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I'm going to thaw the family turkey in water tonite and my wife says I need to keep it in it's plastic wrap so that is does not take on any more water, I say not.. Who is right..
I'd say unless your brinin..... she is. Butterball suggests thawing in cold water in package breast side down changing water every 30 minutes. Estimate 30 minutes per pound thawing time minimum.
If you have a grocery store bird, they are generally already injected with 10 % solution so they aren't gonna take any more, in fact, probably lose some. No worries, either way is OK.
If you are thawing in standing water, the USDA recommends that you leave it in the bag to prevent any outside bacteria from entering with the tap water. Good luck
If there is bacteria in your water you have bigger problems then thawing out the turkey!
I have yet to see one of those bags that doesn't have a hole in it.
I kinda doubt they are referring to bacteria coming directly from the water. Most turkeys have a solution that kinda seeps out, if you had a leak in the turky bag, you would know it, at least when it's thawed... Would be kindo of messy selling fresh turkeys now wouldn't it?
Straight from the USDA website... "Turkey may be defrosted in cold water in its airtight packaging or in a leak-proof bag. Submerge the bird or cut-up parts in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes."
"Here’s how you do it. First, don't take the turkey out of its heavy plastic wrapping. Check for any tears in the bag, and if you see any, place the wrapped turkey inside a leak-proof plastic bag. You don’t want to get water inside the wrapping or bag because that could introduce bacteria from the environment. Also, meat tissues can absorb water like a sponge, resulting in a watery turkey."
I'm sure they are talking about bacteria from tap water....There is plenty in it. You are not even supposed to rinse off or wash your meat when prepping for cooking due to bacteria in water. I really don't worry about it but that's what THEY say.
Thats gross. lol... My tap water has lot's of minerals in it and it is very hard. I always buy bottled gallon water for brining, now I have another reason to keep doing so..
Thanks for everyones advice, for the sake of causing a bigger family rif I let the wife thaw it like she wanted. I even let her stay up and change the water every 30 minutes, hows that for fighten fair
If you are going to thaw a bird out in water outside the bag use running water, it's faster. If you aren't pressed for time leave it in the original packaging and put it in water - change the water. Of course it's best to start with plenty of time and thaw it in the fridge the right way.