Turkey question?!


Question: have a 24 pound frozen turkey i bought for Thanksgiving...how far in advance do I take it out of the freezer and place it my refrig. to de thaw it?

Answers: have a 24 pound frozen turkey i bought for Thanksgiving...how far in advance do I take it out of the freezer and place it my refrig. to de thaw it?
The turkey should be kept in its original wrapper during the thawing process and it should be placed on a platter to catch any juices that may leak from the package to avoid possible contamination to other food in the refrigerator. Thawing the bird in the refrigerator may require several days, especially if the turkey is a large size, but it is absolutely the safest method for thawing. The cool temperature of the refrigerator (usually no higher than 40°F) discourages the growth of harmful organisms in the turkey as it thaws. An approximate 24 hours for every 5 pounds should be allowed to properly thaw the turkey. The required time may vary because of the individual temperature settings of different refrigerators.

Recommended Refrigerator Thawing Time

8 to 12 pound frozen turkey Allow 2 to 3 days
13 to 16 pound frozen turkey Allow 3 to 4 days
17 to 20 pound frozen turkey Allow 4 to 5 days
21 to 24 pound frozen turkey Allow 5 to 6 days
Alton Brown recommends, for speedy thawing, placing the bird in a vessel full of cold water that is running slowly enough to cause a very slow change of the water, but more for convection... it takes 2 hours per pound in case you don't have 6 days! Report It
Joe's Avatar Joe
P.S. That is a huge bird! Do you have room in your refrigerator for a bird that big? I suggest an outdoor thaw, if it's cold where you live. You have to run your hose, place turkey in vessel, place hose in vessel, take turkey out 12-14 hours after it went in roughly. Thaw in the original wrapper Report It

Other Answers (8)

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  • chris's Avatar by chris
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    February 23, 2007
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    • at least 2 days
    2-3 days is good
    3 days that's the size I always get...........
    It will take 2 or 3 days for a bird that big to thaw.
    I just ready today in Kraft's Food & Family mailer to allow 4 hours per pound, so it really depends on the size of your bird. If you have it in a spare refrigerator that isn't opened as regularly as your main frig, I would almost allow an extra hour or two per pound. Good luck!
    2 - 3 days should do it
    24 pound bird to defrost in your refrigerator should take about 7 days.
    "Proud to be 51" has the correct answer.


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