In the fridge: 4¼ to 5¼ days.
In cold water: about 10½ hours.
USDA allows about 24 hours in the refrigerator for every 4 to 5 pounds, so 21 pounds takes 4¼ to 5¼ days (USDA’s table rounds it to 5 to 6 days for 20 to 24 pounds; we plan 6 full days). For Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, November 26, move it from the freezer to the fridge by Friday, November 20, in its wrapper, on a tray to catch drips.
Short on days? Cold water takes about 30 minutes a pound: 10½ hours for 21 pounds, wrapped tight and sunk in cold tap water that you change every 30 minutes. Then cook it right away. For a 3:00 p.m. dinner that means starting around 10:30 p.m. in the night, so the fridge is the easier road.
Change the weight, the dinner date or the thawing method.
The thaw day, oven times and the 2-hour leftovers rule, on one list your family can tick off.
The checklist is a free Online List Maker list: share the link with whoever is cooking, tick things off, and it updates on every phone. No sign-up.
About 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds, at 40 °F or below.
| 4 to 12 pounds | 1 to 3 days |
| 12 to 16 pounds | 3 to 4 days |
| 16 to 20 pounds | 4 to 5 days |
| 20 to 24 pounds | 5 to 6 days |
About 30 minutes per pound, water changed every 30 minutes.
| 4 to 12 pounds | 2 to 6 hours |
| 12 to 16 pounds | 6 to 8 hours |
| 16 to 20 pounds | 8 to 10 hours |
| 20 to 24 pounds | 10 to 12 hours |
A turkey thawed in the fridge keeps 1 to 2 days there and can be refrozen. One thawed in cold water or the microwave has to be cooked right away.
Cooking: how long to cook a 21 lb turkey · cooking time calculator
By Friday, November 20, into the refrigerator. That gives it 6 days at USDA's 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds. A day earlier is fine: a thawed turkey keeps 1 to 2 days in the fridge.
Thaw it in cold water (about 10½ hours for 21 pounds, water changed every 30 minutes, then cook it right away), or cook it from frozen: USDA says that is safe and takes at least 50% longer.
No. USDA lists three safe ways: in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave. Never on the counter.
Only if it was thawed in the refrigerator. A turkey thawed in cold water or the microwave has to be cooked right away.
1 to 2 days, per USDA.
Times and temperatures: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Let’s Talk Turkey: A Consumer Guide to Safely Roasting a Turkey. USDA’s times are approximate; the thermometer decides. Questions on the day: USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline, 1-888-674-6854.