how to thaw a turkey without taking up fridge space

This biggest holiday meal of the year is just days away, let’s talk turkey!

Are you tired of trying to squish a big bird into your fridge by moving and shoving everything around until there is enough room and afraid something will come tumbling out every time you open the door until the holiday meal is served (which could be days)!

The best way to thaw a turkey:

Use a cooler to thaw your turkey and remove stress.

Here is an estimated timeline to thaw your holiday bird in water in a cooler.

THAW A TURKEY IN WATER:

12-14 lbs 6-8 hours changing the water every few hours.
15-16 lbs 8-10 hours changing the water every few hours.
18-20 lbs 10-12 hours changing the water every few hours.

Defrost time for turkey: use this timing guide as an estimate.

Now, if you want to speed up the timing to thaw a turkey quicker change the water every 30 minutes to 1 hour. As the frozen turkey thaws the water will get colder, just empty the cooler, then refill it with cold water. I use a hose and keep my cooler outside in the shade (use an umbrella or under a covering to not have the cooler in the hot sun if the temperature outside is above 70 degrees)

Turn the turkey over in the cooler so it thaws evenly or place something heavy on top if needed or if you feel it’s not thawing evenly.

The turkey can remain in the cold water in the cooler as long as the temperature inside the cooler doesn’t rise above 40°. Add ice to maintain the temperature.

Now let’s chat about the rest of the holiday meal and how to keep it simple and keep stress to a minimum.

Here are some delicious ideas:

Drinks- apple cider sangria and be sure to give these cranberry jello shots a try!
Appetizer- pumpkin deviled eggs or this fig jam dip or maybe you’re more of a goat cheese and cherry jam kinda person!
Side Dishes: potatoes- instant pot or slow cooker or give these garlic pumpkin mashed potatoes a try!
Need a fun item all the kids and adults as well will devour, warm cinnamon apples are always a huge hit.
And while we’re at it why not make a batch of mac and cheese because a few hours later after the meal you might want some!
stuffing- OMG this is really my all-time favorite!
sweet potatoes- make these fun Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes or this easy brown sugar sweet potato casserole.
1 lb cranberry sauce
Gravy-this is my make-ahead recipe, perfect every time!
How to cook the best turkey ever- check all the details out here
Desserts- now pie is usually the show stopper, one of my all-time favorites is chocolate pudding pie, and this pumpkin cheesecake pie, now maybe you’re in the mood for a pumpkin cake-this one is so pretty, or some cute pumpkin cupcakes.

DRIVING with food can be challenging if you need to bring items miles away from your kitchen… get my tips for traveling with food here.

PRINT out this list so you can keep track of the items you’ll be making and the timing to keep it all manageable.

Now maybe you go to the end of this and just want to be able to sit down and eat a meal that tastes like a well crafted Thansgiving meal but need it to be much simpler…

Make this perfect Thanksgiving Turkey Sandwich- it’s fantastic!

Or make my “Fake Thanksgiving Dinner” with turkey meatballs and easy sides.

Now… What’s next? How to Simplify CHRISTMAS and I’m looking forward to making these mini cranberry pecan pies and of course these great sugar cookies too.