Forgot to thaw your turkey? You can do these 3 things to save your Thanksgiving feast
If you forgot to thaw your turkey, don’t worry your Thanksgiving meal isn’t ruined.
You cannot just give up on the crown jewel of Thanksgiving. A meal without the festive bird wouldn’t be much of a Thanksgiving feast at all.
Butterball suggests that every four pounds of meat equals one day of thawing in the refrigerator (e.g., a 16-pound bird means four days). They also suggest cold water thawing, which means submerging your turkey in its wrapper in a bath of water. Every pound of meat equals half an hour of thawing time (e.g., a 16-pound bird would need eight hours in a water bath).
However, if you don’t plan ahead with those methods, there are ways to cook your turkey frozen. Here is everything you need to know if you forgot to defrost your Thanksgiving bird.
How to cook a frozen turkey
According to Sam Beattie, an Iowa State University Extension food safety specialist, you can cook a frozen bird as long as it reaches the correct internal temperature. However, the cooking process may take a few more hours.
“So you forgot to thaw the turkey for holiday dining — everything will be OK,” Beattie said. “Actually, from a food safety standpoint, it’s safer to cook the turkey when it’s still frozen. A frozen turkey will not spread raw juices around the kitchen, will not waste water as you try to thaw it, and will produce an excellent and juicy cooked product.”
Since it may be difficult to remove the turkey’s giblets while frozen as a rock, you can do so three hours into cooking.
Beattie says to cook a frozen turkey, you will need the following,
Food thermometer
Shallow baking pan with a rack.
Aluminum foil
Cooking time depends on the turkey size. However, Beattie says for a 12 to 14-pound bird, you should plan for about five and a half hours. Really, the best thing to do is go off your turkey’s internal temperature.
Butterball turkey suggests, “Your turkey is done when the temperature with a meat thermometer is 180° F in the thigh and 170° F in the breast or stuffing.”
Beattie suggests oven roasting at 325 degrees.
Ways to safely thaw your Thanksgiving turkey
If you are seeing this article before Thanksgiving, you can still thaw your turkey.
Here are the best and safest processes to do so, according to Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences:
In the refrigerator:
For every four pounds of turkey means one day in the refrigerator (in its wrapper).
Your turkey can be stored safely in your fridge once fully thawed for up to two days.
In cold water:
For every pound of turkey means a half an hour of cold water bath (in its wrapper).
Ohio State suggests switching out the water every 30 minutes to be safe from raw meat bacteria.
In the microwave:
“Smaller turkeys can be thawed in the microwave. Check the microwave oven’s manufacturer’s guide for time and power level recommendations. Cook the turkey immediately,” according to Ohio State CFAES.
If you are having trouble preparing your turkey, Butterball has a Turkey Talk hotline that can help you with your cooking issues.