Cooking for the holidays often involves defrosting a whole turkey. You have three safe choices, and one of them isn’t using your kitchen countertop. If you’re thinking “I’ve done that for twenty years and no one has ever gotten sick”, you may want to reconsider. Disease-causing bacteria can ruin a holiday for any family.
- Using your refrigerator is the easiest method of thawing. It takes about one day of refrigeration for every five pounds of turkey. If your turkey is large, use the lowest shelf in the refrigerator and place a pan under the turkey to catch the juices.
- It’s more labor-intensive, but your turkey may also be defrosted in cold water. Submerge the turkey in an air-tight, water-tight package in cold water. You’ll have to change the water every thirty minutes until the turkey is thawed.
- Finally, you can use your microwave for thawing your holiday turkey. Choose the defrost cycle and rotate the turkey frequently, then cook immediately after thawing.