The turkey rush is on.
The hours are winding down until it’s time to get the bird ready for Thanksgiving feasts.
Mark Welch is the meat manager at Hi-Lo Grocery Store in Abingdon.
After a nation-wide shortage of turkeys last year Welch says they’ve had no problems getting the birds for Thanksgiving 2016.
Tackling the cooking of the turkey can be a daunting task.
Most of the time, the quest starts with thawing, which Welch says you’re running out of time to do.
“If you’re going to thaw it out, most of them are frozen, so, the best way to thaw those out is either in the refrigerator or you can thaw them out in the sink with cold water,” Welch says. “You drain that water down every half hour.”
After speaking with meat managers at Abingdon Hi-Lo, Monmouth County Market and the East Main Street Galesburg Hy-Vee, they all told WGIL there always to seems to be a last minute rush to nab turkeys.
“Most people don’t have room for a whole turkey to put in their refrigerator to thaw it out so they just kind of wait until the last minute,” Welch says. “We actually hang them in our cooler and thaw them out for them.”
Meat manager at the East Main Street Hy-Vee, Eddie Perry, says that for a 25-pound turkey it will likely need at least eight hours of thaw time.