Though some may disagree, I'd have no qualms cooking it.

If the outside was not cold to the touch, I would definitely not use it.

If it was then, I might consider it but I would probably go ahead and cook it rather than waiting. Of course that does not solve your problem for that fresh cooked turkey on Thursday.

I'd probably toss it and get a fresh one or two smaller ones to cook.

You could probably call the Butterball hotline and ask.

I agree with kissseiverd, use it.

It is perfectly safe to soak a turkey for 30 minutes per pound in hot water to quick thaw.
That means the bird would be in the water for longer than 8 hours, I believe.
I think after a bird is thawed, and that means thawed by whatever means, the bird will keep in the refrigerator for an additional few days.
I would say, cook and enjoy.

I agree - use it. I usually rinse poultry with white vinegar inside out just to get rid of the "stuff" it comes with. Then rinse with plain water several times, pat dry and you're good to go! Happy Thanksgiving!

I agree with those that say "use it". It will be fine.

~Ann

Do not use hot water to thaw a turkey and never let it sit in the same water for any length of time. Doing so would be soaking your meat in a bacteria bath! Use cool or tepid water and be sure to change it frequently, like every 30 minutes.

Thanks so much to all for your kind replies!
I think I am going to chance it and hope to give you good news come Friday.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!

I agree that I would use it. Happy Thanksgiving!

Are you sure that's a turkey?

26 lbs!!! That's an ostrich. LOL!

Eat it.

I think you are allowed 4 hours out in the danger zone anyway. Unless you live in the tropics.

dcarch

The danger is bacteria, not rot (four hours is correct for most foods, but raw poultry, which is potentially chock full of bad bacteria when you buy it, is better kept under 40ð). If you cook it well you kill the bacteria. Undercooked turkey, whether it's been sitting out or not, can be dangerous. Make sure the thigh meat and stuffing are at least 165ð F (75ð C), but I find that while that should be safe all around (dead bacteria), it isn't cooked all the way through at that temperature, and I aim a little higher.

Cook the turkey all the way through and it'll be fine.

Dcarch, you can get 40 lb. turkeys. They're just hard to fit in a standard roaster. :)

I also agree, I'd cook it without qualms.

Annie

Sounds like it will be okay.
Two things:
Don't share what happened with dinner guests
Check in with us Friday

Leaving food out overnight is not an issue in my house. For 3 generations, we've allowed cooked foods to cool overnight before refrigerating, and no one has ever gotten sick.

And for 2 generations, we've been thawing hams and turkeys and other poultry in the sink overnight, with nary a complaint.

We think there's too much paranoia in today's world surrounding bacteria and germs... and a lot of over-sanitizing going on that's not only NOT necessary, but actually detrimental to the building of a good immune system. Use simple common sense... one night on the counter does not spoil a good sized bird.

While I wouldn't leave a turkey out for 2 days, overnight is not an issue. If there's still ice inside, let it soak in a sink filled with cold water. It will thaw in good time.

And bringing it up to proper temperature while cooking in the oven will kill any bacteria, anyway.

Good grief, what did people do before the advent of the refrigerator? We surely didn't waste foods by throwing them out after a night of sitting on the table. We couldn't afford to...

All my life my mom and later I always kept the turkey in the sink covered with water overnight, never any issues. I don't do that now, just buy it way ahead of time and keep it in the frig. to thaw. Let us know if you wound up in the hospital though. :) However, I am very cautious about leaving food sitting around after cooking. I live in FL and things get ripe very quickly. My MIL who was German used to leave stuff out all the time. I guess over there the temps are always very low compared to here. But when I knew she had left anything out all night I wouldn't eat it.

jodik -- I agree. When I was a kid and we ordered pizza, we always left in the box on the counter to be eaten the next day (not sure why -- no room maybe?). Point is, nobody died, nobody got sick.

This is almost as bad as my SIL who won't eat anything a day past the expiration date on the package regardless of how it looks, smells or tastes.

We always say, if you want to know if it is ok to eat give it to my father. He grew up poor and avoids wasting food at all costs and will pretty much eat anything!

I hope you roasted it and enjoyed it. No qualms here, as long as it was fully cooked, I'm sure it would be safe.

