kiwiWhen to start cooking Thanksgiving dinner
Work backwards from the time you want to eat. The bird sets the clock: it roasts by weight, rests 20 to 30 minutes, and takes another 20 to carve and plate. Everything else fits around it.
If dinner is at 4:00
| Turkey (unstuffed) | Roast at 325°F | Into the oven by | Out of the oven by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 to 12 lb | 2¾ to 3 h | 12:10 PM | 3:10 PM |
| 12 to 14 lb | 3 to 3¾ h | 11:25 AM | 3:10 PM |
| 14 to 18 lb | 3¾ to 4¼ h | 10:55 AM | 3:10 PM |
| 18 to 20 lb | 4¼ to 4½ h | 10:40 AM | 3:10 PM |
| 20 to 24 lb | 4½ to 5 h | 10:10 AM | 3:10 PM |
Roasting times are the USDA's for an unstuffed bird at 325°F; a stuffed bird takes 30 to 45 minutes longer. A thermometer decides, not the clock: 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh. Eating at 2:00 or 6:00? Move every time by two hours.
The rest of the day, counting back
- The weekend before: a frozen turkey thaws in the fridge at about a day per 4 pounds, finished before the brine. A 14-pound bird brined Wednesday night goes from the freezer to the fridge on Saturday for Thursday.
- Wednesday: the make-ahead work — cranberry sauce, the stuffing assembled in its dish, the casseroles assembled, the pie baked, the vegetables chopped.
- Thursday morning: the bird comes out of the fridge an hour before it goes in; the oven preheats in the last 20 minutes of that hour, not the first.
- While it roasts: potatoes peeled and started, the gravy base, the table.
- When it comes out: the oven is free. The stuffing and the casseroles go in now, at one temperature, and finish while the bird rests and is carved. Two oven racks hold one sheet pan or two 9×13 dishes each, so a third casserole waits for the first to come out — a side that lands five minutes after the turkey is hotter at the table, not late.
- The last 20 minutes: carve, finish the gravy from the drippings, mash the potatoes, plate.
Kiwi's five Thanksgiving plans do this arithmetic for the whole menu: every dish's steps are placed on one timeline from the time you want to eat, with the oven's two racks and the bird's rest accounted for, and a "Next step in N minutes" line under every long wait.
Let Kiwi do the counting
Pick one of five Thanksgiving plans and Kiwi writes the grocery list for every dish, lays the prep out across the week, and times Thursday so the dishes finish together. Free, no card.
Get the plans free See the five menusCommon questions
How long does a 14-pound turkey take to cook?
Unstuffed at 325°F, about 3 to 3¾ hours by the USDA's table, then 20 to 30 minutes of rest before carving. It is done at 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh, whatever the clock says.
When should I take the turkey out of the fridge?
About an hour before it goes in the oven, so it is not fridge-cold at the centre. Preheat the oven in the last 20 minutes of that hour.
How long should the turkey rest?
20 to 30 minutes, loosely tented with foil. The juices settle, the carving is cleaner, and it is the window in which the sides finish in the now-empty oven.
What goes in the oven while the turkey rests?
The stuffing and the casseroles, at one temperature. A home oven's two racks hold one sheet pan or two 9×13 dishes each, so a third dish waits for the first to come out; a side that finishes a few minutes after the turkey arrives hotter at the table.
When should I thaw a frozen turkey?
In the fridge, allow about a day for every 4 pounds, finished before the brine. For a Thursday dinner brined Wednesday night, a 14-pound turkey moves from the freezer to the fridge on Saturday and a 20-pound bird on Friday. Kiwi works out the day for your bird’s weight.