Thawing turkey for Thanksgiving dinner can seem a bit overwhelming with all the preparations for family coming over for the holiday!!! Your busy cooking, cleaning and preparing and you forget to thaw the turkey.Start by realizing that it will take several days for your turkey to thaw in the refrigerator. . You can keep the turkey thawed for a day or two in the fridge prior to cooking. Besides using the refrigerator, you can use the cold water method. I personally use the fridge method and then resort to the cold water if I guessed wrong on thawing time or forgot to pull the turkey out of the freezer.
How to Thaw a Turkey Safely In The Fridge
When you remove the turkey from the freezer keep the turkey in its plastic wrapper. Place the turkey on a tray or in a pan to catch any juices. Allow about 24 hours for ever 5 pounds of turkey following the time table below as a guideline. Remember that you can keep the turkey in the refrigerator for a day or two extra once its thawed.
4 to 12 pounds = 1 to 3 days
12 to 16 pounds = 3 to 4 days
16 to 20 pounds = 4 to 5 days
20 to 24 pounds = 5 to 6 days
How to Thaw a Turkey Safely In The Cold Water
Thawing a turkey in cold water requires a bit more action on the cooks part. Again keep the turkey in the wrapper and allow 30 Minutes per pound for the turkey to soak in cold water. You will need to change the water every 30 minutes until the turkey is thawed. Use the timetable below as a timeline to thaw your turkey.
4 to 12 pounds = 2 to 6 hours
12 to 16 pounds = 6 to 8 hours
16 to 20 pounds = 8 to 10 hours
20 to 24 pounds = 10 to 12 hours
Approximate Roasting Times for Stuffed Turkey
6 to 8 pounds 3 to 3-1/2 hours
8 to 12 pounds 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours
12 to 16 pounds 4-1/2 to 5-1/2 hours
16 to 20 pounds 5-1/2 to 6 hours
20 to 24 pounds 6 to 6-1/2 hours
Approximate Roasting Times for Unstuffed Turkey
6 to 8 pounds 2-1/2 to 3 hours
8 to 12 pounds 3 to 4 hours
12 to 16 pounds 4 to 5 hours
16 to 20 pounds 5 to 5-1/2 hours
20 to 24 pounds 5-1/2 to 6 hours
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