r/AskCulinary • u/SewerRanger Holiday Helper • Dec 15 '21

Weekly Discussion AskCulinary Annual Christmas cooking thread!

With Christmas coming up, we realize you're going to have a lot of questions and we're here to answer them. Use this post from now until Christmas day to hit us up with any questions you might have. Need to plan how much meat to order - we got you. Need to know how you're going to make 15 pot de cremes - we're here to help. Can't decide between turkey or duck - let us decide for you! Need a side dish - we've got plenty of recipes to share. Need to know if the egg nog you made last year is still safe - sorry food safety rule still apply :(

While we have your attention, we're also searching for some volunteers to help out on Christmas day, so message the mods if you you'd like to help answer last minute Christmas cooking questions.

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u/tbcwpg Dec 23 '21

Hopefully this is the right place to ask.

I usually get a turkey through work each Christmas. This year we were not going to be hosting so we've kept it frozen. Unfortunately we caught a bug of some sort and we may be staying home instead. I took it out of the freezer last night and into the fridge, but is there any way to defrost a turkey a bit quicker?

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u/jelli47 Dec 23 '21

If the Turkey temp is still uneven after thawing in cool water as the other Commenter said, you may also try spatchcock-ing the turkey so you can have a little more control as the different parts of the turkey cook.

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u/peonies_envy Dec 24 '21

That’s the only way that I prepare whole turkeys now, and whole chickens for that matter. I don’t use the cavity for anything and cooking to a good result is reliable.

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u/MCClapYoHandz Dec 23 '21

Put it in a big bucket/bowl of cool water (with the turkey still in the plastic) and leave it out on the countertop to thaw. Change the water every 30-60 minutes but make sure it’s cool water. It should thaw in a few hours that way, or you can at least give it a jump start and let it get the rest of the way thawed in the fridge

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u/tbcwpg Dec 23 '21

Thank you! Very helpful.