The 5 Wackiest Ways People Have Tried to Thaw a Turkey (and the One That Actually Worked)

Turkey fails are sitcom gold. Fans of New Girl might remember the unorthodox way Jessica Day tried to thaw a frozen turkey in that show’s first season. “I put it on permanent press,” she explains as her roommates watch the Thanksgiving bird banging around in their dryer. Although we haven’t seen the dryer method in action, we’ve heard of plenty of wacky techniques for quickly defrosting a turkey.

Here are some of the strangest, grossest, and downright most hilarious ways people have tried — and failed — to thaw a turkey. 

Wrapping it in an electric blanket

A Butterball Turkey Talk-Line representative revealed that a caller once tried to defrost her bird by wrapping it in an electric blanket. While many electric blankets can reach a maximum temperature ranging from 100°F to 115°F, sadly the only thing you’re cooking up with this method is a potential fire hazard.

Putting it in a jacuzzi

According to another Butterball Hotline representative, a man once asked if he could thaw a frozen turkey in his jacuzzi, with the jets flowing. This method is the perfect example of good intentions with a bad approach. While you can quickly defrost a turkey by submerging it in water, the water needs to be cold (a maximum of 40°F per the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA) and changed every half hour. Hot water only promotes bacterial growth, leading to foodborne illness. Stick to soaking yourself in a hot tub, not your Thanksgiving dinner.

Using an electric hair dryer

A blow dryer may be your go-to solution for a wet head of hair (or for crisping up roast chicken), but it’s definitely not for defrosting a turkey. You’ll bring your turkey into the temperature danger zone (between 40 and 140°F), an open door for harmful bacteria to flourish in your food and make you sick. All you’re really doing is overworking your dryer — and maybe giving those bacteria a blowout.

Leaving it on the kitchen counter

Ah yes, the old “let meat sit out at room temperature for perfectly even cooking” method. This might work for a small cut of meat, but definitely not for a 16-pound bird that’s frozen solid and as hard as a brick. Leaving any perishable item out at room temperature for over two hours makes it vulnerable to harmful bacteria as it enters the temperature danger zone. And besides, a fully frozen bird would take a long time to thaw entirely. 

Using a bathtub

We’ve seen suggestions to thaw a turkey in the bathtub, and while this method might sound icky, it’s based on a legitimate way to quickly defrost a turkey, aka the cold-water method. Most home sinks aren’t large enough to contain a 12-pound-plus bird, so many cooks will opt to use a food-safe container like a cooler. A bathtub is simply a larger version of this. 

To use the bathtub method, place your turkey, still wrapped, in a clean (this is important!) bathtub. Cover it with cold water, and change the water every half hour to prevent bacterial growth. It takes about 30 minutes per pound to thaw, so a 16-pound turkey will need roughly eight hours to fully defrost.

The cold-water method is faster than thawing in the refrigerator (which can take several days), and it helps keep the meat at a safe temperature, preventing harmful bacterial growth as it defrosts.

The real way to thaw a turkey

There’s only one tried-and-true way to defrost your turkey: plan ahead. The best method, which also aligns with USDA recommendations, is thawing it in the refrigerator. Depending on the size of your bird, it should thaw for one day for every four to five pounds, so a 16-pound turkey will take about four to five days to thaw. Be sure to place your turkey on a large roasting pan or baking sheet to catch any juices. 

As noted above, you can also thaw your turkey using cold water in a food-safe container, refreshing the water every 30 minutes, which will take six to 10 hours. And, while we don’t recommend this method, the USDA says you can also safely defrost your turkey in the microwave in under two hours. But if you’re really crunched for time, just go buy a fresh turkey!