so due to time restraints i am attempting to cook a frozen stuffed turkey in an oven bag. Is this safe? I have read that most suggest to not do it due to the difficulty of removing the giblets but that has already been done before cooking. Is there any danger of food poisoning using this method to cook the frozen prestuffed turkey? Also, any idea on cook times? The oven bag only gives times on thawed meats. Thanks for your help.
Cooking a frozen stuffed turkey in an oven bag
- Thread starter jasonn
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GotGarlic
Chef Extraordinaire
How big is the turkey and how long do you plan to cook it? Are you cooking it today? It doesn't sound safe to me, but I'm no expert.
Its 5.5kg (12.1 pounds) and im really not sure how long to cook it... The instructions on the turkey say to cook it for 7 hours in a roasting pan, slightly covered with tin foil. We're just looking to cut the cook time by a couple hours and not get anyone sick in the process.
Fisher's Mom
Executive Chef
Hi Jason, I don't know if it is really safe but I've done this many, many times in past years and no one died! As I recall, the cooking time was a little longer. Also, I always used a thermometer to make sure the bird was fully cooked.
Do you mean longer as in longer than the times given on the oven bag or longer than the time it would take to roast it? We have a thermometer but unforuntately its not oven safe so can only test it when we think its done.
kitchenelf
Chef Extraordinaire
Fisher's Mom
Executive Chef
Use the temps and times on the roasting bag box. Then check the temp of the meat and gauge how much more time you'll need. I may be remembering wrong, but I thought for a frozen bird that size in a roasting bag, it was more like 5 hours.
Fisher's Mom
Executive Chef
Ahhhh, the link Elf posted tells you exactly. And BTW, welcome to DC! I hope you'll let us know how your turkey turns out!
jennyema
Chef Extraordinaire
I believe the question is about the oven bag, not how to roast a frozen turkey, which is quite safe. But a frozen turkey will take a lot longer to cook than a thawed one, oven bag or not.
DO NOT thaw a pre-stuffed frozen turkey. Roast it from its frozen state or food poisoning will be an issue.
I think it's probably ok to use the oven bag. It would raise the temp faster.
Make sure your stuffing is at least 165 degrees or it's not safe to eat.
DO NOT thaw a pre-stuffed frozen turkey. Roast it from its frozen state or food poisoning will be an issue.
I think it's probably ok to use the oven bag. It would raise the temp faster.
Make sure your stuffing is at least 165 degrees or it's not safe to eat.
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Maybe im skimming over the link elf posted too quickly but i didn't see anything about cooking the frozen stuffed turkey in an oven bag. We bought one of those look oven bags to cook the turkey in, its a bit too late to switch to the roasting pan method and since the label on the frozen turkey suggested to take 7 hours for a 4-5kg frozen stuffed turkey, we thought using the bag would speed things up a bit.
We looked all over the net and couldn't find anything that suggested doing so, though the only reasons they gave was the difficulty of removing the giblets, which has already been done and the possiblity of juices overflowing. I just wanted to make sure its not going to get people sick.
We looked all over the net and couldn't find anything that suggested doing so, though the only reasons they gave was the difficulty of removing the giblets, which has already been done and the possiblity of juices overflowing. I just wanted to make sure its not going to get people sick.
GotGarlic
Chef Extraordinaire
As long as the temperature is correct, it will be safe to eat. If you can, it might be a good idea to get an instant-read thermometer to check the temp.
Fisher's Mom
Executive Chef
Just put the turkey in the bag and in the oven at the temp recommended on the roasting bag box. If your bird has a pop-up, position it in the oven so that you can see it. When it pops up, it's done. If it doesn't, look at the bird regularly starting at about 4 hours. When you see the top browning nicely and juices in the bottom of the bag, take it out and check the temp. You can poke a little hole in the bag for the thermometer and it won't hurt anything if you still need more roasting time. Also, remember to put the flour in the bottom of the bag to keep it from bursting.
Debora Connolly
Assistant Cook
Use look bag for frozen boxed turkey
I cooked a frozen stuffed turkey (President's Choice brand) in a Look bag and it turned out perfectly. I cooked it for the time indicated in the instructions less 15 minutes. Instead of putting 2 tablespoons of flour in the Look bag, I added 2 tablespoons of gravy mix. About halfway through the cooking time, I tried to flip the turkey over. Some of the juice spilled out from the steam holes into the nonstick roast pan. So I didn't flip it all the way over I just flipped it to the side because I wanted to keep the juice in the bag. At the end of the cooking time the juice that had spilled into the pan, had caramelized and along with the juice still in the bag made a delicious gravy. The meat was tender and moist and very flavorful.
I cooked a frozen stuffed turkey (President's Choice brand) in a Look bag and it turned out perfectly. I cooked it for the time indicated in the instructions less 15 minutes. Instead of putting 2 tablespoons of flour in the Look bag, I added 2 tablespoons of gravy mix. About halfway through the cooking time, I tried to flip the turkey over. Some of the juice spilled out from the steam holes into the nonstick roast pan. So I didn't flip it all the way over I just flipped it to the side because I wanted to keep the juice in the bag. At the end of the cooking time the juice that had spilled into the pan, had caramelized and along with the juice still in the bag made a delicious gravy. The meat was tender and moist and very flavorful.
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Just Cooking
Master Chef
Welcome to DC, Debora... 
