It’s Day 10 of Toni’s 12 Days of Thanksgiving, and it’s time to thaw your frozen turkey. According to the USDA, the safest method of defrosting a turkey is in the refrigerator to keep any bacteria that was present before being flash-frozen is kept at a safe temperature. Thawing in cold water is also safe, but requires more attention and care.
Thawing A Frozen Turkey In The Refrigerator
For thawing in the refrigerator, you want to allow 24 hours of thawing time for every 4-5 pounds of turkey. That means that a 15 pound turkey will need four days of thawing in the refrigerator, and a completely thawed turkey can remain in the refrigerator for no more than 2 days.
Thawing A Frozen Turkey In Cold Water
For thawing in cold water, you want to allow 30 minutes per pound of turkey. So a 15 pound turkey can thaw in a day. However, the water must be changed every 30 minutes until the turkey is thawed and must be cooked immediately after thawing. The turkey must also be kept in the leak-proof plastic bag to prevent absorbing any of the water and to prevent cross-contamination.
To learn more about thawing frozen turkeys and other ways to prevent food contamination, check out the USDA Fact Sheets.
Onions and Celery… and Cranberries!
It’s choppy-chop time. Chopping onions and celery for stuffing can be time consuming and messy. So, getting this task done and out of the way a few days in advance will same some time and headache on Thanksgiving Day.
Since we’re including cranberries in our stuffing this year, we can go ahead and chop those up as well.
I use a food processor to chop onions and celery, but chop my cranberries by hand. I combine them all together in a airtight food storage container or zip-top baggie.
Toni’s 12 Days of Thanksgiving
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There’s nothing better than homemade mashed potatoes. What’s even better is the fact you can make them ahead and warm on Thanksgiving Day. I have a slow cooker duo where I can heat and keep warm mashed potatoes and gravy.
Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:
Potatoes- 5-6 pounds (that’s 1/2 pound of raw potatoes per person, so 5-6 pounds will feed 10-12 people)
Buttermilk- 2 cups
Salt- 3 tablespoons
Directions:
Peel potatoes and slice into large chunks
Boil potatoes until tender
Drain water
Add buttermilk and salt; mash with a potato masher or whip with electric mixer (if too dry, add more buttermilk)
Homemade Turkey Pan Gravy
You can make the gravy base ahead of time so that homemade turkey pan gravy is a cinch on Thanksgiving Day.
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