To avoid spoilage or serious food borne illness, meat, poultry, and fish must be properly handled during thawing, preparation, cooking, cooling, and serving. Frozen meat, poultry, and fish must be received and stored hard-frozen at 0 °F or below, until removed for thawing and cooking.

Directions for Thawing

1. ALWAYS wash hands and all surfaces BEFORE and AFTER handling raw meat,
poultry, or fish.

2. Remove from freezer storage only the amount of meat, poultry, or fish needed
for 1 day’s use.

3. It is best to thaw frozen meat, poultry, or fish in the refrigerator at 40 °F. Do NOT
thaw raw meat, poultry, or fish at room temperature or in warm water. Meats defrosted in the microwave should be cooked immediately after thawing. Some
areas of the food may become warm and begin to cook during microwaving.
Holding partially cooked food is not recommended because any bacteria present will not have been destroyed.

4. To shorten thawing time in the refrigerator, remove packages of meat, poultry, or fish from the carton and thaw in the original wrapper. If not individually wrapped, cover loosely or wrap. For easy handling, place blocks or packages of meat, poultry, or fish on trays. Place trays on BOTTOM shelves and space so that air can circulate around the frozen food.

5. NEVER allow raw meat, poultry, or fish drippings to come in contact with other foods.

6. Thaw fish in the refrigerator allowing about 18-24 hours per pound.

7. If fish fillets or fish steaks will be breaded or stuffed, they should be thawed first.

8. Thaw meat cuts or poultry (except turkeys weighing 16 pounds or more) in the refrigerator overnight (16 to 24 hours).

9. Thaw whole turkeys weighing 16 pounds or more in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.

10. As soon as whole poultry is pliable enough to remove giblets from cavity, proceed as described in the next section, “Pre-preparation of Ready-To-Cook (Fresh or Thawed) Poultry.”

11. Cook thawed poultry and giblets promptly.

12. Cook thawed meat, poultry, or fish immediately or cover loosely with waxed paper, freezer bag, or plastic wrap. Refrigerate at 40 °F.

13. Do NOT hold thawed meat, poultry, or fish for longer than 24 hours before cooking.

14. Do NOT refreeze thawed meat, poultry, or fish.