Yes, You Can Cook That Frozen Turkey You Forgot To Thaw

All too often, one of your worst nightmares turns out to be true: You wake up on Thanksgiving Day and realize you forgot to take the turkey out of the freezer to thaw. But, there is a solution for that frozen turkey. You can still cook it, just be prepared to cook it for 50% more time than if you had thawed it properly.

To know how much longer you'll need to cook a frozen bird, keep in mind that the length of time needed to cook it to the proper temperature is dependent on its weight. A thawed, unstuffed, eight- to 12-pound turkey will need roughly three hours to cook, so you'll only need an extra hour and a half for a still-frozen bird. Hopefully, you'll recognize your mistake early if your turkey is on the larger side — a 20- to 24-pound bird will need an extra two-and-a-half hours in the oven.

Some worry that cooking a turkey straight from frozen will impact the flavor since you can't brine or baste a frozen bird, nor should you stuff it. Brining a turkey takes hours you won't have, basting won't penetrate the frozen skin, and stuffing will slow down the cooking process. The good news is several brands come pre-brined. In response to questions on its annual hotline about thawing, Butterball recently introduced a turkey that's meant to be cooked from frozen.

Another option is to let the turkey roast for two hours before seasoning and basting it. At that point, you can start basting the turkey with any juices that have dripped to the bottom of the pan or brush it with butter and a mixture of herbs. For the stuffing, you can always add some of the juices from the turkey roasting pan to the stuffing for added flavor.

As you would with a thawed turkey, use a food thermometer to make sure the turkey has reached a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees at the thickest parts of the thigh and breast before pulling it out of the oven to rest. No matter how you end up slicing it, waking up to a frozen turkey doesn't have to be the nightmare you expect.