Fresh or frozen turkey: what size per person and how to thaw it

In December, the whole turkey takes centre stage again, and with it come two decisions at the grocery store: fresh or frozen, and what size. The first matters less than you might think. The second matters a lot if you want to avoid running out of turkey at the réveillon, or eating it until January. And if you choose a frozen turkey, there is one step people often underestimate: thawing, which is measured in days, not hours.

Here is what Health Canada, the Quebec government, Turkey Farmers of Canada, Le Dindon du Québec (the consumer site of the Éleveurs de volailles du Québec, Quebec's chicken and turkey farmers) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) say, with a thawing chart by weight. Once your turkey is ready, our roast turkey recipe, with cooking times per kilo and the safe internal temperature takes over. For the rest of the meal, see our réveillon menu, dish by dish.

Fresh or frozen: what is the difference?

A frozen turkey is flash-frozen shortly after packaging, to -17°C (0°F) or lower, then kept frozen until it is sold, Turkey Farmers of Canada explains. A fresh turkey, on the other hand, is chilled instead of frozen. Le Dindon du Québec points out that every turkey must be chilled, by air or by water, to prevent bacteria from multiplying.

When it comes to quality, both farmers' organizations are categorical: there is no difference between a fresh and a frozen turkey. The difference is practical. A fresh turkey saves you days of thawing, but it does not keep as long, requires special handling and often costs more. A frozen one can be bought ahead, which lets you take advantage of sales, as long as you plan for thawing.

A labelling detail worth knowing: in Canada, meat and poultry that were frozen and then thawed before sale must carry the words "previously frozen" (in French, "produit décongelé"), on the label or on a sign placed right next to the product, under the Food and Drug Regulations. Look for it at the meat counter: it tells you that the "fresh" turkey in front of you has already been frozen. As for grades, Turkey Farmers of Canada says there is no difference in quality or taste between a Canada Grade A turkey and a Canada Utility turkey. The latter simply has a slightly torn skin or a missing part: a good choice if you carve the turkey before serving it.

When to buy it, and how long to keep it

A fresh turkey is a last-minute purchase. The USDA advises buying it only 1 or 2 days before you plan to cook it and keeping it in the fridge until then. For a réveillon on the evening of December 24, that means the 22nd or the 23rd. Go by the date printed on the package, which should be there according to Turkey Farmers of Canada; if not, ask the retailer. As a general rule, Health Canada recommends cooking fresh poultry within 2 to 3 days of purchase, and the Quebec government gives 1 to 3 days in the fridge for a whole turkey. Beyond that, freeze it. The USDA also advises against buying a fresh turkey that is already stuffed: any bacteria in the stuffing can multiply very quickly.

A frozen turkey can be bought weeks ahead. Well wrapped, it keeps for up to 1 year in the freezer according to Health Canada, and 10 to 12 months at -18°C or colder according to the Quebec government. The real catch is space: before buying, make sure it will fit in your freezer, then in your fridge while it thaws, on a tray on the bottom shelf. And check that it will fit in your oven.

What size per person?

The simplest rule comes from Turkey Farmers of Canada: 450 g (1 lb) of whole turkey per person, or 700 g (1.5 lb) if you want leftovers. The USDA uses the same guideline of 1 lb per person. Le Dindon du Québec, for its part, suggests a 3 to 3.5 kg turkey for 6 people, or 500 to 580 g per guest. Here is what the Canadian farmers' rule gives:

Then adjust for your crowd. If the turkey shares the table with a tourtière or a ham, you can aim for the low end of the range; if you are counting on leftovers for the week's lunches, go for the high end. The cooking chart in our recipe stops at 10.9 kg (24 lb): for a very large crowd, two medium turkeys are easier to manage than one huge bird. For the rest of the meal, our article on holiday food quantities per guest does the math dish by dish.

Getting the size right is already a way to fight food waste. And planned leftovers are not waste, as long as you refrigerate them within 2 hours, as Health Canada advises. Our 7 leftover turkey recipes will help you use them up, and our guide to avoiding food waste at home has more good habits.

Thawing: how long, and how

A 7 kg turkey does not thaw overnight. For the fridge, the official guidelines line up well: about 10 hours per kilo (5 hours per pound) according to Turkey Farmers of Canada and Le Dindon du Québec, 24 hours per 2.5 kg (5 lb) according to Health Canada, and 24 hours for a 3 kg turkey, plus one day for every additional 2 kg, according to the Quebec government. In cold water it is faster, but the numbers vary twofold: at least 1 hour per kilo for the Quebec government (30 minutes per pound for the USDA), 2 hours per kilo (1 hour per pound) for Turkey Farmers of Canada.

