How long does it take to defrost a turkey?

I just defrosted my 20 lb turkey for Thanksgiving and I put it still wrapped in my kitchen sink and covered it with cold water. I changed the water every 30 mins. and it only took 2 hours to defrost.

I would leave it in the refridgerator for like 5 days. I know a 12 pound turkey took 3 days and was still a little frozen when removing giblets. I would say 5 should do it. Besides, if it defrosts in only 4 days one extra day in the fridge will not harm the turkey. Also, if you are in a pinch for time and need to defrost quickly you can place it in a CLEAN sink with water and keep changing out the water frequently. Hope that helps!

Hello! I'm not so familiar with american measures (I just live in Poland. :) ), but from my experience, a turkey- about 3.5 - -4.0 kg, (7-8 lbs.) needs around 6 hours to be defrosted. Usually it's better to left it for all night outside of refrigerator, but in fact, I prefer to buy the turkey just one day before I'll prepare it...

I know - it's really a big difference between our countries, but hope this helps. :)