Holiday Food Storage Calculator

Will it all actually fit?

Plan refrigerator and freezer space for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and 4th of July gatherings. Uses USDA-recommended portion sizes per guest.

⏱ ~25 sec•USDA portion guidance•Kitchen Planning

1.25

Lbs turkey / guest

USDA

0.5

Lb ham / guest

Bone-in

24h

Per 4–5 lb thaw

Refrigerator

3–4d

Leftover safety

@ 40°F

STEP 01

Pick the holiday.
Pick the menu.

We map portions to refrigerator and freezer cubic-feet using USDA per-guest guidance.

Guests

Holiday

TurkeySidesDesserts

Turkey checkbox only applies to Thanksgiving / Christmas.

Updates live as you change inputs

Total holiday storage

2.7cu ft

Fridge

2.3 cu ft

Freezer

0.4 cu ft

Per-dish storage plan

Cubic feet

Turkey (15 lbs)

USDA: thaw in fridge 24 hrs per 4–5 lbs.

0.43 cu ft

Mashed potatoes (prepared)

Make 1 day ahead, reheat before serving

0.30 cu ft

Stuffing / dressing

Prep ingredients 2 days ahead

0.20 cu ft

Cranberry sauce

Make up to 1 week ahead

0.10 cu ft

Green bean casserole

Assemble 1 day ahead, bake day-of

0.20 cu ft

Sweet potato casserole

Prep 2 days ahead

0.20 cu ft

Pies (2–3)

Bake 1–2 days ahead

0.40 cu ft

Whipped cream

Make day-of for best texture

0.10 cu ft

Beverages

Use cooler with ice for overflow

0.50 cu ft

Leftover containers (empty)

Have containers ready

0.30 cu ft

Under the hood

USDA portions. Real volumes.

Per-guest portion sizes are USDA Food Safety guidance. Volume estimates use density assumptions of ~35 lb/cu ft for poultry and 40 lb/cu ft for ham.

01
Per-guest meat math
Turkey: 1.25 lb × guests, divided by 35 lb/cu ft. Ham: 0.5 lb × guests, divided by 40 lb/cu ft.
02
Side & dessert volumes
Side dishes pre-allocated to typical 9×13 pan footprints (≈0.2 cu ft each). Pies allocated 0.4 cu ft for 2–3 standard pies.
03
Holiday timeline
Allocates space for thawing (3–4 days for turkey), make-ahead sides (1–2 days), and leftover containers (post-meal).

Questions

Frequently asked

USDA guidance is 1 lb of bone-in turkey per adult guest, 1.5 lb if you want generous leftovers. For our calculation we use 1.25 lb as a balanced default.