When to Buy a Turkey for Thanksgiving—and How to Store It

Follow our guide to see how long before Thanksgiving you should buy a turkey.

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.

Tips

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.

Tips

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

When should I order my turkey for Thanksgiving?

If you'll be ordering your turkey rather than buying it at your local grocery store, be sure to order it well in advance of Thanksgiving. Since many companies ship frozen turkeys, you can order yours a few months before the holiday rush and keep it in your freezer until ready to thaw.

Is it cheaper to buy a turkey before or after Thanksgiving?

Some stores have the best turkey prices right before the Thanksgiving holiday. Others may drop prices right after the holiday. You'll need to shop around and compare to see what works in your area. It may also make a difference if the turkey is frozen or fresh since stores can keep frozen turkeys in stock longer without worrying about them spoiling.

Related: What to Do If Your Thanksgiving Turkey Is Still Frozen—and 3 Ways to Fix It

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