Defrosting a turkey-can someone explain why...

[NotUrsula]

I use a cooler to brine/defrost as well, and I keep the brine iced, unless the outdoor temp is just right, in which case I strap it up with a bungee to make sure no animals get to it, and I put it out in the back yard in a shady spot for a couple of days.

As to a liner bag for brining, the simplest food-grade option is one of the Ziploc 10-gal zipper bags. These work very nicely because you can add plain water outside the bag to keep it chilled. (If you are icing the water, don't just pile in ice and expect it to melt. That much ice will keep the flesh partly frozen. Just ice it with a single layer of cubes floating on top.)

One other note: if you are going to FRY your turkey, you should pat it dry both inside and out and then allow it to sit at room temp for 30 minutes before putting it into the oil.

 

[scrapquitler]

I got tired of the whole process of thawing the bird after a couple of times when it took a lot longer to thaw that it was supposed to. Now I never buy a frozen whole turkey. I'll buy a frozen breast or I buy a fresh (not frozen) turkey.

 

[bumbershoot]

Maybe next year just buy a fresh turkey so you don't have to worry about all of this!

My mom did that, when she could afford it...and while the idea is odd to me now (went vegetarian at 19), back in high school I remember it being FAR tastier than the frozen butterball kind! She got kosher, free range, health food store turkeys. Spendier, smaller (and thank goodness), but, and I paraphrase myself from back then, not now, yummier.

 

[andymattmom]

I am THANKFUL this year! Went to my meat store.....they have frozen ones and they are keeping till Wednesday and THAWING for me!

 

[bankgirl05]

Yep, this is what I do, too, since my fridge is really tiny. I put the bird in the cooler filled with brine the night before I need to cook it. I figure the salt in the water will prevent bacteria from growing and you end up with a nice, juicy bird!


Edited to add: I don't use Alton's recipe. I just use 1 c. of kosher salt in my cooler and throw the frozen bird into it (still wrapped up since it's usually still pretty frozen).

ummmm... if the bird is "still wrapped up" how is this brining???

 

[BCDisneyFanatic]

ummmm... if the bird is "still wrapped up" how is this brining???

It's not really...but I figure the salt helps keep bacteria from growing. Some of the brine does seep through the wrapping, though.

 

[Eeyore98]

For anyone who feels like they've been fine for years without following the safety recommendations, well, yeah, people used wax seals or cold packed when canning for decades, and most people were fine. But some people also died from botulism.

 

[collegejunkie]

Bacteria can grow plenty in under 24 hours.

pretty much this.

somewhat related: i have an exam in food microbiology tomorrow, so if you want, PM me and i'll tell you all about the bacteria and how they get into your food, etc! lol

 

[FayeW]

Thawing the bird in the fridge is a pain in the rear. I just take mine out of the wrap and put it in a covered roaster on the counter overnight. The cover keeps the temperature inside the roaster cool, and the bird is still cold to touch in the morning. It's usually still slightly frozen but then I rinse it in warm water.

I've been doing it that way for 22 years, and my mother for 40 yrs before that. But then again I do crazy things like use the milk after it's been left out all night, and eat left over pizza that didn't get refrigerated. I also run with scizzors.

 

[Disney Commando]

Last week I cooked a 22pd bird just for a Sunday dinner, I picked a frozen one , I work with butcher's so I asked the best way to have it ready to cook, they had it water during work (8 hrs) turning it over a few times, when my shift was over they told me to keep it in the fridge overnight, and sit on the counter in the a.m. till I was ready to cook it, they told me that the center will not defrost in the fridge

That was a week and a half ago, no one got sick and the turkey tasted great

 

[arminnie]

I'm a rebel looking for a tummy ache I guess... I always do mine in the sink.

Me too - my family has done it for the last 60 years with no negative consequences.

 

[HelenePA]

Me too - my family has done it for the last 60 years with no negative consequences.

I learned it from my dad Im guessing that's how his mom/dad did it as well.. (yes my dad was the cook in my family) I never heard of any holiday horror stories from a bad sink thawed turkey.

Oh and the reason I have the frozen one is because dh got it free from work...

