How it works
- Pick dinner. The time you want to carve and eat, on Thanksgiving (Thu, Nov 26) or any day from Nov 15 to Dec 31.
- Size the bird. Enter your guests for a suggested weight, then type the weight on the label of the turkey you bought.
- Work back from dinner. We leave time for the rest, then the longest roasting time in USDA's chart for your weight, and round the start down to 5 minutes.
- Then back from the oven. Fridge thaw, cold water or a fresh bird: you get the day and hour to start, and a warning if a thawed turkey would wait longer than USDA allows.
- Fit the sides. Side dishes go in while the turkey rests. If they don't fit, we show the clash and the changes that fix it. Then add it all to your calendar or print it.
Where the numbers come from
Every roasting and thawing time comes from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). For roasting, that's the 325 °F timetable in Turkey Basics: Safe Cooking (opens in a new tab):
| Weight | Unstuffed | Stuffed |
|---|---|---|
| 8 to 12 lb | 2¾ to 3 hours | 3 to 3½ hours |
| 12 to 14 lb | 3 to 3¾ hours | 3½ to 4 hours |
| 14 to 18 lb | 3¾ to 4¼ hours | 4 to 4¼ hours |
| 18 to 20 lb | 4¼ to 4½ hours | 4¼ to 4¾ hours |
| 20 to 24 lb | 4½ to 5 hours | 4¾ to 5¼ hours |
| Breast, 4 to 6 lb | 1½ to 2¼ hours | Not usually applicable |
| Breast, 6 to 8 lb | 2¼ to 3¼ hours | 2½ to 3½ hours |
For the fridge, FSIS says to allow approximately 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds. FSIS's own thawing calculator turns that into a range of days, and our math reproduces it exactly for every weight from 6 to 36 lb (16 lb: 3¼ to 4 days; 20 lb: 4 to 5 days). We plan on the slower end, 4 lb a day.
Two sizing numbers are not USDA's. We label them “common rule” wherever they appear:
- With leftovers: 1½ lb per adult.
- Kids: about ½ lb per child.
And these are our own planning rules, labeled “our rule” in the planner. Each has a reason:
- We plan on the long end of each USDA time range and tell you to start checking at the short end. That way the turkey is not late, and the thermometer, not the clock, decides when it is done.
- A weight on the edge of two USDA rows (12, 14, 18 or 20 lb) uses the heavier row. USDA's rows share their edges; the heavier row gives the longer time, which matches A1.
- Your oven holds 2 side dishes at once. You can change this to 1 to 4 under My oven. Two casserole dishes on two racks is a typical home oven; yours may differ.
- Changing the oven temperature between dishes takes 10 minutes. An oven needs time to get to the new setting before the next dish goes in.
- The turkey's rest may stretch to 45 minutes to free the oven for sides (60 if you allow it). The rest is oven time for your sides, and 45 to 60 minutes stays inside USDA's 2-hour limit for food left out.
- A wet brine “overnight” is 12 hours. USDA says to refrigerate a brine at least overnight; we count a night as 12 hours.
- Side-dish times and temperatures are our starting values; change them to your recipe's. Recipes vary. We never shorten your time; the planner only moves dishes.
One oven, many dishes
A turkey needs a rest before carving: USDA says 20 minutes. That rest is oven time for everything else. The planner puts your sides in after the turkey comes out, lowest temperature first and the hottest last, so the oven only climbs. Each change of temperature gets 10 minutes, and within one temperature the shortest dishes finish last, closest to dinner.
When the sides need more time than the rest, we stretch the rest up to 45 minutes (or 60 if you allow it). Past that, the oven is double-booked: the figure shades the clash, and the planner offers only the changes that actually fix it, like cooking one dish on the stovetop or in a toaster oven.
Thawing: fridge, cold water, or straight from frozen
Fridge is the hands-off way: about 24 hours per 4 to 5 lb at 40 °F or below. Once thawed, USDA says a turkey can stay in the refrigerator for 1 or 2 days before cooking, which is why the planner checks how long yours could wait.
Cold water is faster, about 30 minutes per lb, but it needs you: the turkey goes in a leak-proof bag, submerged in cold tap water, and you change the water every 30 minutes. Cook it immediately after.
Out of time? USDA says you can cook a turkey from frozen; it takes at least 50 percent longer, and you remove the giblets with tongs once they come loose. Never thaw on the counter: after more than 2 hours the outer layer sits in the Danger Zone, 40 to 140 °F. If it's getting late, the planner notices today's date and offers to switch.
Brining and the 2-day rule
USDA says to brine in the refrigerator, at least overnight, and that brined poultry may stay in the fridge up to 2 days after it's thawed. A dry brine can go up to 2 days, massaged every 8 to 12 hours. Brine time is fridge time, so the planner adds it to the wait after thawing and suggests a shorter brine when the total passes 2 days. A cold-water thaw means cooking right away, so brining is switched off for it.
Thermometer: where to check
A food thermometer decides, not the clock: 165 °F in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast. If you stuffed the bird, the center of the stuffing must reach 165 °F too. Check even if the turkey has a pop-up indicator. The planner tells you when to start checking: the short end of USDA's range.
Leftovers
Refrigerate turkey, stuffing and gravy within 2 hours of taking it out of the oven (1 hour above 90 °F); the plan and the calendar give you the exact time. Use leftovers within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 2 to 6 months, and reheat to 165 °F. Questions on the day? The USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline, 1-888-674-6854, is open Thanksgiving 8 am to 2 pm ET.
Looking for one number? See when to start thawing for every weight, or how big a turkey you need for your table.