How long does it take to defrost a Christmas turkey safely?

With Christmas dinner right around the corner, you may be scrambling around to prepare everything in time.

While the festive meal can be stressful to prepare, it's always worth the effort and is an iconic part of Christmas day.

You've probably got everything you already need to sort out your dinner (well done, because that can often be the hardest bit).

READ MORE: The ultimate guide to Christmas events for kids in Manchester 2021

But it helps to prepare the dinner properly and safely - there will be a lot of people at Christmas dinner and you don't want to give any of them food poisoning.

Thankfully, the NHS has released official advice on the safest way to defrost the turkey without making your dinner guests feel queasy or ruining the meal altogether.

It states that defrosting should be done in the fridge or another cool area if the fridge is filled up with every other Christmas delicacy.

Regardless, the turkey should be separated from other food and put in a dish or container big enough to collect liquid from the defrosting and to avoid spreading bacteria.

It's important to keep the Turkey away from other food in order to avoid food poisoning (Daily Record)

Here are the t op t ips from the NHS so that you're fully prepared for the big day:

• Timing: Work out how long it may take for the turkey to defrost as overnight may not just cut it.
• Packaging: Remove your turkey from its packaging and place it in a large dish and cover it. It is also best to place it at the bottom of the fridge so that it doesn't spread bacteria to other foods.
• Speeding up: To help the process move a little quicker, remove the giblets and neck as soon as possible. And don't forget to wash your hands afterwards.
• Check for ice crystals: Before cooking you need to make sure there aren't any ice crystals in the bird's cavity. Also, remember to test the thicker parts of the turkey with a fork to see if the meat still feels frozen.
• Regular checks: Regularly pour away the liquid that comes out of the defrosting turkey to stop it from overflowing and spreading bacteria.
• Not using the fridge? If your turkey is too big to fit in the fridge, keep it in a cool room, shed or garage. Also, be aware of changes in room temperature as this could cause problems with the turkey thawing out evenly.
  
  

  

  Make sure to check how much time you need to defrost your turkey (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

  
  

Remember defrost times

Knowing how long to defrost your turkey is vital to safety and hygiene.

Standard NHS advice is that, if using a fridge, you should allow 10 to 12 hours per kilogram.

For example, if your turkey is 4kg, it would take around 44 hours - or two days - to defrost in the fridge.

If defrosting in a cool room (which may be below 17.5C) allow around three to four hours per kilogram.

So, if your turkey is 4kg, it would take around 16 hours to defrost.

Finally, if defrosting at room temperature (which may be around 20C) , you should allow around two hours per kilogram.

So if that's a 4kg turkey, that's eight hours.

Once fully defrosted, remember to put the turkey back in the fridge if you're not cooking straight away.