Here’s when to start thawing your turkey for Thanksgiving

As you prepare for Thanksgiving dinner, News4JAX is here to answer all your turkey-related questions.

To make sure the star of the show is ready for the big day, this is where you need to start thawing your turkey.

According to US Department of Agriculturewhile frozen, a turkey is safe indefinitely. As soon as it begins to thaw, bacteria that may have been present before freezing will begin to grow again. There are three safe ways to thaw a turkey: in the refrigerator, in cold water, and in a microwave. A fully thawed turkey can keep in the refrigerator for up to four days before cooking.

The USDA recommends people plan on one day of thawing for every four to five pounds. Depending on the size of the turkey, some households may start thawing as early as the weekend before. A 16- to 20-pound bird needs four to five days in the refrigerator to fully thaw. But if you have a smaller crowd, an 8- to 12-pound turkey can go in the fridge on Monday.

If you’re still not sure what size turkey to buy, here’s a good rule of thumb: You’ll typically want two pounds per adult and one pound per child. If you are still unsure, Butterball calculators will tell you exactly what size bird to use and how much stuffing. You can even account for leftovers and how much you typically eat.

Here is more information on thawing your turkey from USDA:

Defrosting the refrigerator (recommended)

The USDA recommends thawing your turkey in the refrigerator. This is the safest method because the turkey will thaw at a consistent, safe temperature. This method takes some time, so allow one day for every 4 – 5 pounds of weight. If your turkey weighs 16 pounds, it will take about four days to thaw. Once thawed, the turkey is safe for another two days, so you can start thawing it six days before Thanksgiving (the Friday before Thanksgiving).

The other two methods (cold water and microwave) must be done immediately before you start cooking the turkey, so you’ll have to wait until Thanksgiving morning.

Defrosting cold water

For the cold water method, leave the turkey in its original wrapping and submerge it in a sink (or container) full of cold water. It is important that the water is cold so that the turkey stays at a safe temperature. You should change the water every 30 minutes. Drain the water and replace it with fresh cold water. With this method, allow 30 minutes of thawing time per pounds, so a 16-pound turkey will take 8 hours to thaw using this method (so you may need to start around 4:00 a.m. if you want to eat in the afternoon!). Once the turkey is thawed, cook it immediately

Microwave defrosting

Before you commit to thawing your turkey in the microwave, check your owner’s manual for the size of turkey that will fit in your microwave, minutes per minute. pounds and the power level to use when thawing a turkey. Remove all outer wrapping and place the turkey on a microwave-safe dish to catch juices that may leak. Use the defrost function based on weight. As a general rule, allow 6 minutes per pounds when a turkey is thawed in the microwave. Be sure to rotate it several times, and even flip it, during the defrosting process.

If the turkey actually starts to cook instead of just thawing, let it rest for 5 minutes or so before resuming thawing. Halfway through thawing, you may want to cover the tips of the wings and drumsticks with a small piece of foil to protect them from the microwaves and prevent them from cooking. Once the turkey is thawed, cook it immediately.

How NOT to Thaw a Turkey

In case you are wondering, here are some thawing methods that are not recommended:

• Defrosting a turkey on the counter, in the garage or on the front porch

• Thawing a turkey in a brown paper grocery bag or a plastic garbage bag

• Using the dishwasher to thaw a turkey (with or without water)

• Any method that is not the refrigerator, cold water, or the microwave