[header] How to make turkey ahead of time [title] Select your turkey. [step] The size of the turkey you need depends on the size of the crowd you're feeding. If you're just buying dinner for yourself, you can stick with a small turkey. 
But if you're cooking the bird for a family get-together, you'll need a larger turkey. [substeps] Generally, you'll need about 1.5 pounds of turkey per person.