Is it still safe to use this turkey meat?

December 29, 2007 12:53 PM

Would it still be safe to make a soup today from Christmas turkey leftovers? (The meat has been stored in the fridge since Tuesday- the carcass was tossed out.)
posted by sophie to Food & Drink (15 answers total)

It should be fine. Do give the meat a careful looking over and smell test, however. It is possible (though unlikely) that the meat was contaminated in the brief window between being too hot and being put in the fridge by something that has been able to grow even at cold temperatures. You're going to be boiling it into a soup so minor undetectable contamination is not an issue (stuff like that will soon be dead).
posted by TeatimeGrommit at 12:58 PM on December 29, 2007

What TeatimeGrommit said. Definitely smell and eat a bit to be certain, but providing it's been properly stored and it's going to be cooking in soup for (presumably) a long time, you should be good.
posted by kryptondog at 1:07 PM on December 29, 2007

we're doin it today... if that helps
posted by Large Marge at 1:23 PM on December 29, 2007

After you carved the turkey, did you put parts right into the fridge or did you serve it and then put it away later? If you put it straight away--odds are that you will be fine. If not--think twice. You are now re-heating a previously cooked turkey (by making it into a soup). Food safety would say that if the turkey was out for 3 hours or more-- you should not make it into soup.
posted by zerobyproxy at 1:23 PM on December 29, 2007

I'm making my turkey soup today, too. The turkey was definitely not out for three hours, though.

I'm putting in celery, onions, a few carrots, some green onions, turkey meat and some cabbage. Anything else that might be tasty in there?
posted by Savannah at 1:38 PM on December 29, 2007

To add--our carcass was not tossed out, but promptly refrigerated, so I'm making stock, then the turkey soup itself.

Turkey soup is so damned good.
posted by Savannah at 1:39 PM on December 29, 2007

Response by poster: The turkey went into the fridge within an hour of coming out of the oven, I think. It really does smell okay, so I'm going ahead with the soup. I don't usually cook poultry, so I'm never sure about things like this.

Thanks everyone!
posted by sophie at 1:52 PM on December 29, 2007

Put in a dash of cayenne pepper and some pearled barley (about a 1/2 cup or so) to really make a killer soup. I have apparently obligated myself to making the turkey soup at my parents house because of that.
posted by mrzarquon at 2:01 PM on December 29, 2007

Next year, throw the carcass in the freezer and make turkey stock before you make the soup... so good.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 2:48 PM on December 29, 2007

Yes.

Cooking it into soup will kill any germs. (some germs make toxins which heat won't kill but I don't think the ones you might find on turkey meat do, but I am not a microbiologist, and certainly not your microbiologist).

Flavor is, imo, the only issue, and it should be fine.
posted by caddis at 5:53 PM on December 29, 2007

I ate soup today which was made from coq au vin I made a week ago, well before xmas.

Very good it was too!


I rely on the smell test and prompt refrigeration.
posted by unSane at 7:52 PM on December 29, 2007

Mmm. Turkey soup. Savannah, toss in some baby spinach and some diced turnip. Yum!
posted by sarcasticah at 8:40 PM on December 29, 2007

I just made soup with ours! It's delicious.

I boiled down the carcass and threw away the bones, added about a cup and a half of white wine, a couple of tablespoons of sherry, and some wild rice and basmati. Then I sauteed a chopped onion in butter and olive oil, added chopped mushrooms (I used portobellos) to the sautee pan and when those were wilted down, sprinkled a couple of tablespoons of flour over it all and stirred it in, then added a cup of whole cream to that, stirred it all 'til it was completely combined, then added it to the simmering (not boiling!) pot. Wickedly yummy for a last fling before new year dieting. :)
posted by taz at 1:34 AM on December 30, 2007

Risoni is an excellent thing to add for a hearty soup. Also, make sure you do lots of browning and caramelizing before you add liquid!
posted by h00py at 3:36 AM on December 30, 2007

Well, I'm doing this today and it should be okay, I have a maximum limit of one week for poultry that's going to become soup. Don't forget a handful of pearl barley! Yum!
posted by tomble at 6:15 PM on December 30, 2007