Help! Have one 13.5 lb. turkey. 12.5 people coming. I need to buy a (spare) turkey breast, right?

E

erininny

Well-known member
When I picked up the bird this morning, I thought, "Yeah, that's not going to feed 12 people and one small child." But I'm a total amateur doing this solo--maybe I'm wrong?

 
I think that should be plenty of turkey for that many people. You wouldn't need a spare breast

unless everyone prefers white meat, or unless you are planning ahead for lots of turkey sandwiches.

Julia Child says to count on 1/2 pound per person for serving dinner, a whole pound per person if you want to assure second helping and leftovers.

 
Joe, gotta say I think that it cutting it really close

I sure don't want to disagree with you but if it is an "enhanced" turkey it will shrink. A good 20%+ of the turkey is bones and skin so realistically you will end up with around 10 lbs of turkey, cutting off every last bit. At my house, 10 lbs of turkey would feed about 12 at a buffet and for me, if I have 12 people eating, that is way too close. People tend to take more than they eat and leave some on their plates. I know I am old-school but I would either add a second meat choice or keep the small turkey in the freezer and buy a larger one. Or roast extra legs.

I adore Julia and all her advice and recipes too- but portions used to be a lot smaller at restaurants and at home- now we "supersize" everything and I think people tend to pile more food on plates buffet-style. Of course I don't know if Erin is planning a buffet or not. Just simply my opinion- don't be offended by it please!

 
It will be fine. I put 2 turkey legs over the original turkey legs since our majority like dark meat

 
Not at all. Maybe in my experience there are so many side dishes and extras

that we don't eat as much meat. It also depends on who is eating. Here in California there is likely to be a vegetarian or two. On the other hand teenage boys and some in-laws may count double.

 
And on second thought an extra breast will give you a second pan of drippings for gravy

Gravy to me is the best reason for roasting turkey in the first place.

 
I agree it's cutting it close. I always planned on 1.5 lbs per person for TG (BH&G guide)

That was per my ratty worn old BH&G clipped out guide (link says same). If you go heavy on the sides and serve appetizers too you should be fine, after all this is TG...nobody is going hungry, but don't plan on leftovers.

With 1.5 lbs per person (prior to roasting) I rarely had much leftover, though we have big turkey eaters around here. Also in CA (but not LA) ::hanging head in turkey big eater shame::

PS
If you really are thinking about adding a breast or legs I'd first see if you could just return the bird for a bigger one to make things easier.

http://www.bhg.com/advice/food/how-to-cook-a-turkey/turkey-size/

 
True- I am from the Midwest and also Hawaii where appetites are big

I forget that people eat differently in other parts of the country. I am too crazy about leftover turkey not to plan on extra. For 4 people I am making a 21-lb turkey on Thanksgiving smileys/smile.gif

 
Don't forget that the best part of a turkey are the leftovers. Which is why I get a 12lb bird for 2

 
Don't forget that the best part of a turkey are the leftovers. Which is why I get a 12lb bird for 2

of us. Really can't find a smaller bird.

Oops, sorry about the double post.

 
Hmm. Ok. Thanks for the insight, all... Ordered a turkey breast; not returning the bird >>

...mainly because I had to chase it down for an hour this morning, after forgetting to pick it up at the greenmarket yesterday. Once I finally figured out where the turkey people were, which took a lot of crisscrossing the Upper West Side, I just wanted to get my hands on the bird--and the moment that I did that, I realized that it wouldn't be enough.

But because ordering from a delivery service turns out to be cheaper than shopping at any of the local supermarkets, I just added a spare turkey breast to the order.

While we are having a crowd, it's mainly composed of Thanksgiving first-timers (Euro-folk), and we do have a bunch of side dishes, so I'm not worried about running out of food. But having another 3 pounds of turkey makes me a little less panicked, overall. smileys/smile.gif Thanks for the help!

 
Erin, I panicked when I read that you chased the bird down for an hour.

For a moment I was picturing a very rustic situation with live poultry and feathers flying.

The extra breast will give you peace of mind and lots of weekend sandwiches. Good luck

 
Erin, I'm no pro, but the 12 pounds/12 people factors in loss from the

carcass and the neck and gizzards. That's my guess anyway. I'll be curious to hear if you end up needing that extra breast. (I'd be inclined to cook the breast the night before so you can just reheat it if you need it.)

 
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