10 March 2010 [Wednesday] @ March 10, 2010 edit
Did I just ruin the turkey?
  • I've had a frozen 21 pound turkey since Sunday evening. Let it in the refrigerator until today at about noon. Put it in a sink with cold water and turned it and changed the water every hour until 6:00 pm. I unwrapped and it was still frozen on the inside and could move the legs slightly. I wrapped it back up and put it back in the refrigerator. Will it keep there until Thursday? What I've been reading says I must cook it immediately. Is it ruined?


  • Yah..it should be fine. Just be very careful about the internal temperature while you cook it...use a good thermometer inside to make sure its fully cooked throughout.

    Sounds yummy....


  • as long as it's still icy if not internally frozen, it's ok. just keep it friged and it will be fine on Thursday.

    Keep doin' good

    'Don't know how you are going to cook it, but if you brine it, it will also help you out:

    Good Eats Roast Turkey

    Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

    Show: Good EatsEpisode: Romancing the Bird (A Good Eats Thanksgiving)


    Ingredients

    * 1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey

    For the brine:

    * 1 cup kosher salt
    * 1/2 cup light brown sugar
    * 1 gallon vegetable stock
    * 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
    * 1/2 tablespoon allspice berries
    * 1/2 tablespoon candied ginger
    * 1 gallon iced water

    For the aromatics:

    * 1 red apple, sliced
    * 1/2 onion, sliced
    * 1 cinnamon stick
    * 1 cup water
    * 4 sprigs rosemary
    * 6 leaves sage
    * Canola oil

    Directions

    Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stockpot, and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

    Early on the day of cooking, (or late the night before) combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5-gallon bucket. Place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area (like a basement) for 6 hours. Turn turkey over once, half way through brining.

    A few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500 degrees. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes.

    Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine.

    Place bird on roasting rack inside wide, low pan and pat dry with paper towels. Add steeped aromatics to cavity along with rosemary and sage. Tuck back wings and coat whole bird liberally with canola (or other neutral) oil.

    Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil, insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing temperature to 350 degrees F. Set thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.


  • It'll be fine. The danger zone---that is, the temperature range where bacterial growth is rapid---is from 40-140 degrees F. You're turkey didn't even come close.

    For future reference, a frozen turkey takes about three days to thaw completely in the fridge. So you just pulled it a little early.


  • It's not at all ruined, but try to pull that package of giblets out if there is one inside. Then wrap and store all of it in the fridge until you are ready to cook it.


  • I would say it is fine...I wouldn't mess with it anymore though, just leave it in the fridge. It would be ideal to keep it covered though. For future reference, rule of thumb: 2-3 days out of freezer before prep. Depending on the weight. 10-12 hrs before it goes to oven check to make sure it is not still frozen. You really don't need to keep turning it every hour. Just sit your Birdie in the sink half full of water and let him marinate. Cool water, hot water may cause bad germs to spread before it's cooked.


  • Just keep in the fridge covered and you should be fine.

    Also, when you clean the turkey... look for the giblets.

    Look in the body cavity (from the back of the turkey), but MORE IMPORTANTLY look under the neck flap (the piece of skin up front)... some processors put stuff there too...

    The last thing you want to find a raw bag of giblets when you think you're finished roasting a beautiful turkey.







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