It's almost go time for Thanksgiving dinner! I picked up two large Butterball turkeys since we are doing two separate Thanksgivings this year. When it comes to thawing out your turkey, timing is everything. You don't want to let it sit for too long and you certainly do not want to have your turkey a solid brick of ice come time to cook. So when should you take your turkey out of the freezer to thaw out completely? Butterball has a handy calculator to help you out with that.

holiday turkey
Diane Diederich, ThinkStock
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Here is the time frame you need to know about for a thorough thaw:

This is calculated per pound, refrigerator thawed...

9 lb 2 days 6 hours
10 lb 2 days 12 hours
11 lb 2 days 18 hours
12 lb 3 days
13 lb 3 days 6 hours
14 lb 3 days 12 hours
15 lb 3 days 18 hours
16 lb 4 days
17 lb 4 days 6 hours
18 lb 4 days 12 hours
19 lb 4 days 18 hours
20 lb 5 Days
21 lb 5 days 6 hours
22 lb 5 days 12 hours
23 lb 5 days 18 hours
24 lb 6 days

Essentially anything larger than 24 lbs should be taken out a week or more before Thanksgiving dinner
25 lb 6 days 6 hours
26 lb 6 days 12 hours
27 lb 6 days 18 hours
28 lb 7 Days
29 lb 7 days 6 hours
30 lb 7 days 12 hours

Now you know when to take your turkey out for Thanksgiving dinner! Add an extra day if you are like me and want to brine your turkey before roasting!

 

Source: Butterball

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