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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 secUSDA portion guidanceKitchen Planning
Share
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.

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.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.
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