How Long To Thaw A Frozen Turkey Without Refridgeration?

Question

I am cooking a 20.5 lb turkey and I bought it frozen. The turkey will not fit in my fridge, what are my options?

Answer 1

You can thaw it in a sink or bucket full of warm water. You reallt shouldn't let it sit out of refridgeration though. That is how you contract Salmenela. If you have an ice chest or somrthing I would oput it in there with a few cold packs or better yet make room in your fridge for the turkey and put your other items in the ice chest.
Good Luck

Answer 2

Put it in a cooler with ice. If you just bought it today and plan on cooking it tomorrow, you need to thaw it out in cold water. You could do that in a cooler too. Either way, keep the entire bird covered with cold water.

Answer 3

You can do it in either the sink or the bathtub. Assuming you'll need the sink for other dishes, use the tub. Just use COLD water and change the water every 30 minutes. That's the recommended safe way to do it.

Answer 4

put it in the sink with cold water, it should thaw in about 4-8 hrs.

Answer 5

The biohazard part of turkey-thawing comes from bacteria (see How Food Preservation Works for details). If you thaw a turkey incorrectly, bacteria grow quickly. For example, if you thaw your turkey on the kitchen counter, bacteria can be a problem. As the turkey starts to thaw from the outside in, part of it will reach room temperature (60 to 70 Fahrenheit), and that is prime temperature for bacteria to thrive. You should keep the entire turkey at 40 degrees F or below to avoid bacteria. Here are three safe ways to thaw a turkey.

* Thaw in the refrigerator. (This takes the most time.)
* Thaw in cold water. (This is a quicker method.)
* Thaw in a microwave. (This only works with small turkeys or turkey parts.)

If you want to thaw your turkey in the refrigerator, you need to start days before cooking (that's why we're running this as the QotD a few days before Thanksgiving...). Keep the turkey in its original wrapping and put it in a pan to catch the moisture. Allow 24 hours of thawing time for every 5 pounds of turkey.

* 8 to 12 pounds: 1 to 2 days
* 12 to 16 pounds: 2 to 3 days
* 16 to 20 pounds: 3 to 4 days
* 20 to 24 pounds 4 to 5 days

One of the good things about using the refrigerator method is that you can keep the defrosted turkey in the refrigerator for a day until it's time to roast.

If you need to thaw your turkey faster, use the cold water method. Immerse your packaged turkey (make sure there are no tears in the packaging) in ice-cold water. You need to change the water every 30 minutes to keep it cold and allow about 30 minutes of thawing time per pound of turkey.

* 8 to 12 pounds: 4 to 6 hours
* 12 to 16 pounds: 6 to 8 hours
* 16 to 20 pounds: 8 to 10 hours
* 20 to 24 pounds: 10 to 12 hours

If you use the cold water method, you should cook your turkey as soon as it is thawed.

The microwave method works for small turkeys and turkey parts. The best guide for how long it will take is your microwave owner's manual, but it could take about 60 to 90 minutes on the defrost cycle. Once you've thawed the turkey, you will need to cook it right away.

To prepare the turkey for roasting, you should take the giblets out and rinse the turkey inside and out. Be careful to wash your hands and anything in the kitchen that has touched the raw turkey.

Here are a few tips on cooking your turkey. You should use a meat thermometer to determine when your turkey is done. The turkey is done when the thermometer registers 185 F when you stick it in the inner thigh or in the thickest part of the turkey.

Here are some rules of thumb for turkey roasting time at 325 F:

* 8 to 10 pounds:
o 2 hours, 45 minutes to 3 hours, unstuffed;
o 3 hours to 3 hours, 30 minutes, stuffed.
* 12 to 14 pounds:
o 3 hours to 3 hours, 45 minutes, unstuffed;
o 3 hours, 30 minutes to 4 hours, stuffed.
* 14 to 18 pounds:
o 3 hours, 45 minutes to 4 hours, 15 minutes, unstuffed;
o 4 hours to 4 hours 15 minutes, stuffed.
* 18 to 20 pounds:
o 4 hours, 15 minutes to 4 hours, 30 minutes, unstuffed;
o 4 hours, 15 minutes to 4 hours, 45 minutes, stuffed.
* 20 to 24 pounds:
o 4 hours, 30 minutes to 5 hours, unstuffed;
o 4 hours, 45 minutes to 5 hours, 15 minutes, stuffed.

Answer 6

Put it in water- do not thaw at room temperature!!!! Put it in cold water, changing the water regularly to keep it cool.

Answer 7

In a sink full of water and pray it thaws by morning.

Answer 8

stick it in a buckets full of water with salt overnight, it should be ready in the morning. just make sure you wash it out good and clean out with a lemon

Answer 9

Subbmerge it in cold water, for example, your sink.