This is the one time of year that many of us have to deal with preparing a giant frozen turkey and getting it on to the table on time. Cathy Isom tells us to make sure to plan ahead when it comes to thawing your Thanksgiving bird.
Turkey Thaw
Tina Haynes with the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s Meat and Poultry Hotline says the safest way to thaw your bird is in the refrigerator so it stays below 40 degrees while thawing so it won’t allow bacteria to grow in the process. You should allow approximately 24 hours for every 5 pounds. So if you have a 12 pound turkey it would take 3 days to thaw in the refrigerator. But if you don’t plan that far ahead or don’t have enough room in the fridge, leave the turkey in its original wrapping. Put it in a sink of cold water and let it sit for 30 minutes and then you change the water every 30 minutes to keep the thawing going. If you don’t the water gets very cold and slows down the thawing process. A process that would take about a half hour per pound. So a 12 pound turkey would take about six hours.