Thanksgiving dinner planner

Tell it how many are coming and when you sit down to eat. You get the turkey to buy, the day it has to go in the fridge, an oven plan that ends on time and how much of each side to make. Your numbers stay on this device.

Adults and teens

Kids under 12

Dinner day

Dinner time

Leftovers

Turkey

Stuffing

Buy a turkey of

Move it to the fridge

Turkey goes in at

Your cooking day

How much to buy and make

Plan the whole week of meals

Guests staying a few days? The Meal Planner + Grocery List spreadsheet (Excel and Google Sheets) turns the meals you pick into one shopping list sorted by store aisle, minus what you already have.

See the Meal Planner

How it is worked out

Turkey: about 1.25 lb per adult and 0.6 lb per kid (bone included), plus 0.3 or 0.6 lb per person for some or lots of leftovers. Fridge thawing takes about one day per 4 lb (USDA), plus one day so the bird is fully thawed before cooking. Roast times are for 325°F from the USDA chart; a stuffed bird takes longer. The turkey is done at 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh and the center of any stuffing, so check with a thermometer from the low end of the time range. It rests 30 to 40 minutes, which frees the oven for the sides. Side amounts are per serving, with kids counted as about half a serving.