With Thanksgiving being right around the corner, it is time to start thinking about making room in your refrigerator for your Thanksgiving Turkey. The best-cooked turkey is always one that has been thoroughly thawed prior to cooking.

Photo by Ashim D’Silva on Unsplash
Photo by Ashim D’Silva on Unsplash
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Depending on the size of your family gathering, your Thanksgiving turkey could weigh anywhere from 8 to 25 pounds. All that weight is going to take time to transform from a frigid block of ice into raw poultry.

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There are two types of ways you can thaw your turkey. In the refrigerator or cold water thawing. I prefer the refrigerator method. This method takes more time to thaw the turkey, but it is more of a set-and-forget type of method. Cold water thawing takes less time, but you will have to constantly check the temperature of the water bath you are giving your frozen bird.

According to Butterball, this is how long it will take you to thaw your turkey in the refrigerator:

  • 8 pounds - 2 days
  • 9 pounds - 2 days 6 hours
  • 10 pounds - 2 days 12 hours
  • 11 pounds -  2 days 18 hours
  • 12 pounds - 3 days
  • 13 pounds - 3 days 6 hours
  • 14 pounds - 3 days 12 hours
  • 15 pounds - 3 days 18 hours
  • 16 pounds - 4 days
  • 17 pounds - 4 days 6 hours
  • 18 pounds - 4 days 12 hours
  • 19 pounds - 4 days 18 hours
  • 20 pounds - 5 days
  • 21 pounds - 5 days 6 hours
  • 22 pounds - 5 days 12 hours
  • 23 pounds - 5 days 18 hours
  • 24 pounds - 6 days
  • 25 pounds - 6 days 6 hours

Cold water thawing can cut time drastically as an eight-pound turkey will take approximately four hours to thaw. Cold water thawing a 25-pound turkey takes approximately 12 hours. If you would like to check out Butterball's handy thawing calculator, you can do so HERE.

No matter which way you choose to thaw your turkey, it's time to get ready to roast that bird.

Source: Butterball

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