How long to thaw a turkey?

[school17777]

I haven't cooked a turkey in years. I actually am not cooking one this year either, but talked me mom into cooking it herself rather than buying it precooked (for double the price or more) at the grocery store. When should she start thawing a 14lbish turkey? Sunday before T-day is about when I am thinking.

[AK_Mom4]

In the fridge, I figure a day for every 4-5 pounds plus I add an extra overnight just in case. 14pound turkey I would expect to need to go in the fridge Sunday night or Monday morning just to be sure.

 

Cold water thawing is 30 minutes per pound, changing the water every half hour so it stays cold.

 

These days, I just buy fresh because I hate the hassle of thawing.

Edited November 11, 2016 by AK_Mom4

[JFSinIL]

The day before, in a large cooler full of water. That is what we do. I do not change the water, as after all that bird is huge poultry ice cube, and the water stays cold (just not so cold that the bird stays solidly frozen). I read the other posts, and like the idea of putting this "project" in the bathtub to be able to drain/change water. But I'd keep the bird in the closed cooler, since I can weigh it down in the small space to keep it underwater. It would just float around the bathtub otherwise. My cooler does have a spigot at hte bottom to remove water easily. Of course, if you are a one bathroom house, no one can bathe until the bird is thawed and tub bleached clean. :-)

Edited November 12, 2016 by JFSinIL

[Forget-Me-Not]

The day before, in a large cooler full of water. That is what we do.

Yep. I use a 5g bucket in a bathtub so I can circulate the water frequently.

[Mimm]

The day before, in a large cooler full of water. That is what we do.

 

I started doing this a few years ago and it's much faster. :)

[Ali in OR]

I buy my frozen turkey the Friday before Thanksgiving and put it in the fridge. I brine it on Wednesday and it is always thawed by then. It does take up a significant amount of fridge space, but that works okay here.

[lllll]

nm

Edited December 6, 2016 by cathey

[JFSinIL]

We put it into a big metal bowl on the counter overnight with a dish towel under it to catch the condensation.  Depending on the room temperature, it might take a little longer so I usually put it in the bowl the morning of the day before I want to cook it.  It also speeds it up to cut the wrapping off once it's thawed enough to do that.

 

We had cats so I also covered it with a dish towel to keep them out of it.  Or I put it in a different room and closed the door.

I would be worried the exterior of the bird would get too warm before the innards were thawed. At least in a water bath the outside stays pretty cool.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I give it about 3 days, but I do usually take it out on one of those days during the day for several hours to thaw on the counter.  I know, for shame.  I've done it that way always.  My mother did.  Probably her mother did.  Never had an issue.

 

I find if I don't do that, it won't thaw.  I think it would take so long to thaw in the fridge that it would start to go bad before it was completely thawed!  Maybe my fridge is too cold or something.  And I do not want to futz with buckets of water.