How long does fresh turkey keep in the refrigerator?

[Anonymous]

We have ordered our fresh turkey, and it will be delivered the Friday before Thanksgiving. Since Thanksgiving is on a Thursday, will the turkey keep in the fridge for that long? Should I put it in the freezer then pull it out a few days before? I don’t eat meat so I really don’t know about this; to me I’d think 2-3 days but my Husband says a week is fine. Haha, thanks!

[Anonymous]

i'd leave it in the fridge. or even better, put it in a brine for the night before using.

[Anonymous]

Brine it!! Google for recipes, but the basics are sugar and salt. It makes the turkey so moist and the salt will help preserve it.

[Anonymous]

Oh, I asked this question weeks ago and nobody answered, I'm so envious! I passed on the fresh turkey delivery because I had no clue whether it would be good or not. Hope yours turns out well and let me know how it goes.

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/133120.page

[Anonymous]

Oh, sorry PP! You and I have the same place in mind and the same delivery date! We ordered ours, but I am still nervous about it being in there for that long. I looked at the brine, I don't know if I have the space to do that, I'm going to bring it up to my Husband to see if it's something he would like, since I have never done that before!

[Anonymous]

I would see if you can get another delivery date. Or freeze it. You lose some of benefits of having a fresh turkey, but at least it will be safe to eat.

If it's a local, unpackaged fresh turkey, you should only keep it 1-2 days in the fridge. One you buy at the local grocery store that is packaged - and assuming you keep the packaging intact, will last 3-5 days. Those usually have a "use by" date on them anway. We recently read this in Cook's Illustrated (our food bible)

If you are going to freeze, I would definitely opt for brining. Ours will be fresh and we are still brining. You'll never go back to an unbrined turkey.

We just ordered this bucket last night for brining. If you order today, it should be here on time with regular shipping. Or you can pay for faster shipping. http://www.amazon.com/Camwear-Polycarbonate-Square-Storage-container/dp/B0015R9VXO

We use Cook's Illustrated brining instructions. But Alton Brown has good ones too.

[Anonymous]

Well, the turkey came frozen, so in the freezer it went! I saw a maple syrup brine that I liked alot though so we might try it!