When do you start to thaw out your turkey?

[MsDisney23]

I have a 13.lb frozen Butterball and think I will move it from the freezer into the fridge starting tomorrow so it can thaw. It will completely thaw in the fridge as I do not sit it out in the sink to thaw. Thanksgiving is getting close

 

[Pooh67_68]

According to the Butterball site its 1 day for every 4 pounds. My bird is 20lbs. so I added an extra day and put it in the fridge yesterday morning.

 

[Kitty 34]

According to the Butterball site its 1 day for every 4 pounds. My bird is 20lbs. so I added an extra day and put it in the fridge yesterday morning.

I guess I better take my bird out today rather than tomorrow as I was planning. It's a 23 pounder.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

We put ours in the fridge yesterday. 20lbs.

 

[pumba]

we took our turkey out last night...(25 lbs) and put it on the top shelf of the refrigerator....it should be thawed by thursday morning. When we do a 20 lbs turkey, we usually take it out saturday AM.....

 

[DVC-Don]

We have a 10 pounder and we'll shift it to the fridge Monday AM.

 

[golfgal]

If I were cooking this year I would probably put our bird in the fridge today. It always seems to take a day or two longer then what they say on the package. Also, this whole fridge thawing thing actually gives me the willies. So the top layer of the bird thaws in say, 12 hours, so that layer sits, thawed, for 4-5 days, gathering bacteria as it goes . I have always thawed meat on the counter, take it out in the morning, cook it that evening and have NEVER had a problem doing that.

 

[AlaskaMOM]

Most years I'm one of the last minute defrosters (not enough room in fridge) and usually do the bird in the sink with cool water for about 3-5 hours the early morning of T'giving.

But this year we're having fresh.

We raised 2 turkeys this year; a male, about 40 pounds now; and a female, about 18 pounds.
I'm not sure the female will be butchered. I kind of like her. I like the big Tom too, but he eats soooo much, and now that there's snow on the ground there's no fresh food for the birds. And he doesn't fit in the chicken house very well. (too cold to sleep outside any longer)

 

[LuvOrlando]

I got my idea from Alton Brown and usually put my frozen bird in one of those big blue storage containers in the tub and fill it with cool water Tuesday night, it acts like a giant ice cube and keeps the water cold until it's defrosted and when I pull it out Wednesday it's still cold. I then move it to the refrigerator 1 day to finish defrosting until Thanksgiving morning. No worries

 

[minniecarousel]

Most years I'm one of the last minute defrosters (not enough room in fridge) and usually do the bird in the sink with cool water for about 3-5 hours the early morning of T'giving.

But this year we're having fresh.

We raised 2 turkeys this year; a male, about 40 pounds now; and a female, about 18 pounds.
I'm not sure the female will be butchered. I kind of like her. I like the big Tom too, but he eats soooo much, and now that there's snow on the ground there's no fresh food for the birds. And he doesn't fit in the chicken house very well. (too cold to sleep outside any longer)

Oh, AKMom, that cracks me up! "he's too big to fit in the chicken house, guess he's dinner"!

 

[aprilgail2]

took ours out yesterday! I would never ever let it sit on a counter and thaw-that would freak me out.

 

[cybrkitn]

I took ours out yesterday (18 lbs) and let it sit in a pan on the counter over night. I just put it in the fridge this morning.

We have a galley kitchen that gets pretty cold at night (all the windows need to be replaced ergo the cold drafts) so we have to keep the kitchen door closed. I figured the turkey should be fine since it's cold at night anyway and the kitchen kind of acts like a fridge.

 

[Nik's Mom]

We have a 12lb turkey and plan on moving it to the fridge Tuesday morning. I plan on brining it though, so maybe I'll bring it down a day earlier.

 

[golfgal]

took ours out yesterday! I would never ever let it sit on a counter and thaw-that would freak me out.

See, the thing is, it takes 24 hours for bacteria to form so, biologically speaking, it should be safer to thaw a turkey on the counter overnight then leaving it half thawed in the fridge for a week.

 

[HonnyDipp]

I have a 13.5 pounder. I will take it out of the freezer tomorrow and place it in the freezer. I'm also preparing 2 smaller ones for the local homeless shelter, I will get those out on Monday. LOVE this time of year!

 

[minkydog]

I put my 16 pounder in the fridge to thaw yesterday.

 

[crazelion]

The school give all three my kids turkeys Friday and they is huge. I have three 25 pounds turkeys.

I took 1 turkey out to cook for Thanksgiving. I am taking turkey be sides the paper goods this year and they have get over it. LOL

 

[worm761]

I have a 15 pound turkey that I put in the fridge this morning. I swear that no matter how far in advance I put it in the fridge, there is always part that is still frozen on Thanksgiving morning!

I have been through all the food safety classes. I am FDA certified. It is not safe to leave meat at room temperature for longer than 4 hours. That is your window. I will also add that my grandmother and my mother thawed meat on the counter my whole life and so do I. I have never given anyone a food borne illness. As long as you cook your meat to temperature, it should be fine. And those little red "thermometers" that come in the turkey don't count. Temp it with a real thermometer.