Who Needs a Tiny Turkey? (2024)

FAQs

Who Needs a Tiny Turkey? ›

If you're hosting a vegetarian-leaning group, your family and friends prefer side dishes or you're serving an alternative Thanksgiving entree, then you may want to buy a tiny turkey even if you're serving a larger group.

While you may be accustomed to seeing a 20-pound turkey in the center of the dining room table, a smaller one ranges from about 5 to 10 pounds. An 8-pound turkey is a perfect size if you're entertaining up to six people. And if you're hosting a group of eight people, a 10-pound turkey should be perfect.

The general rule of thumb is 1–1½ pounds turkey per person. If that seems like a lot, remember that a whole turkey comes with a lot of parts that don't end up getting eaten. “When you buy a whole turkey, a lot of it is bone,” says recipe developer (and former BA staffer) Jessie YuChen.

You'll find that most "small turkeys" range in size from 10 to 14 pounds, although you may be able to find them as small as 6 pounds.

To buy the right size turkey for your party, simply tally up the turkey-eating guests. Add a few pounds on for bones and you've got your turkey weight. For example, 8 hungry people will require at least 12 pounds, but you might want to skew to a 14-pound turkey to be safe.

While 1 pound per person could feel like too little, and 1 1/2 pounds for each guest might be over-doing it, 1 1/4 pounds of turkey per mouth is the perfect balance. At that rate, feeding a large party of 15 or more people requires 20+ pounds of turkey.

Sometimes, the thighs and legs of a turkey are simply more tender braised, whether the bird is big or small. A small bird, however, can spend less time in the oven so the breast meat stands a better chance at being less dry.

Publix Fresh Half Turkey, All Natural, Usda Inspected, Grade A.

The Midget White is a breed of domestic turkey named for its white plumage and small stature. The breed is the smallest standard variety of turkey, and with toms at roughly 13 lbs and hens 8-10 lbs, it weighs only slightly more than the largest chickens.

How long does a fresh turkey last in the fridge? ›

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. Do not follow the 'sell by' date on the label.

The source measured large turkeys as "16+ pounds", average turkeys as "13-15 pounds", small turkeys as "7-12 pounds", and tiny turkeys as "6 or less".

It's a fully grown, small breed bird with the same Diestel Family Ranch flavor you'd find in a bird four times its size. Translation: this guy makes it easy to win dinner on a whim with big, bold turkey taste ready in a whole lot less time. Product is available in select retail stores. Sizes may vary from 6-10 lbs.

Perfect for smaller gatherings, a Li'l Butterball is a small whole turkey. Li'l Butterball turkeys have all the wow factor of a traditional whole turkey, but at a smaller weight so they cook faster and provide fewer servings. Frozen Li'l Butterball turkey is all natural* and gluten free.

How much turkey you'll need for a small group. Four guests: 5 lbs. Six guests: 8 lbs. Eight guests: 10 lbs.

You can assume about 40% to 50% of every turkey is bone or parts that won't be eaten. That means for every pound of turkey, guests will get about eight to nine ounces of meat.

The most straightforward approach is to roast an unstuffed turkey, breast-side up, for 13 minutes per pound of turkey at 350°. That works out to approximately 3 hours for a 12- to 14-pound bird (a 12-pound turkey is pretty standard).

How Much Turkey Breast to Buy. One (3-pound) half-breast will feed two to four people. A whole (six- to seven-pound) turkey breast (two breasts, still joined at the breast bone) will feed six to eight people.

While opinions differ, in general, most will tell you that you should plan to serve between 1 and 1.5 pounds of bone-in turkey per person, whether that's a whole turkey or just the bone-in breast.