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Original poster

URGENT help-turkey related

27 replies

rhuhbarb4 · 23/12/2016 19:24

So most years I buy a fresh turkey which is picked up on Christmas Eve and put into the fridge ready for cooking the following morning however as I'm feeding a small army of guests I couldn't justify the cost of a fresh turkey big enough to feed them all. Instead I bought a frozen turkey at a fraction of the price.

I have just looked up my cooking times for so called turkeyou and also defrost times (as I have never defrosted something this big) and everywhere is saying that it should be defrosted in the fridge for 3-4 hours per kg. Well I have never defrosted in the fridge as we usually have fresh food. But I have now missed my deadline for defrosting the turkey in the fridge as it should have been in there early hours of the morning.

I stupidly thought that turkey could just be left out in the kitchen from tomorrow morning but everywhere I have looked has said that the turkey cannot be defrosted in temperatures higher than 20° as there is a risk of salmonella and I have nowhere else cooler that I could leave it.

So what do I do? The turkey weighs 10.20kg.

Thanks all

OP posts:
MrsHathaway · 23/12/2016 19:26

Garage?

Original poster
rhuhbarb4 · 23/12/2016 19:28

I thought garage too but our garage is external and absolutely freezing do I didn't know if it would defrost in time. The turkey has got to be in the oven for 6:30 christmas morning if it is to be cooked for dinner at 1:00.

OP posts:
MrsHathaway · 23/12/2016 19:28

Loft?

This year it's mild. Sealable box in the garden shed?

MrsHathaway · 23/12/2016 19:28

How freezing is freezing? Warmer than the inside of your fridge, I bet.

fabulousathome · 23/12/2016 19:30

A fridge is at 5 degrees C if that helps.

HemanOrSheRa · 23/12/2016 19:30

I'd put it in the garage or boot of the car.

Mondrian · 23/12/2016 19:30

Start off with defrosting it in fridge as long as you can and then transfer to a bucket of chilled water & cover with cling film. Make sure it remains chilled throughout by adding a few cubes of ice. This should speed up the process without harm.

LaCerbiatta · 23/12/2016 19:31

Car boot?

Original poster
rhuhbarb4 · 23/12/2016 19:31

Yeah I suppose it is okay in the garage or the loft actually I guess if it's not defrosted I'll have to push dinner back a bit. I can't believe I did this and didn't check earlier.

OP posts:
TheMortificadosDragon · 23/12/2016 19:32

Wouldn't it work if you partially defrosted it at room temp and then in the fridge. So long as it still feels cool outside, the frozen middle will be keeping the outside chilled. Or perhaps wrap well in plastic and immerse in sink of cold water to start the thawing.

Original poster
rhuhbarb4 · 23/12/2016 19:34

I did think about cold water but I also read that you need to change the water every 45 minutes not sure why though? Does anyone have any experience of defrosting in water?

OP posts:
HallowedMimic · 23/12/2016 19:35

We've always defrosted ours in an unheated bedroom. It's too big for the fridge.

No o e has ever been sick.

Original poster
rhuhbarb4 · 23/12/2016 19:41

I am now trying to find defrost times for something warmer than a fridge but colder than the general household and I can't find anything. I think I might get the turkey out early tomorrow morning and then leave it on the garage and check later in the evening does this sound okay?

OP posts:
smellyboot · 23/12/2016 19:46

id just defrost in a cool room. Our kitchen is quite cool over night etc.
Just dont warm it up for hours as thats when bacteria breed. As previous person said, the fact that its fozen in the middle will keep the whole thing cool ! Even if bacteria do breed a bit, as long as you cook it properly it will be fine - that kills the bacteria. Proper cooking is vital

FourKidsNotCrazyYet · 23/12/2016 19:46

Mines been out all day today but I put it in the oven (I have a husky and he can reach everywhere). The confines of the oven keep it cold and it's barely even soft on the outside. I'll leave it in there tonight and put it in the fridge for tomorrow.

HemanOrSheRa · 23/12/2016 19:49

I'd take it out tonight OP. Leave it in the garage overnight and check it in the morning. I can sense your panic! It'll be fine.

WellErrr · 23/12/2016 19:50

Oh SHIT I'm so glad I saw this thread!!

When baby gets off the boob I'm going to get the turkey out, if I put it in an unheated room at night and garage during the day will that be ok????

smellyboot · 23/12/2016 19:53

it will be fine!!! The issues arise when people put turkeys in the oven that are defrosted on outside but frozen in the middle and the middle never gets cooked properly. A lot of people defrost in a cold oven as stops cats and other pets getting at them hahaha

booellesmum · 23/12/2016 19:57

I would just leave it in my utility to defrost. If I put anything in the fridge to defrost it takes days. I defrost chickens regularly by leaving them out in the kitchen overnight. We have never had food poisoning. As long as it's cooked properly it'll be fine.
I am paranoid however about raw chicken. Never wash it and never let it touch any work surface. If I have to cut chicken up I do it over the pan with scissors so it doesn't have to even touch a chopping board!

EdithWeston · 23/12/2016 19:57

Useful site for defrosting and cooking times for turkeys and turkey crowns:

www.britishturkey.co.uk/cooking/cooking-calculators.html

Original poster
rhuhbarb4 · 23/12/2016 19:58

wellerrr So glad i have reminded you and I'm not the only one to have forgot about the turkey.

The oven sounds like a perfect option but I will be needing the use the oven tomorrow to cook yule log. Would it be okay to leave in oven until tomorrow afternoon and then on countertop until 6:30 christmas day. I unfortunately don't have any fury friends that could get to it.

OP posts:
pklme · 23/12/2016 20:00

It will be fine on the side, or in water. The water changing is to speed up the defrost. Put it in water, it will be cold enough. If it's still frozen tomorrow night, take it out of the water overnight. It should be room temperature before you cook it anyway.
As it starts to defrost, waggle the legs and remove the giblets packs. They are where the ice can stay, sometimes.

SheSaidNoFuckThat · 23/12/2016 20:01

Mines thawing on the kitchen worktop! Nowhere else to put it, kitchen isn't warm

Original poster
rhuhbarb4 · 23/12/2016 20:03

Oh even forgot about the giblets pack next year I will buy a trusted fresh one I know what I'm doing with them!

OP posts:
AmyAmoeba · 23/12/2016 20:04

Just be sure and check the inside of the turkey, I mean literally putting your hand inside and feeling about. 2013 was the Year of the Still Frozen Feckin Turkey in my house. There were lumps of ice inside the cavity on Christmas morning that I had to pull out and I had to run cold water into the cavity to defrost it in a hurry. It was a bit of a nightmare but in the end dinner was an hour and a half later than planned, no one died and the kitchen got an extra thorough cleaning.
I'm guessing that by pulling out the lumps of ice from inside the cavity and getting water inside the bird, it was defrosting from the inside out, so that was a lot faster than just leaving it sitting in the fridge.
The timings you've read are like a worst case scenario so don't worry the process can be safely speeded up.

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