How Long Can a Defrosted Turkey Stay in the Refrigerator Before Cooking

Anyone who's ever purchased a frozen turkey knows the importance of planning ahead. You want to give yourself plenty of time when removing the bird from the freezer. Simply is there such a affair every bit pulling it likewise early on? How long tin can a thawed turkey stay in the refrigerator before the meat begins to turn?

How Long Tin a Thawed Turkey Stay in the Fridge?

A fully thawed turkey will keep safely in the fridge for 1 to 2 days. Program to cook information technology off within this time frame. If your plans modify, y'all can refreeze the bird, as long equally it's been thawed in the refrigerator. Only be sure to put it back in the freezer before those 2 days are up.

How Long Tin can You Store a Turkey in the Freezer?

In theory, frozen turkey will go on indefinitely. In practice, information technology's a good idea to thaw and melt the bird within a year. If yous expect any longer, the meat will however be fine, just the quality might first to deteriorate. Y'all besides may have to deal with a thick layer of ice on the packaging, which can lead to a messy fridge during the thawing menstruum.

How Long Does It Take To Thaw a Turkey?

When thawing a turkey, keep it in the refrigerator in its original packaging. For the most consistent results, get out it undisturbed on a lower shelf. Set up it on a tray with sides high enough to catch any juices that might leak out.

Try to allow 24 hours of thawing time for every iv pounds. For example, plan on thawing a 12-pound turkey for 3 days. A 15- to 16-pound turkey would take around 4 days, whereas a 24-pounder might demand 6 days in the refrigerator earlier it'southward fully thawed.

How Long Can a Thawed Turkey Stay in the Fridge?

Once the meat has fully thawed, you should cook off the turkey inside 2 days. Go along this in heed when making a turkey dinner, and try to plan as far ahead as possible.

Of course, there'due south no need to eat it right away. If you're running out of time, you can always cook the turkey and save the meat for sandwiches. Cooked turkey meat as well makes a superb base of operations for savory soups, stews, and pot pies.

Can You Refreeze a Thawed Turkey?

It depends on the thawing method. If you thawed the turkey in the fridge, keeping information technology at the proper temperature, so it's rubber to refreeze it without cooking it beginning.

On the other hand, any meat that's been thawed using either the cold-water method or the microwave (see Other Methods for Thawing, below) needs to be cooked off right away. Don't try to refreeze the turkey unless it was thawed in the fridge over the prescribed length of time.

Will Fresh Turkey Keep Longer in the Fridge?

Unfortunately, no. A fresh turkey will only proceed for i to two days in the fridge likewise. While you might appreciate the other benefits of buying fresh, you lot won't be ownership yourself whatever fourth dimension past replacing your thawed turkey with a fresh ane.

Also, note that if you are in the market for fresh turkey, you should steer clear of the pre-stuffed ones. These are potential convenance grounds for the blazon of bacteria that causes nutrient poisoning.

Other Methods for Thawing

For optimum results, thaw the turkey in the refrigerator using the protocol we suggested before. If yous don't have time for that, consider using the cold water method instead.

When thawing a whole turkey in cold water, make sure the packaging is wrapped deeply. No h2o should exist permitted to touch the surface of the meat. If necessary, swaddle the turkey in a few actress layers of plastic wrap earlier yous submerge information technology.

Permit the turkey to remain in the cold h2o bath for about 30 minutes per pound. You should swap out the water every thirty minutes to ensure that the water stays cold. If it gets also warm, the bird might cross the threshold into the "danger zone" between 40 and 140 degrees, which could make information technology unsafe to eat.

For similar reasons, you should never thaw a turkey at room temperature, nor should you be tempted to use hot water instead . Doing and so would enhance the meat's temperature to dangerous levels, and spoiled meat is the last affair you lot want to deal with, particularly when yous're trying to save time.

Again, turkey that'south been thawed in cold water should be cooked off immediately. Don't leave information technology in the fridge or attempt to freeze it again later it'southward fully thawed.

Every bit a last resort, you can use the microwave oven to thaw the turkey. We don't recommend this method for big cuts , equally it's too difficult for the meat to thaw evenly. Nevertheless, if yous have no other choice and your microwave is big enough, exist sure to follow the correct procedure.

First, take a wait at the owner'due south manual for the recommended ability settings and time frames for whole poultry. When you lot've institute the settings, unwrap the turkey and place it in a microwave-safe dish. The sides of the dish should exist high plenty to take hold of any drippings.

Follow the manufacturer's recommendations for thawing, using the lowest possible setting and checking the bird often for hot spots. One time the turkey is thoroughly defrosted, cook it off immediately.

Other Tips for Safety Food Handling

• Wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling raw poultry.
• Immediately wash all utensils and plates that have come up in contact with the raw turkey.
• Make certain to use split up plates for raw and cooked turkey. Ditto for whatever tongs, serving forks, or other utensils.
• Cook the turkey to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Disinfect the sink, countertops, fridge shelves, and whatsoever other areas that accept come in contact with raw poultry during preparation.

Final Thoughts

Try to take your turkey fully thawed inside 48 hours of your projected start time. Since well-nigh turkeys are on the larger side , you lot should have a broad time frame with which to work. If the bird isn't quite set up yet on the day you programme to melt it, you can always cease the job using a cold water bath.

All-time of luck, and happy grilling!

kershawstareer1949.blogspot.com

Source: https://bbqhost.com/how-long-can-a-thawed-turkey-stay-in-the-fridge/

Share this post