Re: How far ahead do you thaw your turkey?

sunshine45 · ‎03-09-2010

take it out tonight....

how can you ""start"" it on tuesday afternoon and finish/ serve it on wednesday though?

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"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." - Albert Einstein

GCR18 · ‎07-03-2013

For thanksgiving I had a 12lb Turkey. I put it in the fridge Sunday 9pm and took it out to cook Thursday 9am. It had a tiny bit of ice. 6 days sounds reasonable.

KYToby · ‎02-19-2012

The rule of thumb is one day for every four pounds. Also, take out of the fridge at least two hours before going into the oven. Room temperature meat cooks more evenly.

bikerbabe · ‎03-09-2010

I wish I could figure out how to quote on a tablet. Anyway, I'm also curious how you plan to start the turkey on Tuesday and finish it on Wednesday? Maybe you meant start the side dishes on Tuesday and cook the turkey Wednesday?

ShowMe · ‎09-06-2010

I would never ever bake a turkey that big....... It is much smarter to do two (2) smaller ones...... That way you can be sure they are nice and done, and not dried out, and you will have some left over for sandwiches, or whatever....... I prefer Butterball turkeys over any other brand. They are always nice and moist......

But since you already have a 21 pounder, you better calculate with a calculator as to how long it is going to take to bake. I suggest you not put any stuffing in that bird, because it would take much longer than you anticipate it would take.....

There is nothing worse than serving turkey that is not done.......you will have a lot of leftover turkey on your hands. But then, you could always make turkey soup......lol.......

sophiamarie · ‎08-08-2013

On 12/19/2014 sophiamarie said:
You don't have to thaw a turkey. You can roast it frozen or partially frozen. You can google it and find many, many sites to choose from.

http://blog.williams-sonoma.com/yes-you-can-roast-a-frozen-turkey/

Sometimes I wonder if it's all worth it....... ${#emotions_dlg.rolleyes}$ ${#emotions_dlg.rolleyes}$

Shorty2U · ‎03-09-2010

Youre welcome BetteB.

And thank you everyone! I appreciate it.

I am going to have my husband put it in the fridge in the morning since he gets up at 4AM. (I literally cant lift over a gallon jug of milk so he will be lifting the turkey!).

I will keep checking it till Monday. If I see its not thawing I will do the water thing to finish thawing it I guess.

Why is it frozen not fresh? Because we got the frozen turkey from my husbands job (they give them out every Christmas but we usually give ours away, but this time we kept it).

Why I said it was 21 lbs is, his friend weighed his and said that (Since you all sound like that's really heavy maybe its a bit lighter and his friend was mistaken? but just looking at it, it is BIG).

About cooking it Tues and Wed----We put the turkey in a turkey bag and then a roasting pan. (It saves all the juices being in the bag and the turkey is never dry). Then it goes in the oven and I cook it in the oven until its all but finished (Tuesday). PS. I do not stuff the turkey. I make my own stuffing on top of the stove.

Anyway then I let it cool down, then it gets put in the refrigerator. Then Wed morning we get it out and put in the oven and finish it. (Thus our dinner is at 1 PM)

(My friend gave me this idea with the bag years ago to keep the turkey moist).

I also do this (except theres no bag) with our pork roast and sauerkraut on New Years Day. (Cook most of it the night before, let it cool, refrigerate it, and finish it the next day).

Anyway, getting back to the turkey. When I did make the turkeys yrs back, I received many compliments and people said my turkey is so good. Because people said every time they eat other peoples turkey (specifically white meat) its always dry. So I have recommended the bag to many. Trust me, it wont be undercooked or overcooked. It will be good (once I get past the thawing..lol).

PS I will send most of the leftovers with my children.

And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make~ The Beatles

fourpawsforme · ‎02-23-2013

I was suppose to thaw it???

qualitygal · ‎10-04-2010

In the frig, for every 5 lbs. it gets a day (sometimes and extra day) to thaw out.

muttmom · ‎11-28-2012

There is no way you have time to thaw it in the fridge. It will take all day Monday to thaw it in cold water.

You partially cook the turkey one day then finish it the next? Where do you keep it after you take the partially cooked turkey out of the oven? You waste a lot of time, bringing the partially cooked turkey back to room temperature before finishing the process.