How to Choose a Turkey

Do you know how to choose a turkey? Don’t get overwhelmed at the grocery store. Answer these easy questions, and you’ll choose the right turkey every time!

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Fresh or frozen? How big? Whole turkey or turkey breast? Organic? It doesn’t have to be very difficult to choose the right turkey for your big family dinner.

Should I buy a fresh or frozen turkey?

Whether you buy a fresh or frozen turkey is all about how much space you have to store the turkey, and when you’ll need to cook it.

When do you need to cook the turkey? A frozen turkey takes a few days to thaw. Count on 1 day of thawing time for every 5 pounds of turkey. (Read this post for turkey thawing tips.) If you’re cutting it close on time, you should buy a fresh turkey instead of a frozen turkey. If you will be buying a fresh turkey, don’t buy it too early. Be sure to check the date on the turkey’s label so you know how long you have to use it.
How much space is in your freezer? Even small turkeys take up a lot of freezer space. If you have plenty of space in your freezer (and plenty of time for the turkey to thaw) then go ahead and get a frozen turkey. If you’re short on freezer space, get a fresh turkey instead.
How much space is in your refrigerator? No matter where you’ll be storing your turkey until it’s time to eat, you’ll need to make some room. If you buy a fresh turkey, you need room in your refrigerator to store it. If you buy a frozen turkey, you’ll need room in the refrigerator (or in a large cooler) to thaw it.

What Size Turkey Do I Need?

Turkeys come in all sizes, from 12 pounds to 20 pounds and higher. How much turkey do you need?

How many people are you feeding? Plan on 1 pound of turkey for each person. So if you’re having 10 people over for dinner, you should get a turkey no smaller than 10 pounds.
Do you want leftovers? If you want leftovers, you’ll need a little more turkey. Plan on 1.5 pounds of turkey for each person if you want leftovers for the next day. So for 10 people, you’ll want a turkey that’s 15 pounds.
If you can’t find a turkey that is the right size, consider cooking two smaller turkeys, or one turkey and a turkey breast. If you’re worried about oven time, you can roast one turkey and fry the other, or roast a turkey breast in your slow cooker. Just be sure that your turkey will fit inside your roasting pan or slow cooker.

Butterball has a turkey size calculator on their website. Just put in the number of people, check the box for leftovers, even tell it if you’re expecting light eaters or heavy eaters! The calculator will tell you how much turkey you need for dinner.

Other Labels to Look for on Turkey

Some turkeys have all kinds of labels on their packaging. Let’s dig into some of those.

No hormones or steroids. All turkeys (and all poultry) are raised without hormones or steroids.
Gluten-free. Turkey is gluten free. Gluten is a protein that is found in wheat, barley, and rye. Some turkeys are basted or are injected with broth to keep them moist during cooking. While all turkey is gluten-free, this label means that any broth that was used is also gluten-free.
Organic. In order to be labeled organic, turkeys must be raised under certain conditions. They can never be given antibiotics or hormones (although hormones are not allowed to be given to any turkeys, even if they are not raised organically). Organic turkeys must also be fed an all-organic feed, and have some access to the outdoors.
Free-range. Free-range turkeys have to be provided shelter in a building, and have continuous access to the outdoors. There is no “cage-free” label for turkeys like there is for eggs because all turkeys in the United States are raised in cage-free buildings.
Natural. The label “natural” only means “no artificial ingredient or color added, and minimally processed.” This label has no meaning in terms of how the turkeys were raised or handled.

Do you want a printable cheat sheet so you don’t forget what you’re looking for? Click here to download your free printable.

Take the Fear Out of Turkey

Do you want even more tips about turkey? Check out these Top 10 Turkey Tips and never be afraid of cooking turkey again!

What turkey will you choose for your holiday celebrations?

Enjoy!

3 Ways to Take the Fear Out of Your Kitchen

3 More Recipes to Try

Want Even More Recipes?

Try one of these 17 Recipes for Turkey Leftovers.