[ad_1]
Thanksgiving Day is developing quick, however let’s face it: Internet hosting Thanksgiving dinner isn’t any simple feat. From figuring out when to start out thawing a turkey to how a lot turkey to make and the perennial query of will I’ve sufficient meals for my friends, there’s loads of strain to make this scrumptious vacation good.
Past the chaos concerned in making ready a dinner of epic proportions, meals security must be the highest precedence.
In spite of everything, family and friends ought to finish the day with leftover pumpkin pie — not meals poisoning.
That’s why the researchers at Eat This, Not That! compiled a couple of must-follow ideas for easy methods to thaw a frozen turkey: a course of that, if carried out incorrectly, has the potential to convey a ton of illness-causing micro organism to the vacation desk.
Whereas there are a couple of other ways to thaw a hen, practically all of them require beginning the method a couple of days previous to turkey day, so it is necessary to prep accordingly and begin the method early.
Learn how to thaw a frozen turkey for Thanksgiving
1. Thaw it within the fridge
Do not thaw a turkey on the kitchen countertop the place it might turn into a nesting space for nasty micro organism — or your cat’s midnight snack. As an alternative, use the fridge.
Earlier than you place the hen straight within the fridge, lay it on a deep rimmed tray or or a roasting pan lined with a wire rack, which is able to catch any leaks. Place it breast aspect up (the plumpest space in between the wings) and wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Place the tray or pan on the bottom shelf in your fridge to stop the chance of foodborne sickness. The bottom shelf in your fridge ought to home the meals that should prepare dinner on the highest temperature, like poultry.
When thawing a turkey within the fridge, permit 24 hours of defrosting time for each 4 to five kilos of hen, in line with the U.S. Division of Agriculture. So, if the turkey weighs 12 kilos, plan for it to defrost within the fridge for about three days. If 16 kilos or extra, ensure it is positioned within the fridge 4 to 5 days earlier than the vacation arrives. As a rule of thumb, thawing your turkey the weekend earlier than Thanksgiving will be sure that it is absolutely defrosted by the point you have to prepare dinner it on Thursday. Plus, this offers you loads of time to brine it both with a moist brine or dry spice rub.
Thaw instances by weight
-
10-pound turkey: 2 days of thawing within the fridge
-
12-pound turkey: 2 to three days of thawing within the fridge
-
14-pound turkey: 2 to three days of thawing within the fridge
-
16-pound turkey: 3 to 4 days of thawing within the fridge
-
18-pound turkey: 3 to 4 days of thawing within the fridge
-
20-pound turkey: 4 to five days of thawing within the fridge
2. Wrap the turkey when thawing it in chilly water
If you happen to plan to thaw the hen in chilly water, ensure to seal it in a big, leak-proof plastic bag earlier than submerging it. This can stop any cross-contamination and be sure that the hen received’t take in any additional water through the thawing course of. Then, fill a bowl or bucket that’s large enough to suit the hen with chilly faucet water. Submerge the wrapped turkey within the water and alter the water each half-hour so as to assist to thrust back any contaminating micro organism.
Permit half-hour of thawing time for every pound of turkey, which interprets to about six hours for a 12-pound turkey. A 15-pound hen will thaw in eight hours. Alter the thawing time based mostly on the scale of the turkey you bought.
Nonetheless having bother figuring out the thaw time of your Thanksgiving turkey? Take a look at Butterball’s thawing calculator — which permits folks to decide on both the fridge or cold-water technique.
Thaw instances by weight
-
10-pound turkey: 5 hours of thawing in chilly water
-
12-pound turkey: 6 hours of thawing in chilly water
-
14-pound turkey: 7 hours of thawing in chilly water
-
16-pound turkey: 8 hours of thawing in chilly water
-
18-pound turkey: 9 hours of thawing in chilly water
-
20-pound turkey: 10 hours of thawing in chilly water
3. Take into account thawing the turkey utilizing a microwave
Imagine it or not, you’ll be able to thaw a turkey within the microwave, however proceed with warning. Earlier than deciding whether or not to thaw the Thanksgiving centerpiece within the microwave, ensure it truly suits in there … and has some additional house to spin. If the hen is sufficiently small, take away the plastic wrap and place it in a microwave-safe dish or baking dish. Push the defrost button, punch within the weight of the hen and let the microwave work its magic.
In case your microwave lacks a correct defrosting perform, decide how lengthy the hen must thaw in there based mostly on its weight. Six minutes per pound is an effective rule of thumb. Since microwaves are inclined to warmth issues inconsistently, ensure to rotate and flip the meat all through the thawing course of.
Thaw instances by weight
-
10-pound turkey: 1 hour of thawing within the microwave
-
12-pound turkey: 1 hour, 12 minutes of thawing within the microwave
-
14-pound turkey: 1 hour, 24 minutes of thawing within the microwave
-
16-pound turkey: 1 hour, 36 minutes of thawing within the microwave
-
18-pound turkey: 1 hour, 48 minutes of thawing within the microwave
-
20-pound turkey: 2 hours of thawing within the microwave
4. At all times verify that the hen has thawed utterly
To make sure the hen is completely defrosted, attain one hand into the hole half and verify for ice crystals. Then, utilizing a fork, poke the thick components of the hen and ensure they’re not exhausting or icy. If they’re, the turkey undoubtedly wants extra time to thaw.
5. Do not wait — prepare dinner the turkey instantly
After it’s thawed, the turkey should be cooked instantly. That is as a result of as soon as the hen is defrosted, micro organism can start to regrow, in line with the USDA. That’s unhealthy information for anybody planning to hit the shops the following day for some Black Friday bargains.
These invisible bugs have the potential to trigger salmonella and different unhealthy micro organism, which might make your family members sick if consumed. If you happen to overestimated the period of time the turkey wanted to defrost and it’s good to go a couple of days earlier than the vacation, it’s protected to retailer the hen within the fridge — simply don’t preserve it in there for greater than three to 4 days.
This text was initially printed on TODAY.com
[ad_2]
Source link
