My Thanksgiving Turkey is Still Frozen Solid in the Fridge

[SoDesuKa]

Oh, well. I got it free from the local supermarket on Wednesday evening. I thought I'd have to defrost it overnight, but here it is Friday night, and it's still hard as a rock. It's a 14-pound hen, and it took it out of the fridge yesterday and put it in a big pot filled with water. Then I put the pot back in the fridge. Now the water is frozen solid too.

I Googled how to defrost a turkey, and all the sites agree. It takes 3-5 days sitting on a shelf in the refrigerator. You can defrost it with water, but that takes diligence. You change the water every 30 minutes and be prepared to cook the bird immediately after thawing.

Who knew? This is my second Thanksgiving turkey. Last year I bought a breast which was already thawed and I overcooked it. At the rate I'm going, I'll have a head start on my Christmas turkey.

[csziggy]

1. I saw a recommendation for thawing turkey by running cold water over it

First you keep your turkey in its wrapper and completely submerge in COLD water with water slowly running or just keep changing the water. It basically works by convection (contact with the water, and movement). If you have a deep sink in your laundry room use that it will be perfect. It will take time but if done correctly its faster than any other means.

After missing hubby's family Turkey Day yesterday (had leftover spaghetti for dinner and key lime pie for dessert, so not all bad) I pulled the 13.5 pound turkey I bought a while back from the freezer and put it in the fridge. Hubby has plans for tomorrow night and will work until very late Sunday, so the turkey will be fully thawed by Monday and ready to roast. This also gives me time to get the rest of the meal together - fresh cranberry sauce, mushroom stuffing, gravy, and whichever vegetables I decide to fix.

[Kali]

2. I usually put mine in a cooler on the porch for a couple of days.

figure it is a compromise between the too cold but "safe" refrigerator and the faster/actually defrost, but "unsafe" room temp.

Of course we all have decent immune systems.:rofl:

does your fridge freeze other things like the lettuce or milk? Might try turning it up a notch.