This is when the mother's way may not be the right way.

The holidays are approaching, and if you are in charge of cooking—or just want to check mom’s food hygiene—you may have a question: Is it okay to defrost turkey on the kitchen counter?

The short answer is that it is not. Of course, you can eat turkey thawed on the counter. We have grown up eating turkey overnight, but this is not recommended by modern food scientists. Conversely, both the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Butterball turkey professionals have stated that the best option for defrosting frozen birds is in the refrigerator or in cold water.

If you buy fresh turkey from a farmer’s market, farm, or grocery store, you don’t need to thaw it. However, if you order a frozen bird, here is a safer way to defrost (sorry, mom):

To thaw turkey in the refrigerator, leave it in its packaging or packaging, and then place the turkey on a tray in the refrigerator with the breasts facing up. Then, just leave it alone. Although this method is simple, you do need to plan ahead. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends defrosting every four pounds of turkey for at least one day. This means that it takes five days for your large 20-pound fish to defrost properly in the refrigerator. Once the bird is thawed, it must be cooked within a few days.

For example, a 16-pound bird needs to be thawed in the refrigerator for about four days and can be safely stored in the refrigerator for at least two days. So thaw the turkey in the refrigerator six days before Thanksgiving. (Also, be sure to thank your middle school math teacher for giving you the skills to solve this problem!)

If you don’t have a few days to thaw your turkey — or can’t make room in the refrigerator — the cold water method is another easy option. First, find a container large enough to hold the turkey. (In a pinch, a large cooler, canning pot, or even a bathtub will work.) Put the turkey in a wrapper, put the turkey breast down in your container, and cover the turkey completely with enough cold water. Change the water every 30 minutes so that the turkey stays cold when it is thawed. It is important to note that if your container is too small and your turkey is not completely covered with cold water, please rotate it every 30 minutes or so to keep it cold. It takes at least 30 minutes per pound of turkey to defrost completely, so plan accordingly. After thawing the turkey in this way, cook it immediately.

If you are really on a budget and have a large microwave oven, the USDA says you can defrost a bird in a microwave oven. The agency recommends checking your user manual and following the defrosting instructions. They say that as a general rule, it’s best to set aside 6 minutes per pound and make sure to spin and flip the turkey a few times when defrosting. If it starts cooking instead of thawing, let the bird rest for a few minutes before continuing the thawing process. After the turkey is finally thawed, cook it immediately.