When cooking, and you forgot to take out your ground turkey from the freezer to defrost and you remember halfway into the dish, what will you do about it? Can you cook frozen ground turkey?
Yes, you can cook frozen ground turkey! You won’t have to waste time waiting for the frozen ground turkey to thaw.
You can choose to hasten the thawing process or cook the frozen ground turkey meat from the freezer without thawing it first, but you would need to increase the cooking time by fifty percent.
This means if it would take around 30 minutes to cook the fresh ground turkey, then you should cook the frozen one for 60 minutes.
Can You Cook Frozen Ground Turkey?
Yes, you can cook frozen ground turkey, but it’ll take a longer cooking time than it would be with fresh ground turkey.
Of course, thawing your frozen turkey first is recommended before use. This article discusses ways to defrost/cook your frozen ground turkey.
How To Cook Frozen Ground Turkey
You can opt to cook frozen ground turkey meat straight from the freezer. Simply increase the cooking time by about 50 % more than the actual cooking time.
So, if you had to cook the ground turkey for an hour since it is frozen, you can increase it to an hour and a half. It is safe to cook frozen ground turkey, and you can use the oven or a slow cooker.
This saves a lot of cooking time as you would not need to thaw it in the fridge or cold water, and the taste of the meat remains the same. Making a nice meal with frozen ground turkey is very easy and follows the following steps:
- Remove the ground frozen turkey from the freezer, unwrap it and place it in a skillet with some water. You don’t need a large amount of water, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan.
- Next, bring the water to a simmer while the skillet remains covered. Adding water alongside the frozen ground beef will help to keep the meat from burning and sticking to the pan. When the pan is covered, it generates more steam which helps to defrost the meat faster.
- When the water begins to simmer and the meat starts getting brown on the outside, use a fork or spoon to spread out the meat, exposing red and frozen areas.
- Continue opening up the meat parts until you have successfully thawed the whole piece of ground meat.
- Keep on low heat and continue adding a little amount of water to avoid the ground turkey from getting burnt. Constantly scrape the meat every 3-5 minutes as it cooks.
- Once the entire piece of frozen meat is thawed, you can add in some onions, peppers, carrots alongside any desired vegetables. Allow the water to simmer down, and it is almost ready.
- Ensure every part of the meat is thin and broken down completely so that the meat is completely defrosted.
- Allow the meat to cook thoroughly until it turns brown.
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How To Defrost Ground Turkey
If you do decide to defrost ground turkey before using it for cooking, here are three ways you can do so.
1. Defrost Ground Turkey In The Fridge
The fridge is one of the best methods to defrost ground turkey before cooking. When you place the frozen ground turkey in the refrigerator to thaw, it ensures the least amount of moisture loss.
You can allow it to stay in the fridge for at least two days to defrost, and you can refreeze any leftovers.
However, thawing frozen ground turkey in the fridge is quite slow; a pound of meat may take up to 24 hours to thaw, so it may not be the best option if you are in a hurry.
But if you have the time, you definitely should opt for this method, as it results in a juicer dish, and you would achieve the right texture and flavor when cooking.
2. Defrosting Frozen Ground Chicken In Cold Water
A quicker method to defrost ground turkey is by using cold water. This method only takes a few hours; add water over the package of frozen ground turkey, which should be in a waterproof container.
Refresh the water every half an hour until the turkey is completely defrosted. After defrosting the turkey completely, proceed to cook it afterward to prevent the development of bacteria.
3. Using a Microwave To Defrost Frozen Ground Turkey
The easiest and the quickest way to defrost a ground turkey is in the microwave. The result may not be the same as the other defrosting methods, but it is fast and useful when you are in a hurry.
Click on the defrost function on your microwave and include the weight of the ground turkey to thoroughly defrost the meat, and frequently check to see if the process is going fine and the meat is been defrosted.
Cook the ground turkey immediately after thawing with a microwave to prevent the development of bacteria in your meat.
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