Timing Your Turkey: When to Buy for the Freshest Thanksgiving Feast

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(NEXSTAR) — With November just beginning, many are already looking forward to Thanksgiving, which falls on its second-latest possible date this year. For those in charge of preparing the feast, especially the turkey, this timing is crucial as it dictates when to purchase and start thawing the bird.

The good news is you still have some time before you need to start defrosting your turkey. But is it too early to buy one?

According to food safety authorities, the answer depends on how you plan to store the turkey.

If you’re opting for a fresh, rather than frozen, turkey, the Minnesota Department of Health advises buying it just a day or two before you plan to cook it. During this period, ensure the turkey is kept in the refrigerator, preferably on a tray or pan to catch any escaping juices.

When it comes to frozen turkey, there’s hardly a wrong time to buy one (as long as you leave time to thaw). A turkey can stay in the freezer “indefinitely,” according to the health department, but it’s best to cook it within a year.

That also means you could buy a turkey after Thanksgiving and keep it in the freezer until next Thanksgiving, if you’re really thinking ahead.

When it comes time to thaw, it’s important to keep your bird at a safe temperature, the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service emphasizes. There are three ways deemed safe for turkey thawing, but we’ll get a less-than-ideal method out of the way: leaving it on your counter for an extended period of time.

“A package of frozen meat or poultry left thawing on the counter more than 2 hours is not at a safe temperature,” the FSIS explains. Sure, parts of the turkey may still be frozen, but the outer layer will most likely have entered the “Danger Zone” — between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit — where foodborne bacteria can multiply quickly.

Instead, the FSIS suggests thawing your bird in the refrigerator, cold water, or a microwave oven. How large your turkey is will impact how soon you need to start thawing.

Forgot to thaw? Your Thanksgiving isn’t entirely ruined: According to the FSIS, frozen turkeys can still be cooked, they just take at least 50% longer than a thawed bird. But just in case, here are some restaurant chains that said they’ll be open for Thanksgiving.