[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Qiviut. I have been hearing repeated warnings since last Friday to get frozen Turkeys thawing in the refrigerator or miss thanksgiving! That and warnings that under no circumstance should you try to thaw/cook a partially frozen bird in a deep fryer unless you want an explosive accident and a trip to the emergency room and possibly some expensive skin grafts!

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I have cooked thanksgiving dinner in the past. Here is something I just read from noted poultry rancher Martha Steward about covering your turkey with cheesecloth soaked in butter and white wine when you roast. (Since my Daughter has decided she wants to sponsor thanksgiving I do not know if I will be cooking thanksgiving dinner again. I will try this if I do!)

https://www.marthastewart.com/353184/perfect-roast-turkey

" Why Use Cheesecloth on a Turkey?

"Cheesecloth is both absorbent and porous, making it the ideal material to hold in moisture and keep the basting liquid in constant contact with the turkey. The cheesecloth shields the skin from the direct heat of the oven so it doesn’t brown faster than the meat cooks, but unlike foil, cheesecloth allows evaporation and air circulation so the turkey roasts rather than steaming. "

You remove the cheesecloth the last 30 minutes to allow browning.

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Published on January 22, 2025 Martha Just Added 5 New Chickens to Her Flock—See the Beautiful Birds Here

[Qiviut]

My turkey should take 5 days to thaw, but to hopefully be on the safe side, I allowed 7 - it has been out of the freezer & in the fridge since Thursday. We have 2 refrigerators, one for mom & one for me. My fridge is about 5° colder, so this morning, I moved the bird to mom’s fridge.

If it’s still not thawed enough by Wednesday, I’ll go to the ‘cold water’ method:

https://cfaes.osu.edu/features/three-ways-safely-thaw-turkey

[Qiviut]

PS - no deep frying the turkey at my house!

[Liz]

...........under no circumstance should you try to thaw/cook a partially
frozen bird in a deep fryer unless you want expensive skin grafts!.............

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And the likelihood of burning down your house.

[Liz]

Martha Stewart roasts her turkey with butter/wine soaked cheesecloth.

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That looked good........but my Glazed Turkey recipe could be worth a try.