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A frozen turkey can take some of the stress out of shopping for Thanksgiving. Because you can buy it early, you avoid fighting the grocery-store crowds and buying the only turkey tiny turkey you can find right before the holiday. But frozen birds can also lead to one of the most common mistakes in Thanksgiving-day prep: Not allowing enough time for defrosting.
Getting the turkey ready isn’t hard, but it’s important to do it the right way. These three turkey-thawing methods will help you prepare properly.
One note: Don’t even think about speeding up defrosting by leaving the turkey out on the counter. It puts you and your guests at risk for food poisoning.
Take the turkey out of the freezer and place it on a rimmed baking sheet to thaw in the fridge. Plan on one day (24 hours) of defrosting in the refrigerator for every four pounds of turkey. Even a relatively small 12-pound bird needs to come out of the freezer (and into the fridge) at least three days before the holiday.
Remember: Don’t skip placing it on a cookie sheet (or another pan that can catch the juices as the turkey thaws), or you’ll have a real mess in your fridge.
To defrost a bird faster than the freezer method, take it from the freezer and place it in the sink or a large pot with enough cold water to cover it completely. This is definitely not the easiest way to thaw a turkey, but good to know if you forget to take it out of the freezer on time. Immerse the sealed, wrapped turkey, breast-side-down, in enough cold water to cover it completely. Allow at least 30 minutes per pound, and change the water every half hour to make sure it’s cold. (Use a thermometer to ensure the water isn’t warmer than 40 degrees F.)
Remember: You must change the water every 30 minutes, so be prepared — that’s still 10 hours of defrosting for a 20-pound turkey.
Speed things up to warp by putting the turkey into your microwave, carefully following the manufacturer’s directions for thawing a turkey. This thawing technique is doable, but it’s far from ideal. First, you’ll need a really large microwave (or a really small turkey)! It’s easy to end up with a turkey that’s already cooked in some parts while other parts are still frozen.
Remember: If you defrost in the microwave, you must cook the turkey immediately after defrosting.
If you do forget and it’s really too late, don’t risk anyone’s health over a turkey. Just laugh it off, order up some General Tso’s Chicken, and have the turkey another day. There’s always pumpkin pie to soften the blow!
