Q&A for How to Store an Uncooked Turkey

Yes. You may freeze it.

The turkey should be roasted within two or three days.

As long as the meat remains frozen solid, it can sit in the snow bank until spring.

Yes.

A thawed turkey can be kept for two days before cooking.

Yes, but only if it is being cooked the next day.

Three days at the most.

Yes, but not for long.

It's not a problem. Get the giblets out when you're ready to cook the turkey.

An average 15 lb turkey will take about 3 days to defrost in the refrigerator. Plan on needing 24 hours to defrost every 5 lbs of turkey.

As long as you kept it in the refrigerator at a safe temperature, freezing it is fine.

Washing a turkey isn't necessary, according to the USDA. You end up spreading germs from the raw meat around your kitchen.

53 degrees is too warm and your turkey will be riddled with germs after 6 hours. Your best bet is to put it in a cooler filled with ice if you can't get it back in the refrigerator.

The recommended length by the government is 1 year. Some companies claim you can store their turkeys for 2 or 3 years. Technically, you can freeze meat indefinitely, but it starts losing quality after 1 year.

Once the turkey is exposed, you can't prevent all bacteria from getting on it. Thawing is best done while the turkey is in its original packaging. To protect unwrapped turkey as much as possible, keep it in the refrigerator to slow bacterial growth. Consider wrapping it up in foil or plastic wrap.

Don't leave it there for long. If the turkey is already thawed, get it into the oven as soon as possible.

Only if you thawed the turkey in the refrigerator. Turkeys thawed by any other method reach the magical 40 degrees F limit where bacteria start proliferating. Fresh turkeys can be frozen if they did not reach that temperature.

If the weather is cold enough, it can last indefinitely. It all depends on the temperature. Most places don't stay well below freezing temperatures for very long, so the turkey lasts maybe 2 days after it finishes thawing. This is only if the turkey stays at a safe temperature that prevents bacterial growth.

As long as you leave the turkey in the refrigerator, it will be safe. Combine the salt with water to brine the turkey. Rinse it off under cold water right before you cook it.

Packing it in the ice is recommended over simply laying it on top of the ice. That way, the entire turkey stays at a cold temperature. You can store the turkey this way indefinitely as long as you keep a close eye on the temperature.

Yes, wrap up the turkey for sanitary purposes. Make sure you don't let the turkey warm up before you store it.

According to the USDA, do not brine a turkey for more than 2 days. Even when it's wrapped up, it will begin to spoil.

Keeping it in the refrigerator is generally safe. To be completely safe, freeze it until you're ready to defrost it. Defrosting it is only really necessary with dated turkeys if you wish to preserve them long-term, though.

You can! As long as they were thawed in the refrigerator, they will be safe. Make sure the pieces didn't reach temperatures above 40 degrees F. Wrap them up tightly or put them in resealable containers.

It depends on the temperature inside the car. On a hot day, that turkey can go bad very quickly. On average, get it in the refrigerator or freezer within 2 hours. If it reaches 40 degrees F before then, throw it out.

Plan on cooking it within 2 days. If it was handled and stored properly, try freezing it if you can't cook it within that timespan.

Adding a cover is a good way to prevent anyone from touching the raw turkey. Remove the cover and throw it away before you cook the turkey.

All turkey parts can be safely stored up to 2 days after they thaw. Either cook the breast by then or refreeze it.

It's not worth the risk. After about 2 hours at that temperature, meat is generally unsafe to eat.

Yes.