I suppose in a perfect world every Thanksgiving turkey on our tables would be a free-range, locally-raised bird, possibly an heirloom breed, and killed not long before being sold. But we all know the world is far from perfect, and the average American is just as likely to buy a frozen turkey as a fresh one for the holiday meal. It can be a smart decision for a couple reasons.
The most obvious is price. Most frozen turkeys cost well below $2 per pound at this time of year and it’s a rare American supermarket that does not hold promotions to earn a free frozen turkey or to buy one at a rock bottom price. One chain in the Northeast is offering frozen birds for 47 cents per pound — no minimum purchase, no club card needed nor any other strings attached to take advantage of the price. For anyone with adequate freezer space that’s a no-brainer, even if held until December or January.
Another reason, perhaps surprising, is that frozen turkeys can be moister and more tender than fresh. That’s what Cook’s Illustrated discovered when taste-testing turkeys in all price ranges, up to $7+ per pound, not counting shipping for those high-end, mail order birds. Why? To quote CI:
Turkeys may be labeled as “fresh” if they have been chilled to as low as 26 degrees. But at this temperature, tiny ice crystals can form in the meat. If the temperature fluctuates (during storage or transport, at the supermarket, or on the way to your home), these crystals can melt, combine with neighboring crystals, and then refreeze. These irregularly shaped ice crystals will start to poke the cell membranes in the meat, make holes and the cell tissues in the muscles will start to lose their internal contents. Then when they are cooked, those birds will be dry.
So now, if you’ve decided on a frozen turkey, your only other decision is when to begin defrosting it. It should be put in the refrigerator to thaw, never left on a counter. The rule of thumb is to allow at least 5 hours per pound, but that’s barely enough time to defrost a chicken in my fridge. I found this chart at a supermarket several years ago that has served me well, using the upper end of the time range.
Weight Thaw Time
8 – 12 pounds 2 -3 days
12 – 16 pounds 3 – 4 days
16 – 20 pounds 4 – 5 days
20 – 24 pounds 5 – 6 days
If you need more turkey than that, you’re better off with two smaller turkeys than one gigantic bird. Not only are they easier to handle, your cooking time will be several hours shorter. Don’t forget the weight on the label includes the neck and giblets, so adjust accordingly when gauging cooking time.
What if it’s still not completely thawed by Thanksgiving morning? Submerge it in cold water, still wrapped and making sure there are no holes in the wrapping. Change the water every half hour for effective thawing and allow about an hour for every two pounds.
If this is your first Thanksgiving dinner, give yourself an hour now to plan the meal and make a list of what needs to be purchased or done and when. I still use lists, no matter how trivial the tasks might seem. The last thing anyone needs when making a meal this size and potentially stressful is to discover on Thanksgiving morning or the night before that nobody bought the pumpkin for the pie.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I don’ t mind a frozen turkey. But it’s the “enhanced” birds that bother me – the flavoring solution is often too salty.
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They’re too salty for me too, but it seems to be getting more difficult to find un-enhanced birds. Fresh pork is even worse; most of it is “enhanced” and all-natural pork is usually at a premium price. All that injected salt water because people overcook the stuff. Sigh.