seems like you've cooked the turkey by soaking it in hot water. You can still eat the turkey, but it just won't tastes as good. Next time, you can just leave it on the counter overnight by itself. It will automatically thaw. Since the weather isn't hot, you don't need to worry about it getting spoiled.
2007-11-20 11:55:34 · answer #10 · answered by Mrs Apple 6 · 0⤊ 5⤋