How to Thaw a Frozen Turkey (and How Not to)

While fresh turkeys are available online and in many grocery stores, many people buy a frozen bird instead. And depending on how big it is, a frozen turkey can take several days to thaw in your fridge. Planning can help prevent problems on the day.

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How to Thaw a Frozen Turkey

The refrigerator is the only safe, easy, and good way to thaw a frozen turkey.

It's safe because it stays cold the whole time, thus preventing the growth of dangerous bacteria that can cause food poisoning.

It's easy because you don't have to do anything. The turkey sits in the fridge and thaws all by itself.

There are a couple of other methods that might be technically safe but may not be easy or not good—as in, it will do bad things to your turkey, and make you wish you had used a different technique.

Thaw It in the Refrigerator

Thawing in the refrigerator is the ONLY recommended way to defrost a frozen turkey. For it to work, however, you'll need plenty of time: 24 hours of defrosting time for every 4 to 5 pounds of bird. A large turkey, say, 15 to 20 pounds, needs to spend 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Which means you'll have to plan. If you can manage that, you'll be golden. (And your turkey will be golden-brown and delicious.)

Here's how to do it:

• Make sure that your refrigerator is at 40 F or colder.
• Leave the turkey in its original wrapper.
• Place the bird on a tray or in a pan to collect any juices that leak out.
• Keep it at the bottom of your fridge so leakage won't contaminate anything below.
• Allow 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds of frozen turkey (see the full chart below).

It's pretty straightforward. But if you haven't got enough time, and don't want to try roasting it while it's still frozen, you can always try the cold water method. But be prepared to work.

Thaw It in Cold Water

It's possible to safely thaw a frozen turkey in a sink full of cold water, but it won't be easy. The problem is, you need to allow 30 minutes of thawing time for every pound of frozen bird, and you MUST keep the water 40 F or colder the entire time.

That means monitoring the temperature with an instant-read thermometer and changing the water every half hour. Now, ring in when you've figured out the problem with using this method...

Ding! That's right! For a large turkey, like a 20-pounder, which can take ten hours or more to defrost, you would have to change the water every thirty minutes for ten hours. That's twenty water changes!

Aside from the fact that you have better things to do with your time, the major drawback to this method is that after two or three hours, you'll slack off, stop changing the water, and wind up with a salmonella bomb soaking in your kitchen sink.

Moreover, you can't necessarily add fresh water from the tap; the water needs to be colder than 40 F. If the water coming out of your tap is warmer than 40 F, you'll have to add ice to lower the temperature.

Also, you've got to make sure the turkey remains completely submerged. If it floats (and it will), you'll need to weigh it down. And if your sink is too small, this method won't work.

And whatever you do, don't try to thaw a turkey in HOT water. 

Here's a time chart to help you compare thawing times using the refrigerator and cold-water methods:

Don't Try to Thaw It in the Microwave

Yes, temperature-wise, your turkey will be thawed, if that's all you care about. For example, if you're planning to use it as a soccer ball; or maybe cook it and feed it to some wild animals.

But if you want to serve it to people, this is not a good thawing method Given the number of different wattages, power levels, minutes per pound, and other variables, the most likely outcome for this method of thawing is a turkey that's still frozen in some parts, while already cooked in others.

That's if you can even fit a turkey in your microwave, which most likely, you can't. Grab a tape measure right now, and go measure the opening of your microwave. It's about 8 inches high, right? There is no way you are going to fit a frozen turkey through an 8-inch opening.

And even if you can (i.e. you have a 7-inch turkey), you don't need to resort to this method in the first place. You're better off using the cold water technique, where your tiny turkey will be thawed in a couple of hours.

Don't Thaw at Room Temperature

Thawing a frozen turkey on the kitchen counter, the dining room table, or any other room of your house, is a HUGE no-no.

Besides the fact that it is, let us say, unseemly to defrost a Thanksgiving turkey in some random bedroom (to say nothing of the bathroom), thawing a turkey at room temperature is a terrible practice. Uncooked meat or poultry (including frozen) shouldn't be left at room temperature for more than two hours. Any longer than that and you're just begging for a case of food poisoning. So, don't even think about this one.

Be Smart, Be Safe: Plan Ahead

And that's all there is to it. As you can see, thawing a 20-pound turkey in the refrigerator can take the better part of a week. So plan ahead! A bit of preparation will ensure you're not faced with a still-frozen turkey on Thanksgiving morning.