Butterball introduces cook-from-frozen turkey for a no-thaw Thanksgiving

The largest turkey producer in the U.S. wants to save you time this Thanksgiving by eliminating the dreaded thaw.

Butterball just introduced its Cook from Frozen Premium Whole Turkey, which customers can simply remove from the freezer and pop into the oven on the big day. The company says there’s “no thawing, no mess and no stress” involved in the preparation of its new product.

“From frozen to fantastic,” reads Butterball’s product page. “No more need for planning days in advance to thaw, dealing with messy necks, giblets, or touching raw meat. Forget about basting or brining. That means more precious moments spent with loved ones and less time on kitchen stress.”

Butterball tells TODAY.com that its cook-from-frozen turkeys are prepared with a specially-formulated brine (with water, sodium phosphate, spices and natural flavors, according to its website) that will keep the bird moist throughout roasting and that the neck and giblets aren’t included to make it easier to prepare. (Sorry to your gravy.)

Here’s how it works:

1. Remove the outer packaging and run the inner packaging under cold water while massaging it.
2. Remove the turkey from the inner bag by gripping and tearing it.
3. Place turkey on a rack in a 3-inch-deep roasting panbreast-side up.
4. Brush or spray turkey with oil.
5. This turkey doesn’t need to be basted, brined or seasoned, but if you’d like to add your own personal twist to it, you would sprinkle on your favorite flavorings at this point.
6. Pop it into a (recommended) 325-350 F oven. How long you cook it depends on its size, but Butterball recommends you start checking its temperature after 4 hours, until breast and thigh reach 170 F. The average cook time is about 5 hours, but ovens may vary.

And no, you cannot and should not stuff this turkey, as it would pose a food-safety risk. Your stuffing must be prepared and cooked separately, making it more of a dressing.

The 70-year-old company says it doesn’t set prices at retailers, but the suggested retail price for its cook-from-frozen turkeys is $2.49 to $2.99 per pound. These turkeys will run 10 to 14 pounds, with an average of 12 pounds.

The new product is now available at Harris Teeter, Lowes Foods and Publix stores, and can also be purchased at select Walmart locations and select Kroger and Kroger banner stores like Fred Meyer, Fry’s and Ralph’s. Customers can use Butterball’s store locator to find their closest retailer that sells it.

Butterball’s new turkey is meant to simplify your holiday cooking schedule, but just so you’re aware, the FDA says it’s safe to cook a turkey directly from the freezer — it’s just going to take longer to hit your Thanksgiving table.

“A solidly frozen turkey will take at least 50 percent longer to cook than a thawed turkey,” the FDA says on its website, adding that if a turkey is only partially frozen, it still will take longer to cook.

Butterball’s cooking calculator estimates that a turkey can take anywhere from 2 hours to more than 6 to cook. So, unless you pop your 30-pound frozen turkey in the oven at least 12 hours before dinner, you might want to remember to thaw it.

Nicole Johnson, director of the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line told TODAY.com that the ratio for thawing a turkey in your refrigerator is 24 hours for every four pounds of turkey meat.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• 57 things to do this Halloween that are frightfully fun
• Kristen Bell brings to light NSFW line in 'Frozen' song: 'We slid it under the radar'
• Reid Scott teases Ryan Eggold as his brother on ‘Law & Order’: He ‘really drives my character up a wall’