TRADITIONAL METHOD

Place the frozen turkey in a large food storage container, a pan with a high lip, or the roasting pan you will use to roast the turkey in the oven. Place the turkey in a refrigerator and let it defrost. A good rule of thumb is to allow five hours per pound of turkey to defrost a whole bird completely.

There is no need to rinse the turkey before you season. Doing so may displace turkey juices that contain bacteria onto cooking surfaces and your countertop. Simply remove the giblet bag from the turkey cavity and pat the skin dry.

FASTER METHOD

Place the frozen turkey in a large receptacle of water, which you can keep at a consistent 65 F. (We suggest placing the container directly under the tap, with a steady flow of water. For food safety reasons, water temperature should never exceed 70 F.) Then follow these directions. (Note: The time is based on an approximately 17-pound bird):

1. After 20 minutes in the bath, remove the turkey from the water and remove the packaging. Refresh the water and resubmerge.

2. After two and a half hours in the bath, the turkey will become more pliable. At hour three, remove the turkey from the bath and remove the neck and giblets from the cavity. Refresh the water and resubmerge.

3. Keep the turkey in the bath until a digital meat thermometer inserted into the breast meat and all the way to the bone registers 28 F.

4. Remove the turkey from the bath, pat dry, and season.