If you buy a frozen turkey, it will take 3 DAYS to defrost it!

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Learned this the hard way last year. You must defrost in the refrigerator or you risk bacterial growth.

[clyrc]

1. I had this discussion with my husband last night

I wanted to get the turkey last night so I could thaw it, but he said his mother always thawed the turkey outside of the fridge, and no one has died of food poisoning yet. Which is true, but still. We ended up getting the turkey anyway because a friend called needing to see him and he dropped me off to shop while he was visiting her. We fight about things like this a lot, because I'm a buy early and have it taken care of kind of person, and he's gravely offended by this. So usually I'm nervous and biting my nails wanting to get things done because my conscience nags at me til it's done, until it gets too much and I say J., we need to get this done, and he says no, it's too early, so I either do it myself without telling him or argue with him a while to make him see my point. Which is irritating. I thought I ws being smart , wanting a partnership marriage instead of the kind like my parent's, where my mom got everything her way, buy now I'm thinking, hmmm, I'm more like my dad and maybe I needed someone a little more willing to seeing my point in any disagreement.

But, regardless, the turkey is bought and thawing in the fridge, and now I can worry myself sick over other things like how well this meal will turn out. I'm having over a family who haven't tasted Thanksgiving food before, and of course I'm nervous. Not the least because a nasty stomach virus is making the rounds and one family memeber already has symptoms. I'm afraid he has the virus, which he will pass to me Wednesday morning when I start serious cooking. But maybe it won't happen.

[China_cat]

2. Your husband sounds like mine

who has the idea that if a bill is due on the 1st and you have 10 days grace period that the 10th is the day it should go in the mail. Who puts off getting things repaired until the warranty expires. Who took 15 YEARS after buying it to put up a tub surround in the bathroom. Who still hasn't installed the garbage disposal we bought in Dec. 1999.

Who is so laid back that if he were any calmer he'd be in a coma and sometimes you wish it WAS that way.

[MissMillie]

3. actually you don't HAVE to defrost in the fridge

as long as you cook the bird all the way through.

If you defrost out of the fridge, you'd be best to cook your stuffing in a separate dish.

[bleedingheart]

4. you can defrost it in cold water in your sink...there are instructions

on how to do this on most turkey wrappers...

I have done it that way in a bind and no one has died yet.

[eyesroll]

5. A cooler is a good place for defrosting, too.

Just change the water frequently.

[bleedingheart]

6. I have a deep sink...so I can easily keep an eye on it and then

keep replenishing the cold water...

but normally I am better prepared and I defrost in my spare refrigerator

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7. That method is still not 100% safe, but if it's a raw turkey and you're

going to bake it, it will kill off any bacteria, though if it's a frozen, pre-cooked turkey the water bath method may be unsafe, since bacteria may grow and they won't be killed off by long baking.