- With Mayo Clinic nutritionist
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
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Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
As a specialty editor for the Food & Nutrition Center, Katherine Zeratsky helps you sort through the facts and figures, the fads and the hype to learn more about nutrition and diet.
A Marinette, Wis., native, she is certified in dietetics by the state of Minnesota and the American Dietetic Association. She has been with Mayo Clinic since 1999.
She is active in nutrition-related curriculum and course development in pediatrics at Mayo Clinic Rochester and nutrition education related to the physiology and recommended intakes for premature infants.
Other areas of interest include breast milk and formula safety, neonatal feeding, and nutrition for breast-feeding mothers.
She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, served a dietetic internship at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and worked as a registered dietitian and health risk counselor at ThedaCare of Appleton, Wis., before joining the Mayo Clinic staff.
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Healthy cooking (10)
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Healthy menus and shopping strategies (6)
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Question
Thanksgiving turkey: Can you cook it frozen?
Every year I have the same Thanksgiving nightmare — I forget to thaw the turkey ahead of time. So just in case this ever really happens, can you safely cook a frozen turkey?
Answer
from Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
Yes, you can safely cook a frozen turkey. Simply roast it in the oven. Don't grill, smoke, deep-fry or microwave a frozen turkey.
To determine the approximate cooking time, follow this guideline from the Department of Agriculture: Take the recommended cooking time for the thawed turkey — either from the label directions or a timetable for oven roasting whole turkeys — and add 50 percent of that time to the original time. For example, a turkey that should take five hours to roast when thawed will take about 7 hours and 30 minutes to roast when frozen.
Many whole turkeys have a giblet package tucked inside the turkey. Carefully remove the package with tongs or forks when the turkey has sufficiently defrosted in the oven, and cook separately. If the giblets are wrapped in plastic and the plastic bag melts, harmful chemicals may leach from the plastic into the surrounding meat. If you suspect that a plastic bag has melted inside the turkey, don't eat the giblets or the turkey.
Also, remember that roasting time is approximate — so check the turkey often. Insert a food thermometer in the innermost part of the thigh when the turkey has defrosted enough to easily insert one, and roast the turkey to an internal temperature of 165 F (74 C).
Next questionFreezing meat: Does it kill harmful bacteria?
- Poultry preparation. U.S. Department of Agriculture. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/Lets_Talk_Turkey/index.asp. Accessed Aug. 20, 2008.
- Turkey: Alternate routes to the table. U.S. Department of Agriculture. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Turkey_Alt_Routes/index.asp. Accessed Aug. 20, 2008.
