I thought my turkey was fresh. Why does it feel frozen?
Fresh turkeys will sometimes feel hard on the outside because they are
chilled to 28 degrees for safe shipping. Only the outer part of the turkey
should be hard, not the entire turkey. Frozen turkeys are stored at 0
degrees. Fresh turkeys are never frozen.
Thaw your turkey 1 to 3 days in advance of cooking.
Thaw the turkey in your kitchen sink with COLD
WATER in the original packaging.
NEVER let the turkey get WARM. Do not thaw
overnight or leave unattended.
The cold water needs to be changed every 30
minutes.
Thaw the turkey until the bag feels soft. For a
fresh turkey that feels hard, thaw between 1 and 4 hours. For a fully
frozen turkey allow approximately 30 minutes per pound.
After the turkey is thawed, store it in the
refrigerator in the original packaging.
DO NOT THAW IN MICROWAVE.
Thawing a Fresh Turkey That Feels Hard Using Cold Water
8 - 16 Pounds
1 - 2 Hours
16 - 25 Pounds
1 - 4 Hours
25+ Pounds
2 - 4 Hours
Thawing a Fully Frozen Turkey Using Cold Water
8 - 12 Pounds
4 - 6 Hours
12 - 16 Pounds
6 - 8 Hours
16 - 20 Pounds
8 - 10 Hours
20 - 24 Pounds
10 - 12 Hours
Thawing a Turkey in the Refrigerator
Because the bags
are so thick, a turkey may not thaw enough in the refrigerator. Check and
use the cold-water method if this happens.
