Thanksgiving Tip: Start Now if Thawing a Frozen Turkey in the Fridge

If you're planning to thaw a frozen turkey for Thanksgiving as safely as possible - no matter the size of the turkey - start thawing it now by leaving it in its original packaging, putting it on a plate to catch any condensation and putting it in the refrigerator. As you can see in the picture of the "estimated thawing time" label above, thawing a turkey in the refrigerator takes days of time. After 3 full days of thawing in the refrigerator, I checked my 15 1/2 pound turkey last night and found the bottom was still crunchy frozen. 

So, to help it thaw more evenly, I turned the turkey over from breast-side up to breast-side down and then put it back in the refrigerator to continue thawing. Tomorrow I'll post pictures of how to thaw a turkey safely and much more quickly in water. 

In the meantime, you can get complete Thanksgiving dinner help, recipes and other recipe tips by visiting the Gotta' Eat, Can't Cook Thanksgiving Help page you can get to by clicking this link.