Before you put a Thanksgiving turkey in your cart, check its weight, whether it is fresh or frozen and whether the label lists an added solution. Here is how to pick a turkey that fits your guest list, your refrigerator and your calendar, using guidance from USDA and university Extension programs. Start with your guest count, then work backward from the day you plan to cook.
The short answer: plan on 1 to 1½ pounds of uncooked whole turkey per person, choosing the higher end if you want leftovers. Buy fresh turkey 1 to 2 days before cooking, or buy frozen earlier and allow about 24 hours of refrigerator thawing for every 4 to 5 pounds. Check the label for added solution, avoid fresh pre-stuffed birds, and use a food thermometer, not the pop-up indicator alone, to confirm 165°F.
How big a turkey for your guest count (uncooked whole turkey):
Guests
At 1 lb per person (USDA)
At 1½ lb per person (Rutgers)
6
6 lb
9 lb
8
8 lb
12 lb
10
10 lb
15 lb
12
12 lb
18 lb
16
16 lb
24 lb
How to pick a turkey, step by step
1Start with the size
USDA’s “Let’s Talk Turkey” guide says to allow 1 pound of turkey per person, and 1¼ pounds per person for frozen pre-stuffed birds. Rutgers’ turkey bulletin suggests 1 to 1½ pounds of uncooked turkey per person, which it says yields about 10 ounces of cooked meat, enough for a meal and leftovers. Use the higher figure when leftovers matter.
Do this: start from the number of guests, then check that the bird will fit your oven and refrigerator. Our Thanksgiving cleaning checklist can help you clear the fridge space.
2Choose fresh or frozen by your schedule
Rutgers says USDA inspects both and “the quality is the same,” so the choice comes down to preference: fresh turkeys are ready to cook, while frozen ones can be bought months ahead. USDA says to buy a fresh turkey only 1 to 2 days before you plan to cook it, and that a frozen turkey keeps in the freezer indefinitely, though it is best cooked within a year. Under USDA labeling rules, a “fresh” turkey has never been below 26°F, the temperature at which poultry freezes (see the FSIS labeling terms).
Do this: buy fresh if you can shop within two days of cooking, and frozen if you are buying earlier. Either way, thaw a frozen bird in the refrigerator, because USDA says cooking one from frozen takes at least 50 percent longer.
3Read the label, but know what it does and doesn’t promise
USDA’s Meat and Poultry Labeling Terms page explains the wording:
Natural: no artificial ingredient or added color, and only minimally processed.
No hormones added: hormones are not allowed in raising poultry, so the claim must be followed by “Federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones.” It does not make one bird different from another.
Basted or self-basted: a bone-in bird injected or marinated with a solution must list the quantity and ingredients of that solution.
Kosher: used only on products prepared under rabbinical supervision.
Organic
