[sub]Too mundane for GQ…[/sub]
What’s the formula for how big a turkey I need for Thanksgiving? Isn’t it something like X pounds plus y pounds per person you’re feeding?
My mother didn’t have a formula for this. But generally a 10-12 lb. turkey was sufficient for a family of 6-8 (our core family and occasional guests) w/lots of leftovers.
I’ve cooked a 20 lb. for a Holiday orphan’s Thanksgiving. That served maybe a dozen.
See what Martha Stewart has to say about it…
Gosh, I don’t know. Dad would always get one that was 20-24 pounds. And there were only two of us! We always had a buttload of turkey left, and it became tiresome after a while. My gut guess would be that a 20 lb. turkey would feed 6-8 people, and there would be plenty of leftovers.
MPSIMS: I used Mrs. Cubbison’s stuffing. I boiled the neck and giblets and used the stock as the liquid. To the stuffing I added a two cups each of celery and onion, the neck meat, and the chopped heart and gizzard. I made more stock than I needed for the stuffing, as it would provide flavouring for the gravy later. I over-stuffed the turkey and never came down with salmonella.
I would always cook the turkey in a roasting bag. This made it cook more quickly and also made it quite moist.
I’d add flour to the stock I made with the neck and giblets and stir until it was smooth. I also added milk. While it was warming up, I’d suck the juices from the roasting bag with a baster and squirt them into a very large measuring cup. The fat would rise to the top. I’d suck the juices from under the fat and add it to the gravy. Add salt and pepper and stir frequently until thickened.
According to http://www.globalgourmet.com, 1 pound per person for a moderate amount of leftovers, pound-and-a-half if you like more. Hope that helps. And I’ll take anybody’s leftovers - I love 'em!