Fridge temp too low. Spoiled turkey?

alexandra101992

Hi all,

I'm celebrating Thanksgiving late this year, on Saturday. I started defrosting a 10 lb turkey on Wednesday from frozen in my fridge. Today (Friday) I took the raw turkey out to see if it was still frozen—it was completely thawed and I took the internal temperature, which said 46 F in some parts, 47/48F in others. It seems my fridge may not be cold enough. Should I throw my turkey out?

BarbaraHelen2013

I’d agree, your turkey will be fine as long as you cook it to the proper internal temperature. It’s not been defrosted long enough to come to any harm in terms of food safety.

I’d think about having your fridge checked out though - does seem it might be running a bit warm. Both my fridges run at 4°C which is 39°F so if yours is running at 45-48°F I’d certainly be mildly concerned going forward.

cmriverside

You can buy inexpensive temperature gauges (five dollars or so on amazon or at Walmart or other big stores) for the refrigerator and freezer and it's a good way to monitor the internal temps. Refrigerators don't last forever.

lemurcat2

BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »

I’d agree, your turkey will be fine as long as you cook it to the proper internal temperature. It’s not been defrosted long enough to come to any harm in terms of food safety.

I’d think about having your fridge checked out though - does seem it might be running a bit warm. Both my fridges run at 4°C which is 39°F so if yours is running at 45-48°F I’d certainly be mildly concerned going forward.

Many allow you to set the temperature. If possible, yes, I'd definitely set it to a cooler temperature, and if not I'd have it checked out, as you say.

cmriverside

senalay788 wrote: »

cmriverside wrote: »

You can buy inexpensive temperature gauges (five dollars or so on amazon or at Walmart or other big stores) for the refrigerator and freezer and it's a good way to monitor the internal temps. Refrigerators don't last forever.

My parents would really really disagree with you here lol hahaha

Hah. I bought a new one three years ago. My last one lasted 30 years. Almost forever.

deputy_randolph

I bought one of the above temp gauges when I started noticing a temperature fluctuation with my fridge. Yep, I ended up needing a new fridge. I never got sick from any food during the final phase of my old fridge. Just cook everything to the correct temp, check with a meat thermometer, and keep an eye on the fridge.

sgt1372

The idesl frig trmp is between 35-38° F.

If your food is at 46-48°F that's WAY TOO HIGH and potentially unsafe.

See: https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/shopping-storing/food/refrigerator-temperature

missysippy930

Ours is 30 years and still going. I’ve known a lot of people that have had refrigerators replaced at less than 10 years. The old saying that they don’t make them like they used to is true.
OP, agree that your turkey is ok. Temperature for refrigerator s/b 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Probably should dial down temp, or have it looked at. I’ve always had issues with my turkeys thawing out on time. Not a problem though, cuz you can adjust cooking time.

lemurcat2

missysippy930 wrote: »

Ours is 30 years and still going. I’ve known a lot of people that have had refrigerators replaced at less than 10 years. The old saying that they don’t make them like they used to is true.

Yeah, definitely true. I had a refrigerator repair guy tell me that, even.

My parents had a refrigerator that they bought just before my sister was born (1975) until they retired and moved in 2011. It survived one move early on, and eventually became the extra basement refrigerator, but it continued to work just fine. Their other was about 30 years old when they moved too. They fixed up the house before selling, but I can't remember if they added a new kitchen refrigerator (probably).