The times in the chart are calculated from these rules. The USDA schedule is more cautious for the fridge, at 24 hours for every 4 to 5 lb: 4 to 5 days for a 16 to 20 lb (7.3 to 9.1 kg) turkey. So keep a day of leeway. If it is ready a little early, keep it in the fridge and cook it soon: Health Canada advises cooking poultry as soon as it has thawed, the USDA accepts that a turkey thawed in the fridge can wait there 1 or 2 days, and Turkey Farmers of Canada set the limit at 48 hours. Example: for a 7 kg turkey going into the oven on the afternoon of December 24, take it out of the freezer on the evening of the 20th.

In the fridge: the method of choice

This is the safest method, according to the Quebec government, in a fridge set between 0 and 4°C. Leave the turkey in its original wrapping and set it on a tray or in a container, on the bottom shelf, so the juices that drip out do not touch any other food. Once it has thawed, remove the neck and the giblet package from the cavities: they will make a good broth.

In cold water: the last-minute plan

Keep the turkey in a tightly sealed plastic bag and submerge it completely in cold water. Change the water every 30 minutes so it stays cold, as Health Canada and the Quebec government advise (the farmers settle for once an hour). For a 10 kg turkey, that means about twenty water changes: this is an emergency method. Cook the turkey right afterward, as Health Canada and the USDA advise. The microwave? Health Canada allows it for poultry, but thawing is uneven and the bird must be cooked immediately afterward. And a whole turkey still has to fit inside the microwave.

A Quebec turkey: how to recognize it

Good news for buying local: according to Le Dindon du Québec, more than 153 farmers raise turkeys in Quebec, in sufficient quantity to meet the province's needs. You still have to spot one at the grocery store.

• The Aliments du Québec logo: it identifies a product grown, raised or processed in Quebec, made with at least 85% Quebec ingredients, including all the main ingredients, and processed and packaged in Quebec. For a plain turkey, the main ingredient is the turkey itself.
• The words "dindon refroidi à l'air" (air-chilled turkey): according to Le Dindon du Québec, they only appear on turkeys from farmers who do their own processing. You will not find them at the grocery store, but at a farm that processes its own birds.
• The "Canada" or "Canada Approved" stamp: it indicates that the turkey was processed in a federally inspected plant, Turkey Farmers of Canada explains. It is an inspection mark, not a mark of origin.

When in doubt, ask at the meat counter or ask your butcher where the turkey comes from. For more tips on buying local, read our tips for eating more local food in Quebec.

True or false: 4 turkey myths

"You can thaw a turkey on the counter." False.

This is the most common mistake, and every source consulted says no: Health Canada, the Quebec government, both farmers' organizations and the USDA, which lists only three safe methods (the fridge, cold water and the microwave). At room temperature, the Quebec government explains, bacteria can grow very quickly, and there is no guarantee that cooking will then eliminate all the hazards.

"A fresh turkey is always better than a frozen one." False.

Turkey Farmers of Canada and Le Dindon du Québec both say so: there is no difference in quality between the two. Flash-frozen shortly after packaging, a frozen turkey is almost as fresh, once thawed, as the day it was packaged, according to the Canadian farmers. Choose based on your schedule and your budget.

"You can never refreeze a thawed turkey." False, with conditions.

On its poultry page, Health Canada says you can safely refreeze thawed poultry if the meat is still cold, at 4°C or lower. Its general page on thawing is stricter: it advises against refreezing food that has completely thawed. When in doubt, cook the turkey, then freeze the leftovers. The USDA accepts it for a turkey thawed in the fridge, but not for one thawed in cold water or in the microwave: that one must be cooked right away. And once cooked, the turkey can go back in the freezer: Health Canada allows cooked poultry to be refrozen after it has been cut up and deboned.

"You cannot cook a turkey that is still frozen." False.

The USDA confirms that a frozen turkey can be cooked safely, but cooking takes at least 50% longer than for a thawed turkey. Remove the giblet package with tongs as soon as you can during cooking. Some turkeys are even designed to go into the oven frozen: the Quebec government and the farmers then ask you to follow the package instructions. It is a plan B if you forgot to thaw it, not a way to save time.

Your turkey is chosen and thawed? Follow our roast turkey recipe for the cooking, then, when it is time to serve, keep the 2-hour rule in mind, as explained in our article on holiday buffet food safety.

Free gift: get The Quebec Recipe Advent Calendar, 24 recipes ready in 30 minutes or less with local ingredients, one a day until Christmas Eve. The same page gathers all our holiday recipes and guides.

Sources

• Poultry safety, Health Canada, 2019.
• Dinde et repas des fêtes sans intoxication (turkey and holiday meals without food poisoning; in French), Gouvernement du Québec, 2024.
• Thawing Turkey, Turkey Farmers of Canada.
• Buying a Whole Turkey, Turkey Farmers of Canada.
• FAQ (in French), Le Dindon du Québec, Éleveurs de volailles du Québec.
• Let's Talk Turkey—A Consumer Guide to Safely Roasting a Turkey, Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA, 2023.
• Food and Drug Regulations, section B.01.080, Government of Canada.
• Nos marques de certification (certification marks; in French), Aliments du Québec.