There are 3 ways to safely thaw meat.
Can i thaw a turkey at room temperature.
If the turkey is fresh leave it in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook it.
In the refrigerator it will.
The temperature danger zone which is defined as the temperature range between which most bacteria grow and reproduce is 40 to 140 degrees fahrenheit.
So you need to change the water about every half hour in order to maintain the water temperature and not allow warmer water to become a breeding ground for salmonella.
Under either of those methods the outer layer of the turkey can sit between the bacteria breeding temperatures of 40 f and 140 f for far too long to be safe.
Don t thaw at room temperature thawing a frozen turkey on the kitchen counter or the dining room table or in any other room of your house is a huge no no.
This is why room temperature isn t a good choice for thawing.
Thawing a turkey on the counter overnight at room temperature is not recommended by the usda or us your friendly test kitchen helpers.
Frozen turkeys should never be thawed on the counter and should not be left out at room temperature for more than two hours according to the united states department of agriculture usda.
If you are defrosting your turkey in.
Can you cook a frozen turkey.
Department of agriculture and their extension types insist it is never ok to thaw turkey at room temperature.
If the turkey is frozen there are safe ways to thaw it.
As soon as a frozen turkey begins to thaw bacteria that may.
If defrosting it at room temperature allow approximately two hours per kilogram.
The temperature that many germs grow in is around room temperature.
The water must remain at 40 degrees or colder the whole time and it needs 30 minutes of thaw time per pound of turkey.
Larger items will take longer to thaw in the refrigerator so plan accordingly.
How long can you leave a turkey at room temperature.
We say it s ok for people to do what they are already doing thawing turkey on the counter and people freak out.
You should cool your turkey to room temperature for a while before putting it in the fridge.
Besides the fact that it is let us say unseemly to defrost a thanksgiving turkey in some random bedroom to say nothing of the bathroom thawing a turkey at room temperature is a terrible practice.
However your turkey can be defrosted in the garage or at room temperature.
You should never thaw a frozen turkey on the counter at room temperature or in hot water.
Put the leak proof package of meat in the refrigerator a day or two before you are ready to cook it.