Can You Defrost a Turkey in the Microwave
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With a little training, information technology's piece of cake to defrost a turkey for a special meal. If y'all have plenty of time and don't want to blitz, plan on defrosting the turkey in the fridge. Don't worry if you don't have space in the fridge; you can also defrost a turkey in the sink. Fill the sink with cold water and alter it every 30 minutes until the turkey's defrosted. Alternatively, microwave the turkey for 1 to 2 hours until it's defrosted.
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i
Remove the turkey from the freezer and put information technology on a platter. Leave the turkey in the packaging and put it directly onto a large platter or a tray. Ensure that the turkey is positioned so the breasts are upward.[1]
- Choose a platter with slightly raised edges or a rimmed tray. This volition forbid whatsoever juice that could leak out of the bundle from dripping in your refrigerator.
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two
Thaw the turkey for 1 day per 4 pounds (ane.8 kg). Check the turkey'southward weight so you lot know how long information technology will need to defrost and move the shelves in your refrigerator so you can put the turkey on the bottom shelf. Programme on defrosting the turkey for:[2]
- 1 to 3 days if it'south 4 to 12 pounds (1.8 to 5.4 kg)
- 3 to 4 days if it's 12 to 16 pounds (5.4 to vii.3 kg)
- 4 to 5 days if it's xvi to 20 pounds (7.3 to 9.i kg)
- five to half dozen days if it's twenty to 24 pounds (9.1 to 10.9 kg)
Tip: In order to prevent harmful bacteria from growing, use a refrigerator thermometer to ensure that the fridge is set at 40 °F (iv °C) or lower.
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Cook the defrosted turkey within two days of completely thawing it. Different other thawing methods, you don't need to immediately cook the turkey as soon as it's thawed. In fact, if y'all change your mind about cooking a turkey just you've already defrosted it, yous can put it back into the freezer.[iii]
- If you lot choose to put the turkey dorsum into the freezer, the meat may not be as tender when you exercise cull to cook information technology.
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Unwrap the turkey and put it into a big sealable bag. Discard the packaging that the turkey came in and put the turkey into a leak-proof pocketbook. This will prevent turkey juices from leaking out and water from soaking into the turkey.[4]
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2
Put the turkey into a sink and fill up it with common cold tap water. Put the plug in the sink and place the wrapped turkey into it. Then, fill the sink with cold water and then that almost all of the turkey is covered.[5]
Variation: If you don't take a sink that'southward large enough to hold the turkey, put the turkey into an insulated libation and make full it with water.
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3
Thaw the turkey for 1 60 minutes per ii pounds (0.91 kg). Check the turkey package to run across how much it weighs. Since it takes about 30 minutes to defrost 1 pound (450 g) of turkey, you lot'll demand between 2 to 12 hours. Defrost the turkey for:[6]
- 2 to 6 hours if it'south 4 to 12 pounds (ane.eight to five.4 kg)
- 6 to viii hours if it's 12 to 16 pounds (5.4 to 7.iii kg)
- eight to 10 hours if it's 16 to 20 pounds (seven.3 to nine.1 kg)
- 10 to 12 hours if information technology's twenty to 24 pounds (9.1 to 10.9 kg)
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Change the water every 30 minutes until the turkey is defrosted. To prevent the water from condign too warm, drain the sink and refill it with cold water every xxx minutes. Proceed doing this until the turkey is completely defrosted.[seven]
- Remember that y'all tin can easily unwrap the turkey and experience inside the crenel to check if information technology'southward defrosted.
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5
Cook the defrosted turkey immediately. Equally before long as you lot recollect the turkey is defrosted, transfer the turkey to a roasting pan and season it every bit you like. Put the turkey into a preheated oven and cook it right away.[8]
- Since y'all've been raising the temperature of the turkey, it'southward of import to cook it equally soon as you've defrosted it so information technology doesn't grow harmful bacteria.
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Read your owner'due south manual to decide if the turkey will fit. Your owner'southward transmission will tell you what size turkey volition fit in the microwave. For case, the transmission might say that you lot can safely thaw a turkey that'south upward to fifteen pounds (half-dozen.8 kg). If your turkey weighs more than what the manual recommends, cull a dissimilar defrosting method.[9]
- Check the size of your microwave to determine if the turkey will fit.
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2
Unwrap the turkey and put information technology on a microwave-safe plate. Discard all of the packaging and remove whatsoever metal that might be wrapping the legs together. Then set the turkey on a large microwave-rubber plate.[x]
- Ensure that the plate will fit inside your microwave.
