How big a turkey to buy, the day it goes into the fridge, and the minute it goes into the oven, worked back from your dinner time. Every number is USDA’s.
Send the whole plan to a checklist: the thaw day, the oven, the thermometer, the leftovers. Share the link with whoever is cooking.
The checklist is a free Online List Maker list: share the link with whoever is cooking, tick things off, and it updates on every phone. No sign-up.
USDA’s figure for dinner. Want leftovers? Go bigger. How much turkey per person.
That is the fridge thaw, and it is the step people miss: a 20-pound turkey has to be in the fridge by the weekend before. Thawing calculator.
Oven no lower than 325 °F; done at 165 °F in the thigh, wing and breast. The chart only gets you close. Cooking time calculator.
Oven at 325 °F, turkey on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.
| Turkey weight | Time at 325 °F |
|---|---|
| 4 to 8 pounds (breast) | 1½ to 3¼ hours |
| 8 to 12 pounds | 2¾ to 3 hours |
| 12 to 14 pounds | 3 to 3¾ hours |
| 14 to 18 pounds | 3¾ to 4¼ hours |
| 18 to 20 pounds | 4¼ to 4½ hours |
| 20 to 24 pounds | 4½ to 5 hours |
| Turkey weight | Time at 325 °F |
|---|---|
| 6 to 8 pounds (breast) | 2½ to 3½ hours |
| 8 to 12 pounds | 3 to 3½ hours |
| 12 to 14 pounds | 3½ to 4 hours |
| 14 to 18 pounds | 4 to 4¼ hours |
| 18 to 20 pounds | 4¼ to 4¾ hours |
| 20 to 24 pounds | 4¾ to 5¼ hours |
USDA’s chart stops at 24 pounds. Cooking from frozen takes at least 50% longer than the times above.
About 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds, at 40 °F or below.
| 4 to 12 pounds | 1 to 3 days |
| 12 to 16 pounds | 3 to 4 days |
| 16 to 20 pounds | 4 to 5 days |
| 20 to 24 pounds | 5 to 6 days |
About 30 minutes per pound, water changed every 30 minutes.
| 4 to 12 pounds | 2 to 6 hours |
| 12 to 16 pounds | 6 to 8 hours |
| 16 to 20 pounds | 8 to 10 hours |
| 20 to 24 pounds | 10 to 12 hours |
A turkey thawed in the fridge keeps 1 to 2 days there and can be refrozen. One thawed in cold water or the microwave has to be cooked right away.
Who brings what: a Thanksgiving potluck sign-up sheet (free, printable or one link for the family chat). After dinner: Thanksgiving bingo.
USDA says 1 pound per person (1¼ pounds for a frozen pre-stuffed turkey). For leftovers, plan more; we use 1½ pounds a person.
Allow 24 hours in the refrigerator for every 4 to 5 pounds, counting back from the morning you cook. A 20-pound turkey needs 4 to 5 days.
Set the oven no lower than 325 °F. The turkey is safe at 165 °F in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast.
USDA suggests 20 minutes before carving, so the juices set and it carves more easily.
Cooking, thawing and safety numbers are USDA's. Three are ours and say so: 30 minutes to heat the oven, 10 minutes to carve after the rest, and 1½ pounds a person if you want leftovers.
Times and temperatures: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Let’s Talk Turkey: A Consumer Guide to Safely Roasting a Turkey. USDA’s times are approximate; the thermometer decides. Questions on the day: USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline, 1-888-674-6854.