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Mameblanche
Member
04-13-2005
| Friday, October 07, 2005 - 9:05 pm
We have a 12-15 lb turkey that is frozen solid in our freezer (since December!). We plan to cook it on MONDAY, its Friday evening right now. WHEN and HOW should we go about defrosting it? I've heard that I can put it in the fridge, but how soon I don't know. I've also heard I can put it in a pot of water in the sink, once again, I don't know how far in advance to do this. I am scared to death of food poisoning, so I really want to get this right.
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Azriel
Member
08-01-2000
| Friday, October 07, 2005 - 9:24 pm
Mame, I think you can get all the info you need from this site - Butterball Turkey
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Azriel
Member
08-01-2000
| Friday, October 07, 2005 - 9:28 pm
The experts recommend refrigerator thawing. However, if you are short on time and need a quicker method for thawing, submerge the turkey in cold water. Thawing turkey at room temperature allows bacterial growth and is not recommended. Refrigerator Thawing: Thaw breast side up in its unopened wrapper on a tray in the refrigerator Allow at least one day of thawing for every four pounds of turkey Cold Water Thawing: Thaw breast side down in its unopened wrapper in cold water to cover Change the water every 30 minutes to keep surface cold Estimate minimum thawing time to be 30 minutes per pound for whole turkey Butterball Thawing Methods Maybe you could do a combo of the two methods and then you wouldn't have to do so much water changing. Two days in the fridge, then 2 or 3 hours of thawing in cold water.
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Azriel
Member
08-01-2000
| Friday, October 07, 2005 - 9:39 pm
Let me tell you from experience - when you thaw it in the fridge make sure you have it on a tray and check the tray periodically, cuz a lot of moisture comes off that wrapper when it's thawing.
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Mameblanche
Member
04-13-2005
| Friday, October 07, 2005 - 10:27 pm
Azriel - Thanks SO MUCH! Your info and tips and the butterball video are extremely helpful. I am going to take it out of the freezer now and put it in a tray in the fridge. On Monday, I'll put it into the water bath. But I wonder, in the video she's just immersing half the turkey, I would have immersed the whole bird... hmmm?
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Azriel
Member
08-01-2000
| Friday, October 07, 2005 - 10:42 pm
That is a little misleading, isn't it? The directions say cold water to cover, so I would cover it.
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Mameblanche
Member
04-13-2005
| Friday, October 07, 2005 - 10:59 pm
Azriel, thx. I feel better about that. Cuz it does make more sense, especially when they insist that roomtemp is a breeding ground for bacteria. I was just being too literal about the video and it did confuse me.
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Nynana
Member
05-31-2005
| Saturday, October 08, 2005 - 12:38 pm
Hi Mame, We do a 20 pound bird for Thanksgiving and I use the fridge thawing until the day before, then I put it in the sink with cold water, changing water and flipping turkey every 45 minutes or so. I do this for 6-8 hours, then put back in roasting pan and back in fridge until I am ready to stuff and put in the oven the next morning.
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Mameblanche
Member
04-13-2005
| Monday, October 10, 2005 - 10:24 pm
Thanks Nynana... Good news dinner was a flaming success! The best part was I wasn't allowed in the kitchen. And it was so yummy! Altho I was sick to my stomach a few days ago, I was fine today. The worst part is that I spent over 3 hours (and counting!) cleaning up. I still have atleast 2 more loads of dishes. And I rinse everything by hand.
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Craven
Member
05-23-2004
| Monday, November 21, 2005 - 6:23 pm
One of the best places to thaw a large turkey is in a clean bucket in the bathtub. No hard lifting up to the sink, easy to change the water out and easy cleanup. Always, always, always use cold water, change the water every 2 to 3 hours and thaw the bird still in the original wrapper unopened. Your Turkey will be thawed in no time. Craven 
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