You’ve prepared the best turkey for your family and friends and you’re stuffed and tired. Learn how long can turkey sit out while you are going through your turkey coma.
Thanksgiving is a joyous occasion that brings everyone together. You get to see your family members and, more importantly, feast on a turkey. Still, it can also be a hectic event.
You spend so much of your day cooking and preparing for everyone’s arrival. Part of the chaos centers around turkey. You’re not sure when to thaw it out and how long it needs to rest after roasting.
In the middle of all the work, you find yourself wondering, how long can turkey sit out on the counter before I have to put it away? You’re tired and that is the last thing you want to do.
There’s a lot to unpack here, so let’s get started.
🦃 How Long Can You Safely Rest a Frozen Turkey?
Your frozen turkey can sit out for about two hours at room temperature safely.
One of the first obstacles you face when cooking a turkey is thawing it out. It sounds like a simple enough task, but there’s a little more to it.
Most people assume they can leave their turkey out on a counter to let it warm up slowly. However, this may prove dangerous.
If you let it sit out too long, microorganisms will grow and you don’t want that, so keep to the two hour time limit.
It will take a LOT longer than two hours for a frozen turkey to fully thaw out at room temperature, so the only really safe way to do it is in the refrigerator.
🍗 How to Safely Thaw Out Turkey?
Instead of placing your turkey on a counter, let it thaw out in your fridge. It’ll take a while, but this way, the temperature is too cold for harmful bacteria to grow. We have all the directions on how to do this in our Thanksgiving Planner {freebie}.
Still, if you’re short on time, you can also use place it in a large container of cold water to accelerate the process.
How Long Can You Safely Rest a Cooked Turkey?
If you carve into your turkey right after it is cooked, the juices don’t have time to redistribute. Carving too soon will leave you with a dry bird.
The tasty turkey drippings will leak out and onto your cutting board. Instead, be a bit patient and let it rest before carving.
PRO TIP: Knowing How Long to Let Your Turkey Rest before carving yields to tender, juicy meat. You should let your turkey rest for 15-30 minutes before you cut into it. Then you can leave it out for close to two hours.
How Long Can a Cooked Turkey Can Sit Out?
A cooked turkey can usually sit out for two hours without any issue, according to Butterball.
After everyone has their fill on your thanksgiving meal, a lazy fog takes over the room. Everyone finds a comfortable position on the couch and braces for the food coma watching football.
This means that there are going to be leftovers laid out all over the dining table. If you don’t have the willpower to wrap everything up, don’t worry.
When deciding whether or not to get up and pack the leftovers, there are a few factors you should consider. You’ll follow the same guidance for recipes such as Air Fryer Turkey Breast, Air Fryer Turkey Legs or Slow Cooker Turkey Legs.
🌡️ Risk of Bacterial Growth
The main issue with letting your turkey sit out too long is bacterial growth. As the turkey cools down, it enters the microbial danger zone. This is the temperature range at which bacteria are at their most active. Usually, it’ll span from 40° to 140℉.
In this range, bacteria can multiply rapidly and potentially make your food go bad.
When you cook a whole turkey, you bring up the internal temperature up high enough to kill any bacteria, but after it is removed from the oven, it will start to cool down. So, be mindful that the leftovers should be refrigerated within two hours of cooking.
PRO TIP: Tent your turkey with foil to keep it warmer longer.
What to Do With Leftover Turkey?
The easiest way to make sure your turkey doesn’t go bad is to refrigerate it.
My family likes to snack on it throughout the next day or two, so I keep a serving plate with sliced leftovers in the fridge to make it easy to grab.
If you have too much leftover, consider freezing it. I like to split them into single serving sizes, double wrapping them and then labeling and freezing. Snag the {freebie} freezer labels and freezer tips 101 printables for the best storage times for all your Thanksgiving leftovers.
FAQ
Cover it with foil, using 1-2 layers. Place the turkey in the oven at 200°F will allow it to stay warm as well.
Place the bird in the oven covered with foil at 200°F.
If your turkey is done too early for your dinner time, allow it to rest for 20 minutes and then cover it with a double layer of foil and keep it warm in the oven.
Another option is to place the cooked, carved meat in the refrigerator until you are close to eating. When you are getting close, place all the carved meat in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Don’t heat it too long otherwise it may dry out.
Wrapping Up
As a general rule, a turkey can sit out about two hours and still be safe to eat.
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