 

[tasha99]

I think it's safe to defrost in water and did that once years ago when I didn't plan far enough ahead. The water is going to be 40 degrees or less because it has a giant, turkey shaped ice cube in it.

 

[mikron]

My Farther-inlaw would leave the turkey or anything else he was going to cook the next day on the counter over night. He or any one else ever got sick. I never ate much of any meat he cooked at any of the dinners.

 

[golfgal]

I think it's safe to defrost in water and did that once years ago when I didn't plan far enough ahead. The water is going to be 40 degrees or less because it has a giant, turkey shaped ice cube in it.

That is what I am thinking too. I suppose in the last hour or two it might warm up some but not that much.

 

[bettymae1121]

I've found the trick to defrosting in a fride is to "start" it defrosting on the counter but ONLY for about 2-3 hours. The surface starts to soften (but is still VERY cold to the touch). Then I pop it into the fridge. It's ready to go by game day! One year I didn't do this and it still frozen in the middle. Fortunately I was just cooking it for DH and I so it didn't matter. I think if it goes straight from the freezer to the fridge, the bird is so cold it just doesn't start to defrost for a day or two, even though the fridge is above freezing. By just getting it started a little before putting in to the fridge, it keeps defrosting.

Not for nothing, but I have the smallest standard sized fridge in the world but still have room for the bird and all the fixings. I clean it out the weekend before I start shoping for T-day to make room and then make sure everything stays organized. Yes it's a packed fridge but I make it work.

 

[golfgal]

I've found the trick to defrosting in a fride is to "start" it defrosting on the counter but ONLY for about 2-3 hours. The surface starts to soften (but is still VERY cold to the touch). Then I pop it into the fridge. It's ready to go by game day! One year I didn't do this and it still frozen in the middle. Fortunately I was just cooking it for DH and I so it didn't matter. I think if it goes straight from the freezer to the fridge, the bird is so cold it just doesn't start to defrost for a day or two, even though the fridge is above freezing. By just getting it started a little before putting in to the fridge, it keeps defrosting.

Not for nothing, but I have the smallest standard sized fridge in the world but still have room for the bird and all the fixings. I clean it out the weekend before I start shoping for T-day to make room and then make sure everything stays organized. Yes it's a packed fridge but I make it work.

I have a side by side, a 20 lb bird, and 3 teenagers--there is not enough room in there for all of this I am not sure the bird will even fit on one shelf and be able to close the door. I hate side by sides for this reason.

 

[krcit]

Controlled temperature vs uncontrolled. In an uncontrolled and warmer situation you can end up with a lot of bacteria and become very sick after eating the turkey.

It's great others leave them out and haven't gotten sick..but you know..it only takes one time and you could have children and elderly family members hospitalized because they are so ill. It only takes 1 time for the entire family to get really sick from it.

I can never understand why things like this are so hard for people..is it somehow impossible to thaw it properly? It's not like that date of Thanksgiving isn't known and one can't plan to do it the right and safe way.

I agree. On all these threads, people love to post how they've been thawing on the counter for years and have never gotten sick. Why take the risk?? My SIL still thaws on the counter. I have been there where the house is 80 degrees and she has chicken out I won't eat dinner over there anymore.

 

[fromscratchmom]

Without even reading every post to know if there are germ folks getting totally weirded out, I use water every year. I did mine in a picnic cooler every year that I bought a frozen turkey, because I always do a really large turkey and have all that other food to deal with for the feast. Refrigerator space is at a premium all year anyway!

And I do brine my turkey as well, so if it is not totally thawed out when it goes in the brine it finishes thawing while it is in it.

Legal disclaimer: Not recommended by the persnickety, germophobes, or any official legally liable source.

 

[bettymae1121]

I have a side by side, a 20 lb bird, and 3 teenagers--there is not enough room in there for all of this I am not sure the bird will even fit on one shelf and be able to close the door. I hate side by sides for this reason.

Granted...I don't have three teens so I'm sure that doesn't help! Also you fridge sounds "shallow", mine doesn't have much in the way of cubic inches but it is rather on the deep side, I'll say that for it!