Thawing poultry

Appears in
The Complete Book of Home Preserving

By Mary Norwak

Published 1978

  • About
Uncooked poultry must thaw completely before cooking. Thawing in the refrigerator will allow slow, even thawing; thawing at room temperature will be twice as fast but the product will be much less satisfactory. A 4–5lb/2–2.5kg chicken will thaw overnight in a refrigerator and will take 6 hours at room temperature. A turkey weighing 9lb/4.5kg will take 36 hours; as much as 3 days should be allowed for a very large bird. A thawed bird can be stored for up to 24 hours in a refrigerator.