Eeek can't open my pre-cooked turkey -- please help!

[Anonymous]

Got a pre-cooked turkey for the first time and I can't figure out how to open it and stuff it with the herbs they provided! It's been in the fridge since yesterday but seems to be frozen shut. What am I doing wrong??

[Anonymous]

Can you post a picture? Or a link to the product? I really can't figure out what's going on here. If the turkey is pre-cooked, why are you stuffing herbs in it? Is it a pre-cooked, frozen turkey that still hasn't thawed?

[Anonymous]

This is OP. It's the standard pre-cooked turkey from Balducci's. These are the reheating instructions: https://az727718.vo.msecnd.net/7298718dc061415fa12c016f5a6cecfa/assets/balduccis/Balducci's%20Thanksgiving%20Reheating%20Instructions%2011.17.21.pdf?rev=b7077b605e4148cabc207bbf803eef76

It says : "Remove the herbs from the plastic bag; place the herbs in the cavity."

Thanks for helping troubleshoot!

[Anonymous]

Is it still frozen?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it still frozen?

I picked it up yesterday afternoon and it's been on the fridge since then, until this morning when it was out on the counter for a couple of hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it still frozen?

I picked it up yesterday afternoon and it's been on the fridge since then, until this morning when it was out on the counter for a couple of hours.

How many pounds?

Is it still in the plastic?

Turkeys take days to thaw. If you submerge it in water in the plastic, then you can defrost it faster.

[Anonymous]

8 pounds or so. Yes, it was in the plastic. I don't think I realized it had to be defrosted. It said "ready to cook"! So it is in the oven now, hopefully that will help.

[Anonymous]

So you've removed the plastic and put it in the oven. What is it that you can't open? You can't get the legs apart to stuff the herbs in?

[Anonymous]

Well I can't get the legs apart to stuff the herbs in. And there was a plastic bag stuck in the other opening, which I also couldn't remove. But I managed to pry it out after half an hour in the oven. It feels like it's going to take a lot longer than 2-3 hours to thaw and warm. I'll try again with the herbs in an hour.

[Anonymous]

Your pre-cooked turkey is frozen??

[Anonymous]

Yes it is frozen. I doubled checked the package - it is fully cooked! And it was never in the freezer since we picked it up.

[Anonymous]

Is balduccis open today? I’d be calling for a refund today or tomorrow. It shouldn’t be frozen.

[Anonymous]

You NEED to fully defrost before cooking. Submerge, in plastic bag, in cool water. If the legs are too stiff to open the cavity, it’s also too frozen to cook.

It is NOT POSSIBLE to cook a frozen, non-thawed turkey properly. Either the inside will be raw, or the outside will be overcooked (and your guests will be starving with dinner at 9pm).

[Anonymous]

It will be fine. It will just take longer to heat through. Use a meat thermometer to check when it is heated through. You can even put the herbs in the cavity once it heats up a little. You can even cook a frozen raw turkey - it just takes longer so you need to plan. Many instructions for this online.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You NEED to fully defrost before cooking. Submerge, in plastic bag, in cool water. If the legs are too stiff to open the cavity, it’s also too frozen to cook.

It is NOT POSSIBLE to cook a frozen, non-thawed turkey properly. Either the inside will be raw, or the outside will be overcooked (and your guests will be starving with dinner at 9pm).

OP said it's already cooked inside