Christmas tool

Christmas turkey calculator: how much to buy and when to roast it

Enter how many adults and children are eating and what time you want to serve: we tell you what size turkey to buy, how many hours to thaw it, how long it roasts and what time to start each step. It uses the same figures as our juicy roast turkey recipe; they are a guide, and the thermometer has the final word.

For 10 people you need

Whole raw turkey, bone in 5.5 kg

Amounts and times

Time in the oven: 3 h 15 min
Thaw in the refrigerator: 66 h
Fine salt for the dry brine: 33 g
Herb butter: 165 g
Stock for the roasting pan: 550 ml

Your schedule, step by step

Worked out backwards from the serving time. Each step shows the day and the time.

4 days before 23:05

Move the turkey from the freezer to the refrigerator
It needs 10 to 12 hours per kilo: we allow 66 hours for a 5.5 kg turkey. Never thaw it at room temperature. If you fall behind, submerge it in its sealed bag in cold water (about 7 hours) and change the water every 30 minutes.
The day before 17:05

Dry-brine the turkey and refrigerate it uncovered
33 g of fine salt mixed with pepper, inside and out, 24 hours before roasting (12 at the very least). The skin dries out and turns crisp.
The same day 16:05

Take the turkey out of the refrigerator and set up the pan
One hour before roasting (never more than 2). Spread the 165 g of herb butter, half under the skin and the rest on top, and put the vegetables in the pan with 550 ml of stock.
The same day 17:05

Put the turkey in the oven at 200 °C (390 °F)
In a preheated oven, with the rack in the lower part. In total, 3 h 15 min of roasting: 35 minutes per kilo.
The same day 17:35

Lower the oven to 170 °C (340 °F)
After 30 minutes, once the skin is golden.
The same day 18:35

Cover the breast with foil and start taking its temperature
At the hour-and-a-half mark, probe the thickest part of the thigh without touching the bone. The breast is perfect between 72 and 74 °C (162 to 165 °F).
The same day 20:20

Take the turkey out when the thigh reads 74 °C (165 °F)
The thermometer rules, not the clock: if it reaches 74 °C earlier, take it out anyway. Cover it loosely with foil and rest it for 30 to 40 minutes so the juices spread through the meat.
The same day 21:00

Carve and serve
Slice the breast against the grain into 1 cm slices and serve on a warm platter with the gravy.

Reference figures for a whole, unstuffed turkey, by raw weight, bone in. Every oven and every turkey is different: the thermometer rules, not the clock. With a fan oven, lower the temperature by 10 to 15 °C and start checking earlier.

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How much turkey to buy for 4 to 20 people

Amounts for adults, with the usual portion (550 g per adult) and a frozen turkey. For children, leftovers or another serving time, use the calculator above.

Turkey size, oven time, thawing time and salt by number of adults
Adults	Turkey (kg)	Oven	Thaw in the refrigerator (h)	Salt (g)
4	3	1 h 45 min	36	18
6	3.5	2 h 5 min	42	21
8	4.5	2 h 40 min	54	27
10	5.5	3 h 15 min	66	33
12	7	4 h 5 min	84	42
15	2 × 4.5	2 h 40 min	54	27
20	2 × 5.5	3 h 15 min	66	33

How we calculate

Whole raw turkey, bone in: 450 g per adult if there are other main dishes, 550 g as the usual portion and 700 g if you want leftovers for sandwiches. It is the 500 to 600 g range of our recipe.
Children: half of an adult.
Size: rounded up to 0.5 kg, with 3 kg as the minimum (the smallest whole turkey you usually find) and a maximum of 8 kg per turkey; if more is needed, we split it into two or more turkeys.
Oven: 30 minutes at 200 °C and then at 170 °C, with 35 minutes per kilo in total (rounded up in 5-minute steps). It comes out when the thigh reads 74 °C.
Rest: 40 minutes, covered, before carving (the range is 30 to 40).
Thawing: 10 to 12 hours per kilo in the refrigerator (we plan with 12) or 1.2 hours per kilo in cold water.
Dry brine: 24 hours before roasting, with 6 g of fine salt per kilo (0.6 % of the weight); if you are short on time, 12 hours at minimum.
Herb butter: 30 g per kilo; stock for the roasting pan: 100 ml per kilo.

These are not measurements: every oven and every turkey is different. Use a kitchen thermometer and take the turkey out when the thickest part of the thigh reads 74 °C.

How to buy and plan the turkey

Frozen or fresh A frozen turkey needs several days of thawing in the refrigerator; a fresh one can be salted right away, but it is best to order it ahead.
Measure the oven and the refrigerator A turkey of 6 kg or more takes up almost a whole shelf. Before buying it, check that it fits in the oven with its pan and in the refrigerator while it thaws and brines.
A kitchen thermometer It is the only thing that tells you for sure when the turkey is done: the oven time is a guide. Probe the thickest part of the thigh, without touching the bone.
Stuffing on the side Inside the cavity it slows the cooking and dries out the breast. Cook it in a dish and fill the turkey with onion, orange and herbs, as in the recipe.

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about the Christmas turkey

Short answers, with the same figures the calculator uses.

How much turkey should I allow per person?

Between 500 and 600 g of raw, bone-in whole turkey per adult: the calculator uses 550 g. With other main dishes or many children, 450 g is enough; if you want leftovers for sandwiches, allow 700 g. Each child counts as half an adult.

How big a turkey do I need for 10 people?

For 10 adults, a 5.5 kg turkey. With other main dishes 4.5 kg is enough, and if you want leftovers it is worth going up to 7 kg. The table above gives the figures for 4 to 20 people.

How many days ahead should I thaw the turkey?

In the refrigerator it needs 10 to 12 hours per kilo: a 5.5 kg turkey takes about 66 hours, almost three days. If you also want to dry-brine it for 24 hours, start about 4 days before dinner: to serve at 9 pm on the 24th, move it from the freezer to the refrigerator on the night of the 20th. Never thaw it at room temperature.

How long does a 5 kg turkey take in the oven?

About 3 hours: 35 minutes per kilo in total, with the first 30 minutes at 200 °C (390 °F) and the rest at 170 °C (340 °F). A 5.5 kg turkey needs 3 h 15 min. It is a guide: it is done when the thigh reads 74 °C (165 °F), and then it has to rest for 30 to 40 minutes.

What time does the turkey go in the oven for dinner at 9 pm?

For a 5.5 kg turkey, at 17:05: that is 3 h 15 min in the oven and 40 minutes of rest before carving. Take the turkey out of the refrigerator one hour earlier, at 16:05, and dry-brine it 24 hours before roasting, at 17:05 the day before. If you eat at another time, type it into the calculator and the whole schedule is recalculated.

Can I cook a turkey straight from frozen?

It is safe, but it takes at least 50 % longer and you cannot dry-brine it or rub butter under the skin until it thaws. If you fall behind, it is better to thaw it in cold water: submerge it in its sealed bag and change the water every 30 minutes, at 1.2 hours per kilo (7 hours for 5.5 kg).

How long do turkey leftovers keep?

A portion of 700 g per adult leaves enough for sandwiches over the following days. Refrigerate the meat within 2 hours of cooking and eat it within 3 days.