With Christmas dinner right around the corner, State Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain reminds Louisianans to safely handle their turkey this holiday season. He says it takes about 24 hours for every four to five pounds to defrost a turkey.
“If you got a 20-pounder, it takes four to five days in the refrigerator. Don’t wait til Christmas Eve to remember oh you know I got that turkey in the freezer so you can thaw it out and cook it the next day.”
Strain urges Louisianans to never thaw the turkey in the sink or on the kitchen counter. He says the safest way is to thaw it in the fridge.
“It can stay in the refrigerator generally for one or two days. If you got a turkey that’s four to twelve pounds, it’s only one to three days. So basically by today, you need to have whatever size turkey you have you pretty much need to have it in the refrigerator.”
If you don’t have much time, you can place the turkey in a clean sink and cover it with cold water, according to the CDC. You can even safely defrost it in the microwave.
Strain says folks shouldn’t bypass having Louisiana homegrown produce on their Christmas dinner table. In the Strain household, Louisiana-certified food and products are always a part of the holiday feast.
“We’re going to have Louisiana sweet potatoes. We’re going to use Louisiana-certified pecans. We’re going to have Louisiana-certified seafood cause we always have gumbo. When we shop, we shop certified Louisiana first.”
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