Thawing Your Turkey is a Must!

It's time to thaw that turkey! I thought I would make sure you don't make the same mistake I have ( a few times!).

You have so much going on this week; getting a week's worth of work done in 3 days, shopping, cleaning. Something is bound to slip you mind!

It's probably going to be the turkey. So here's your reminder and a few tips on thawing it.

Thawing at room temperature is not a good idea. First of all, it would take at least a day. bacteria would have a party on that bird after 2 hours. Yuck!

Microwaving is ok, but part of the turkey will get cooked and be a bit tough when eaten. Who wants tough turkey?

Then there is thawing in cold water. It's what many people do. the pain in the butt part is changing the water every half hour. Considering how long it could take to thaw that birdie, this is tedious.

Here are the thaw times for cold water:

• 8 to 12 pounds...........4 to 6 hours
• 12 to 16 pounds...........6 to 8 hours
• 16 to 20 pounds.........8 to 10 hours
• 20 to 24 pounds.......10 to 12 hours

The best way to take care of this task is the refrigerator thaw. It takes longer, but you don't have to touch anything until the job is complete.

Times for this method are:

• 8 to 12 pounds..........1 to 2 days
• 12 to 16 pounds..........2 to 3 days
• 16 to 20 pounds..........3 to 4 days
• 20 to 24 pounds..........4 to 5 days

My mistake the few times I cooked a frozen bird was impatience!
Hey, I had better things to do. Like setting the table. The irony is; now that I know how to do this right, I never get to host Thanksgiving Dinner.

The USDA has more guidelines on their website.

Leave me a drumstick!