With winter approaching, it’s typical for fresh product availability to wane and force many outlets to bring in frozen product. Even though we cover thawing frozen product at length in our online and instructor led food safety certification MN courses, we thought it might be a good idea to provide a quick review on the subject.
Proper Thawing Procedures
Before we begin our discussion, we’d like to share with you an actual question that was once used in some states’ food handler’s permit tests:
Where is the proper place to thaw an 18-pound frozen turkey?
A. On a counter
B. In your refrigerator
C. In the oven
D. In the trunk of your car
If you chose D, then this blog is for you. The proper answer to this question is in the refrigerator. Cooking a large, frozen turkey is sure to create a bacteria hazard or an overcooked and inedible bird, and there is no way to safely thaw a turkey on a counter at room temperature.
The
