There are two recommended methods for thawing turkey: refrigerator thawing and cold water thawing. The important rule to remember for both methods is to keep your turkey cold while thawing. Do not thaw turkey on a kitchen counter.

Place turkey or turkey parts on a tray in the refrigerator in their original wrapping. For whole turkey, allow 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds. For turkey breast, 1 to 2 days. To defrost turkey parts, allow 24 hours.

Place your turkey or turkey breast in its original wrapping under cold water in a sink or deep pan. Change the water every 30 minutes, keeping the turkey submerged in the water. For this method, the defrosting time for a whole turkey is 30 minutes for each pound of turkey. For example, allow about 6 hours to defrost a 12 pound turkey. The defrosting time for a turkey breast is 4 to 8 hours.