This yr, I took on the large duty of internet hosting Friendsgiving. However between juggling work and prepping for visitors, I made the most important rookie mistake—I forgot to thaw the fowl. So, I did what numerous 20-somethings may do on this scenario: I opened TikTok and looked for recommendation on find out how to defrost a turkey shortly.

The clips, although, appeared slightly…suspect, particularly from a meals security perspective. That made me surprise: What’s the quickest solution to thaw a turkey that gained’t get all of your visitors sick? Right here’s what you need to know if you end up in an identical time crunch.

Some defrosting strategies is perhaps fast, however they’re dangerous.

In case you thaw your meat incorrectly, you improve your possibilities of getting sick from gnarly foodborne sicknesses, because of micro organism like salmonella or Campylobacter in your turkey, Meredith Carothers, MPH, a client schooling specialist at the USA Division of Agriculture (USDA), tells SELF. These bugs, which go dormant when frozen, begin to multiply because the temperature rises. “The hotter your frozen turkey will get, the extra quickly micro organism will develop,” Carothers says.

That’s why it’s not a good suggestion to thaw your fowl in a bath or sink full of heat water, she explains. (The identical goes for simply letting it hang around in your counter.) Positive, it’ll defrost, however you additionally might spoil the turkey. “Finally, [these methods will] place your poultry in unsafe temperatures the place micro organism can multiply,” Carothers says. That’s what’s often called the “hazard zone”—between 40 °F and 140 °F.

Even if you happen to prepare dinner the turkey totally to 165 °F, Carothers says you possibly can nonetheless get sick if you happen to comply with these defrosting strategies. Some germs can produce heat-resistant toxins, so the roasting course of gained’t essentially kill them.

Is there a solution to defrost a turkey shortly and safely?

In a super world, you’d give your self sufficient time to prep your fowl the USDA-sanctioned approach: by defrosting your turkey within the fridge for at some point per 4 to 5 kilos of meat. However generally life will get hectic and also you’re caught with rock-solid poultry and visitors arriving in lower than 24 hours. Nonetheless, you’re not essentially screwed if you happen to forgot to thaw your turkey main as much as your dinner. Listed here are some fast defrosting ideas that Carothers recommends if you happen to’re in a pinch:

Submerge your turkey in chilly water and alter it each half-hour.

This feature prevents micro organism from multiplying because you by no means let it enter that hazard zone, Carothers says. Hold the meat in its authentic packaging and put it in a big basin full of cool water, she explains. Use a thermometer to ensure it stays under 40 °F. Simply don’t count on this to be tremendous fast: It’ll take about half-hour per pound, so if in case you have a 12-pound fowl, you’ll must spare six hours for thawing, based on the USDA. Nonetheless, this methodology is probably going going to be your finest wager, because you’ll be capable of brine, season, and roast your turkey with out compromising taste or texture.

Microwave your turkey.

This one comes with some caveats. For one, your fowl may simply be too massive to suit into your microwave. And even when it might squeeze in, you’ll must take away the plastic packaging beforehand, which will get difficult while you’re coping with a frozen product, Ted McCall, EdD, a meals security professor at Johnson and Wales College in Windfall, Rhode Island, tells SELF.