Purchasing a turkey so that it has time to thaw and can be prepared before the holiday has always involved some planning and preparation. First, you'll need to decide whether to buy a fresh or frozen turkey. While both birds are very similar taste-wise, they each have their own timeline and storage requirements leading up to the big day. Here, we share when to buy a turkey for Thanksgiving and the best way to store it before cooking.
When to Buy a Frozen Thanksgiving Turkey
If you opt to go the frozen route for Thanksgiving, you can buy your turkey up to a year in advance and freeze it as is. In fact, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), a frozen turkey can stay in the freezer indefinitely but should be cooked within a year for the best quality.
Assuming you don't want to keep a turkey in the freezer that long, feel free to shop around and buy a bird a few weeks before Thanksgiving. In addition to giving you some time to find the best price in your area, buying a turkey with a few weeks to spare also ensures you won't be bird-less since stores may run low in stock closer to the holiday. So long as you have space in your organized freezer, a frozen turkey purchased in early or mid-November will taste downright delicious on the fourth Thursday of the month, as long as you thaw it properly.
Learn how long to thaw a turkey with our detailed guide and handy chart.
If you don’t have a ton of freezer space, you can also work backward to decide when to buy a frozen turkey. In other words, instead of buying a frozen turkey a few weeks ahead of time and keeping it in the freezer until you’re ready to thaw it, you can simply buy a frozen bird with a few days to spare and store it in your refrigerator so it can begin the thawing process right away. The downside of this approach is that it leaves you less time to find a turkey, and you also need to plan ahead to make sure you time the thawing correctly.
As a general rule of thumb, it takes about a day for every four pounds of frozen turkey to thaw. So if you’ve got a 16-pound bird, you’re looking at a four-day process, meaning you should buy the turkey four days in advance.
When to Buy a Fresh Thanksgiving Turkey
The primary benefit of buying a fresh turkey is that you don’t need to account for any thawing time. However, since fresh turkeys are well, not frozen, they don’t keep for nearly as long as their colder counterparts. You should only buy a fresh bird about a day or two before you intend to cook it, so plan to procure your fresh turkey no earlier than two days before Thanksgiving.
How to Store Your Turkey
It's important to properly store your turkey so it stays fresh and will be at its best quality when cooking for Thanksgiving. Avoid a Thanksgiving mishap by planning ahead of time. See the best way to store your turkey, depending on if it's frozen or fresh.
Storing a Frozen Turkey
A frozen turkey should be kept frozen until you're ready to thaw it. As mentioned, you can keep it frozen indefinitely, though it's best to use it within a year. Keep the turkey in its original wrapper, and once it is moved from the freezer to the fridge, place it on a tray or pan to catch any juices that may leak.
Storing a Fresh Turkey
If you’re not going to cook your fresh turkey immediately after buying it, you’ll need to place it in the refrigerator until just before it’s ready to go in the oven. Remember: Fresh turkeys should be cooked within two days. To properly store a fresh turkey in the fridge, place it on a tray or pan to catch any juices that may leak, and make sure there’s no leakage onto any other foods.
Frequently Asked Questions
What to Do If Your Thanksgiving Turkey Is Still Frozen
FAQs
A raw, fresh turkey should be stored for no longer than two days in the refrigerator. So if you're buying fresh and want to keep it that way, you'll have to make the purchase right before Thanksgiving. Still looking for a fresh, local bird? Don't wait to reserve one.
How far in advance can I buy a fresh turkey for Thanksgiving? ›
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.
Is it better to buy fresh or frozen turkey? ›
Fresh turkeys will hold their moisture better than frozen turkeys, bringing out a meaty texture with deeper natural flavors. It is best to preorder a fresh turkey with your local butcher and arrange to pick it up a few days before the holiday.
Should you put Thanksgiving turkey in the fridge or freezer? ›
The answer is simple: leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for three to four days. This means you have until the Monday after Thanksgiving to eat all those delicious leftovers or place them in the freezer to enjoy later. If you store leftovers in the freezer, they will be of best quality within 2-6 months.
