When to Buy a Turkey (How Far in Advance)

I still remember my first Thanksgiving in charge: I planned every dish perfectly—except buying the turkey.

Over the years, I’ve learned the timing for buying fresh vs. frozen turkey is key, with tips from my butcher along the way.

Here’s what you need to know about buying your turkey in advance.

Quick Summary

How Far in Advance Can You Buy a Turkey?

How far in advance you can buy a turkey depends if you’re buying a fresh or frozen turkey.

Frozen Turkey

You can buy a frozen turkey from the grocery store up to a year before you plan to eat it. According to the USDA, a frozen turkey can stay frozen forever but will keep its quality for one year [1].

Even though you can technically buy a turkey a year in advance, it’s better to wait until closer to the Thanksgiving date. It’s best to miss the first wave of frozen turkeys, as these tend to be leftover from the year before.

Overall, if you have enough freezer space, you can buy a turkey around mid-November and keep it frozen for a few weeks until Thanksgiving. Keep in mind a frozen turkey has to stay frozen until you’re ready to cook it.

If you don’t have enough freezer space for a large bird, buy a frozen turkey a few days before Thanksgiving day. Store it in the fridge so it starts thawing straight away. This approach means you need to carefully calculate the thawing time. A general rule is that it takes one day to thaw four pounds of turkey.

For example, a 16-pound turkey needs four days to thaw, which means you should buy it four days before Thanksgiving.

Fresh Turkey

It’s best to get a fresh turkey a day or two before you plan to cook it [2].

“Buy a fresh turkey one to two days before the day you plan to cook. If there is a 'best-by' or 'use-by' date on the manufacturer's label, then you can keep fresh poultry, unopened, in the refrigerator until that date.”

- USDA

Note: While it’s best to buy a fresh turkey a day or two before the Thanksgiving dinner, you risk there not being any turkeys left in your local grocery store. Some stores let you reserve a turkey. This is a good option to ensure you won’t be left scrambling for a turkey at the last minute.

If you buy a raw turkey from a local farm, and if this turkey hasn’t been frozen before, the rules are different. You have up to ten days before you need to cook and eat it. This is because you know exactly how fresh a turkey from a farmer is.

However, you never know how many days have passed for a grocery store turkey, which is why you need to eat it within two days.

How to Store a Turkey?

How to store a turkey depends on whether you’re storing fresh turkeys or frozen turkeys. Store a fresh bird in the fridge for up to two days. Place fresh turkeys on a large plate or a disposable pan so the juices don’t leak on the other foods in your fridge.

The fridge temperature should be 40 degrees or below to prevent the spread of bacteria. This goes for raw and cooked turkey.

Pro tip: If you don’t have enough fridge space for your heritage turkeys, store them in a cooler with hard sides. Place ice packs in the cooler, and replace the ice once or twice a day to prevent the spread of bacteria.

If you’re storing a frozen Thanksgiving turkey, wrap it tightly and place it in the bottom of the freezer. This ensures the turkey isn’t exposed to warm air when you open the freezer and also prevents freezer burn.

Finally, date the package so you’ll know when you placed the bird in the freezer.

Related Articles: 

• How to Tell if a Turkey Is Bad
• How to Tell if a Turkey Is Thawed
• How Long Will Turkey Last in the Fridge

Tips on Buying a Turkey

Here’s what to keep in mind when shopping for a turkey:

• Inspect the vacuum seal — Turkeys at the grocery stores are vacuum sealed. Check to make sure the vacuum seal is tight and hasn’t cracked. If it’s cracked, the air has gotten in the package, and the Thanksgiving turkey won’t hold up as long.
• Get the right size fresh turkey — You need one pound of turkey per person and about seven pounds over that. For example, if you’re hosting eight people, you need a 15-pound turkey. However, smaller turkeys are more tender than larger ones, so you can get two turkeys if you’re feeding many people.
• Get a free-range or pasture-raised Thanksgiving turkey — These fresh turkeys are more expensive than regular ones. However, they are more flavorful. The birds are allowed to go outdoors and have room to roam which results in better meat.

FAQs

References:

1. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/poultry/
2. https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/How-soon-before-cooking-should-you-buy-a-fresh-turkey