Not the way most people mean it. A turkey sitting in a sink of warm or standing water is not safe. The sink is fine as a tub for cold water thawing, done by the rules below.
Standing water warms up to room temperature. The outside of the bird then sits warm for hours while the inside is still frozen. That warm layer is where bacteria grow. Warm or hot water makes it worse, faster.
It is the USDA cold water method, with the sink as the tub. It runs 30 minutes per pound. Seal the bird in a leak-proof plastic bag. Submerge it in cold tap water. Change the water every 30 minutes. Cook it right after it thaws. Cover the bird fully. The water changes are not a detail: fresh cold water every 30 minutes is what keeps the bird cold while it thaws.
| Weight | Cold water time |
|---|---|
| 12 lb | 6 hours |
| 16 lb | 8 hours |
| 20 lb | 10 hours |
| 24 lb | 12 hours |
Full steps: thawing a turkey in cold water. When it is done, wash the sink and anything the raw turkey touched with hot, soapy water.
No time to trade water every 30 minutes? The fridge does the whole job, over days, with no watching. Dates by weight: how long to thaw a turkey.
USDA's third safe way is the microwave: follow your oven manual for size and timing, and cook the turkey right after it thaws. Never thaw a turkey on the counter. The outside warms up hours before the inside thaws. Bacteria grow in that warm layer.
Tell the calculator your weight and dinner time. Get your buy, thaw, brine, and roast dates. Or ask in your own words: "14 lb frozen turkey, dinner Thursday."