Man shares how to completely defrost a turkey in just four hours

The most wonderful time of the year is finally upon us, and for many, this means the most wonderful dinner of the year too.

However, as we all know, there are some things that shouldn't be left to the last minute at Christmas... like defrosting your turkey. But don't panic if this is what you've done:

While in an ideal world, your turkey would be defrosted in plenty of time for the big day, if yours is still frozen, there is a solution.

Just expect to wait about four hours before it's ready to cook... but hey, that's much better than no turkey at all.

The handy hack was shared on TikTok around Thanksgiving, and it could be a total lifesaver for some people today.

"Ideally, the best way to defrost a turkey is in the refrigerator," said TikTok user Hammer Thyme. "This is gonna take around four hours per pound.

"You're thinking a few days for a turkey that weighs around 15 pounds.

"Well, I just did not plan that far ahead.

"So I'm gonna put [my turkey] in cold water.

"Okay, and that's gonna take around 30 minutes per pound. If I have a 12 pound turkey, that's gonna take six hours."

Hammer Thyme went on to explain that you can use basically any container for this method - the only requirement is that the turkey fits inside entirely.

TikTok / @its_hammer_thyme

You then need to completely submerge your turkey in cold water.

The TikToker said that you can ensure the turkey stays submerged by putting some plates on top of it to keep it - or them - in place.

After all, the last thing you want is for a small part of your turkey to remain frozen for too long.

"I'm gonna rotate this water every 30 minutes," Hammer Thyme explained - meaning that the water itself needs changed that often.

"About four and a half, five hours later, there you have it," he went on to say, showing off his two deforested turkeys.

Now, obviously, this is is a hack that's going to vary in speed depending on the size of your turkey, so fingers crossed that yours isn't a monster bird and can be deforested in around this time.

Once you've thawed your turkey, naturally, it's a good idea to cook, prepare and consume the meat in a timely manner to stop it going bad.

Butterball recommends cooking a turkey within four days of defrosting it.