There are three methods recommended for thawing turkey. One is to leave the turkey in its packaging and then place it in a bowl of cold water. Change the water every 30 minutes. This cold-water method helps speed up the process, and your turkey should thaw in about two or three hours. The other method is to simply place the frozen turkey in the refrigerator in either cold water or without it. Water will make the process go even faster. While 24 hours should thaw the turkey, I like to give it 36 hours to be safe. Many microwaves also come with a thaw setting you can use in a pinch. Just make sure you keep an eye on it. If you let it thaw too much, the microwave will start to cook the turkey, and we definitely don't want that. Important note: Do not thaw turkey in room temperature unless it's in cold water and you change it as mentioned above. Otherwise, the turkey could become a breeding ground for bacteria.