Next year it might be a good idea to get two 12# turkeys than one 26#. It's what I used to do so that we had more legs to chew on and more carcasses to make bone soup (when there were 12 of us, now's there's just 3 for dinner).

Nancy

That's why they invented powerful spices and curries.

When food begins to smell, they just add more spices.

dcarch

I hope Pilar made that turkey. It was still partially frozen, and I often take a package of meat out of the freezer and put it in the sink before I go to work so that it is thawed when I get home 8 hours later. As long as the meat is cooked to at least 165 degrees, that will kill bacteria if there was any at all. And instructions on how to roast a turkey always tell you to leave it on the counter for at least 1 hour before roasting to bring it to room temperature before putting it in the oven.

Having said all that, where are you Pilar! :)

Good grief, what did people do before the advent of the refrigerator?

There were many strategies for keeping foods cool, if not cold, depending on the location, and also for smoking, drying, salting, any other form of food preservation that made storage less lethal.

Mostly, they cooked the hell out of almost everything, including fresh fruits and vegetables. Cooking was the best tool they had for preventing food poisoning and they knew it. And lots of people died from food poisoning and eating rotten foods anyway. The tradition of hot meals isn't just for comfort, but because they were most likely to not kill you. And that's given the strong immune systems they built up from exposure to an iffier food supply (assuming they didn't die first).

Dear friends, here I am with news!
First of all, thank you so much for all your replies. This was my first post and it was so fitting that for this holiday, I would end up being so thankful for the kindness of strangers.
There's one thing you need to know before knowing the outcome of my story. I live in Bogota, Colombia, a city located at 8.500 feet altitude. Due to this, it is usually pretty cold at night, around 45 degrees F.
On to my story. On Tuesday, I decided to put the bird back in the refrigerator until Wednesday morning, when I took it out of the bag and seasoned it. It looked OK and did not smell funny. It still had some ice in it so I poured some water to disolve it and washed the bird thoroughly. I was a nervous wreck though, since I decided to not tell a soul about this (I agreed with you on this "Mustang"). I cooked it the same way I have been doing it for 15 years, basting and inyecting some nice juices.
Ready for the result? I had 30 people eat the whole thing and not a soul got sick! The whole turkey was gone, no left overs and still, everybody is OK today.
So, I'm guessing the fact that my kitchen was not so warm at night did help the cause.
In conclusion, if this ever happens to me again (you never know right?) I will not stress over it and just go ahead and cook it.
I hope you all had as wonderful a Thanksgiving as I did with my family and friends and I also hope to one day be able to help you, the way you did me.

Gracias :)

Glad that everything worked out great.

Of course your turkey tasted better. Because you have a slight advantage in cooking.

At 8500 feet altitude, water boils at around 195F. It will give you the "Low & Slow advantage.

dcarch

I held my breath reading to the end of this thread to see if Pilar showed up again or if she was bedridden with food poisoning. I'd have used it, too.

Why are you celebrating Thanksgiving in Colombia?? Just curious. Glad your story had a happy ending.

Hello there Dedtired,

Thanks for your post. Yes, the story had a happy ending indeed :)
I celebrate Thanksgiving in Colombia because I lived in the US for 16 years. When I left, it just felt wrong to break with such a fulfilling tradition. Most of the people that I have over for dinner every year (32 this year) are Colombians who now look forward to saying Thanks in the company of family and friends. This is one of the great things I took with me when I left, other than my love for that wonderful nation.
I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving as well.

Pilar- so glad your turkey worked out.
What a fun tradition to enjoy with your friends.

I would have used the turkey as well but just so you are aware- some food poisoning can take 3-5 days or longer to surface. So please check in again.

How nice that you have carried the Thanksgiving tradition back to Colombia. It is many Americans favorite holiday because it is not a religious celebration nor is it so commercial.

Thirty two is quite a crowd.

Pilar, I'm happy you are still alive and well, LOL, and welcome to the Cooking Forum! I'll watch for some good recipes and food, so I can expand my own cooking horizons.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, not a darned thing to do except eat and be thankful. I'm so happy you took the tradition with you to Columbia.

Annie