How To:
Freezing and Thawing
FREEZING
- Digital instant read meat thermometer
- Oven meat thermometer
THAWING
- You can thaw by immersing packaged poultry in cold water, making sure to change the water every half hour.
- Defrost in the refrigerator, not on the counter, allowing a few hours to a full day, depending on size. A safe guideline is to allow five hours per pound.
- When defrosting poultry in the refrigerator, make sure to put it on the bottom shelf in the back of the fridge.
- Always cook poultry the day it completely thaws. Never re-freeze thawed poultry. Use it or throw it out.
- You don’t need to defrost poultry before cooking. Just multiply the recommended cooking time by 1½.
How Long Will it Last in the Freezer?
| Fully Cooked Products | |
|---|---|
| Breaded nuggets, tenderloins, strips, bites, and cutlets | Up to 6 months |
| PERDUE® SHORT CUTS® carved chicken or Turkey breast strips | Up to 6 months |
| Turkey meatballs | Up to 6 months |
| Ready-to-Cook Products | |
|---|---|
| Whole Chicken and Whole Turkey or parts | 12 months |
| PERDUE® OVEN STUFFER® Roaster | 12 months |
| PERDUE® OVEN READY Roaster | 6 months |
| Liver or other giblets | 2-3 months |
| PERDUE® PERFECT PORTION® Chicken | 6 months |
| Ground Chicken, Turkey & Sausage | 2-3 months |
 |
Remember
- Ensure doneness with a meat thermometer.
- Refrigerate any leftover chicken or turkey immediately and use within 3-5 days.
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