If your plans changed for Thanksgiving or if you forgot to take the turkey out of the freezer, it is not too late. Janell Goodwin with the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline says the cold water thawing method is safe and much faster. She says to keep the bird in the wrapper.
So for a 12-pound turkey, it will take six hours to thaw.
Once thawed, get the bird into the refrigerator until it is time to begin the cooking process.
You can also do this if you find out Thursday morning that the bird has not fully thawed.
Goodwin says for the last-minute changes, you can cook the bird right out of the freezer. The cooking time will be about 1.5 times the normal. So for that 12-pound bird, the three hours of cooking will now be 4.5 hours and you will not be able to season the bird until after cooking.