How long can I keep fresh turkey in the fridge before cooking? ›
If properly stored, raw turkey can last in the fridge for 1–2 days, while cold cuts last up to 5 days. How long does cooked turkey last in the fridge? If you have leftovers that include cooked turkey, you can expect those to last in the refrigerator for 3–4 days.
How long can fresh butterball turkey stay in the fridge? ›
If you are not confident about the temperature of your refrigerator, cook or freeze the turkey within 4 days of purchase. Storage of Leftovers: Carve leftover turkey into slices before refrigerating to speed cooling. Refrigerate carved leftovers within 2 hours of eating. Use leftover turkey within 3 days.
How many days can Thanksgiving turkey stay in the fridge? ›
USDA recommends using cooked turkey within 3 to 4 days, kept refrigerated (40°F or less). Refrigeration slows but does not stop bacterial growth. Turkey can be frozen for 3 to 4 months.
Does a fresh turkey need to be thawed? ›
It is perfectly safe to cook a turkey from the frozen state; it will just take longer to cook. A solidly frozen turkey will take at least 50 percent longer to cook than a thawed turkey. If your turkey is only partially frozen, remember that it will take a bit longer to cook.
Are Butterball turkeys fresh or frozen? ›
Butterball Fresh Whole Turkey is all natural*, never frozen, gluten free, and raised without hormones on American farms. Every fresh turkey is pre-brined before packaging for meat that's always tender and juicy. *All natural means minimally processed and no artificial ingredients.
Does freezing a fresh turkey affect taste? ›
Because of the way the birds are raised and what they are fed, there can be a noticeable taste difference between fresh and frozen.
It takes 24 hours for every four to five pounds of weight for a turkey to thaw in the refrigerator (a 15-pound turkey will take three days to thaw in your refrigerator). A completely thawed turkey can remain in the refrigerator for one or two days before cooking.
When should I take my 20 pound turkey out of the freezer? ›
Refrigerator thawing times for a frozen whole turkey:
- 4 to 12 pounds: 1 to 3 days ahead.
- 12 to 16 pounds: 3 to 4 days ahead.
- 16 to 20 pounds: 4 to 5 days ahead.
- 20 to 24 pounds: 5 to 6 days ahead.
Here is a general rule of thumb on when to move your turkey from the freezer to the refrigerator, according to the USDA:
- 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.
However, since fresh turkeys are well, not frozen, they don't keep for nearly as long as their colder counterparts. You should only buy a fresh bird about a day or two before you intend to cook it, so plan to procure your fresh turkey no earlier than two days before Thanksgiving.
Is a 2 year frozen turkey safe to eat? ›
Keep frozen until you're ready to thaw it. Turkeys can be kept in the freezer indefinitely. However, cook turkeys within 1 year for the best quality.
Can I freeze cooked turkey after 3 days? ›
If your turkey has been properly handled, you can refrigerate and eat it for up to four days. If you are planning to freeze it, it's best to freeze it within one day of cooking for optimal texture and taste. However, leftover turkey can be frozen after three days and it will be fine.
How long does uncooked ground turkey last in the fridge? ›
You may store uncooked ground poultry in the refrigerator 1 to 2 days. After cooking, you may keep it 3 to 4 days. Frozen raw poultry is best used in 3 to 4 months; cooked ground poultry, 2 to 3 months.
Can Thanksgiving turkey be made ahead of time? ›
Roasting your turkey ahead will save you the time spent testing and carving, allowing you to spend more time with your guests. It's easy: Simply cook it a day or two in advance, let it cool completely, then carve the bird into large pieces—breasts, wings, thighs and drumsticks.
How many days in advance can you season a turkey? ›
You can dry brine your turkey the night before or as far in advance as two days.
How long before Thanksgiving are turkeys slaughtered? ›
Turkeys can live to be 10 years old, but are slaughtered at 14 to 18 weeks, about 2 percent of their natural life span. In these cramped places, you might imagine that turkeys would become aggressive and injure each other.
