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Are you in charge of cooking the turkey this year?  If you are, then the first thing you need to decide is how big of a turkey you need.  You will need to know how many people will be eating and if you want any leftovers.  Any easy rule of thumb is one pound per serving.  So if you plan on feeding 20 people, then you need a 20 pound turkey.  If you want some leftovers, then you might want to get a couple pounds more.

Next you need to decide if you are buying a fresh or frozen turkey.  If you are buying a fresh turkey, it will only be good in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.  So you won’t be able to purchase it more than 2 days in advance.  If you are buying a frozen turkey then you need to know how to properly thaw it.  The best way to defrost a turkey is in the refrigerator.  Please do not defrost the turkey at room temperture.  This is not safe.  The rule of thumb for defrosting a turkey is one day in the refrigerator for every 4 pounds.  If you buy a 20 pound turkey, then you will need to leave it in the refrigerator for 5 days for it to be fully thawed.  If you are short on time, then you can thaw your turkey by placing it in cold water.  It will need to stay in the cold water for 30 minutes per pound.  So a 20 pound turkey will take 10 hours to defrost in cold water.  Make sure that the water stays cold.

I usually don’t have enough room in my freezer for a turkey, so I wait until I can put it directly in the refrigerator.  This year I plan on buying a 24 pound turkey, so I will buy it the Thursday before Thanksgiving.  This will give it 6 days to defrost and one extra day to “brine” in the refrigerator.

If you are looking for a guide to tell you how many servings of stuffing, vegetables, and desserts, then Good House Keeping has a good one.

Good luck to all you Turkey preparers! I hope it turns out great!