What is the average turkey size for thanksgiving

Now if you want to make sure you have plenty of leftovers, you should aim to have about 1. In short, if you're entertaining 10 people, you should opt for a pound turkey, and for five guests and under, opt for a seven- to eight-pound bird. The chef adds that these weight measurements account for the bones inside, too. When in doubt, follow the rule of thumb of 1. A large group of turkeys is called a flock. Turkeys do not see well at night. A domesticated male turkey can reach a weight of 30 pounds within 18 weeks after hatching.

Turkeys are related to pheasants. Commercially raised turkeys cannot fly. Wild turkeys spend the night in trees. They prefer oak trees. Wild turkeys were almost wiped out in the early 's. Today there are wild turkeys in every state except Alaska. Wild turkeys can fly for short distances up to 55 mph and can run 20 mph. Turkeys are believed to have been brought to Britain in by Yorkshire man William Strickland.

He acquired six turkeys from American Indian traders and sold them for tuppence in Bristol. They wore booties to protect their feet. Turkeys were also walked to market in the United States.

Turkey breeding has caused turkey breasts to grow so large that the turkeys fall over. Since , the National Turkey Federation has presented a live turkey and two dressed turkeys to the President. The President does not eat the live turkey. He "pardons"it and allows it to live out its days on a historical farm. The five most popular ways to serve leftover turkey are in a sandwich, stew, chili or soup, casseroles and as a burger.

Eating turkey does not cause you to feel sleepy after your Thanksgiving dinner. This takes the weight of the bone into consideration. Thus, for example, a pound turkey, plus a 7-pound bone-in turkey breast, will feed around 12 people.

The reason bigger turkeys feed more people per pound is that it isn't the bones that get bigger as a turkey's overall weight increases, it's the breasts. Therefore, a larger bird will feature a higher ratio of white meat to bone.

Leaving you with one more reason to be thankful during this holiday season. If you love dessert, figure six slices per pie. This might mean modifying the serving sizes of your dinner items in order to save room for the additional dessert i. Alternately, you can simply figure you'll make room for it somehow. After all, that is what elastic waistbands are for.

The table below breaks out the quantities of each item you'll need for various numbers of servings:. The beer and wine quantities that are shown above assume that you're serving one or the other, not both. If you plan to serve beer and wine, simply halve both amounts. Assuming 5 glasses of wine per bottle, that works out to 3 drinks per person.

Frozen creamed spinach 6 10 oz. Potatoes 9 lbs. Frozen creamed spinach 8 10 oz. Cranberry Sauce. Butternut Squash. Sweet Potatoes. Mashed Potatoes.

More Side Dishes. Samantha MacAvoy Samantha MacAvoy joined the Good Housekeeping food team in March , where she writes about the latest tasty offerings from the Test Kitchen, must-try food trends, and top tips for home cooking success.