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Defrost the turkey for 6 minutes per one pound (0.45 kg). Put the turkey into the microwave and utilise the defrost feature. Enter the turkey'south weight and start the microwave. Defrosting should accept nigh 6 minutes for each 1 pound (450 chiliad) of turkey.[eleven]
- If your turkey is over 15 pounds (6.8 kg), you may want to plough information technology over once or twice as it defrosts. This will assistance it thaw evenly.
Did You Know? A 12 lb (5.4 kg) turkey will take about one hour and xv minutes to defrost, while a 22 lb (10.0 kg) turkey volition take around ii hours and 10 minutes.
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Remove the turkey and cook it immediately. Since a microwave will thaw the turkey unevenly, some parts of the turkey might begin to cook. To prevent bacteria from growing, plan on cooking the turkey every bit presently equally information technology's finished defrosting in the microwave.[12]
- Consider preheating your oven during the last xx minutes the turkey is defrosting. This mode y'all can immediately transfer the turkey to a roasting pan and put it into the hot oven.
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Add together New Question
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Question
Can I safely thaw a frozen turkey in a cooler for four-half-dozen days?
Y'all would have to constantly keep ice-packs in there, rotating them in and out, which sort of negates the whole bespeak. Information technology is less-than-ideal, but yes you could. I defrosted a turkey on a road-trip once. It was an eight hour drive and I kept ice packs in in that location.
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Question
Is it safe to employ hot h2o to defrost meat?
No. If y'all use hot water instead of cold water, you run the risk of defrosting the exterior of the meat and bringing it to room temperature much faster than the inside of the meat, so the exterior could spoil while the within is still defrosting. You should defrost meat in common cold h2o.
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Question
Can I defrost on height of the counter?
If you mean only leaving it on the counter afterwards pulling it straight from the freezer, no. The bacteria will grow faster, causing y'all to become sick when you attempt to consume it after cooking.
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Question
If I left my turkey breast out to thaw all night, can I yet melt it?
If the turkey was non refrigerated at all during the dark, then no, you should non eat the turkey every bit it has likely spoiled.
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Question
Can I defrost my turkey in the microwave?
Yep. Unwrap the turkey and put it on a microwave-safe plate. Then employ the defrost characteristic and program it by how much your turkey weighs. This should accept about 6 minutes for each pound. Flip the turkey over in one case or twice as it defrosts so information technology thaws evenly.
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Question
Can I defrost a large turkey in the refrigerator for three days and put information technology in cold water if it still isn't all the way thawed?
Yes but go straight from refrigerator to submerged in cold water. Modify the h2o every xxx minutes till thawed, then immediately clean and cook.
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VideoRead Video Transcript
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If you're defrosting a turkey to cook on Thanksgiving, consider putting it into the refrigerator the Fri before the holiday.
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You can cook a frozen turkey, although it will take almost l% longer to cook. Remember to reach within the turkey's cavity after it's cooked for a while and so you can remove the giblets. It's also important to melt the turkey until it reaches 165 °F (74 °C) with an instant-read meat thermometer.[xiii]
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Never set a frozen turkey on the counter to defrost at room temperature. The meat on the exterior will warm upwardly faster than the meat in the heart, which could cause harmful bacteria to grow.
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Things You'll Need
- Large platter or tray
- Refrigerator
- Big sealable bag
- Microwave
- Microwave-prophylactic plate
About This Article
Commodity Summary 10
To defrost a turkey, get-go movement it from the freezer to the refrigerator several days before you program on cooking it. Let it thaw in the fridge for 24 hours for every v pounds (2 ½ kilograms) of meat. If you lot're in a rush, you can likewise defrost a turkey in 1 day using cold water. Get-go, fill a sink with cold h2o and submerge the turkey in information technology; the turkey should still be in its original packaging. Drain and refill the sink with cold water every 30 minutes. Let the turkey defrost in the sink for 30 minutes for every i pound (½ kilogram) of meat. You tin can also speedily defrost a turkey using a microwave oven. Remove the turkey'southward packaging, and so place the turkey in the microwave. Use the defrost setting for 6 minutes for every 1 pound (½ kilogram) of meat. Make sure y'all rotate and flip the turkey periodically and then it thaws evenly. To acquire how to defrost a turkey in the microwave, scroll downwards!
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