How to Defrost a Turkey

Before you begin to cook your turkey you should allow ample time to prepare properly. One should keep kitchen surfaces clean and separate the turkey from other meats.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Turkey
• Refrigerator

1. Keep the turkey in the original wrapper and place in a pan in order to keep the juices from spreading into your refrigerator.

2. Probably the safest way to defrost a turkey is in the refrigerator. A standard rule is to allow a thawing time of approximately 24 hours for every 5 pounds (lbs) of turkey.

3. A quick way to determine how much time you need to allow the turkey to thaw in the refrigerator is to multiple the number of pounds by 4.8 hrs. So, for example if you have a 10 pound turkey, then you would allow it to thaw for 48 hours (2 days), because 10 lbs multiplied by 4.8 hrs = 48.

4. Quick Table Reference:
   5 lbs = 24 hours (1 day),
   10 lbs = 48 hours (2 days),
   15 lbs = 72 hours (3 days),
   ? lbs x 4.8 hours = number of hours needed to thaw in refrigerator (where ? = the weight of your turkey.

Tips & Warnings

• When your turkey is defrosted keep the turkey in the refrigerator only 1-2 days (no longer than 2 days) before cooking.
• If you forget to thaw the turkey in the refrigerator or don’t have enough room in your refrigerator, it can be defrosted in cold water. Click my articles to see how to defrost turkey in cold water.
• This article is only a recommendation and you should always follow the directions on the label on the Turkey package.