10 July 2009
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Cook's Calculators

Find out the ideal size of turkey, goose or ham to buy to serve the number of guests you're cooking for, and work out how many canapés you'll need to keep your party going strong.

Turkey

Number of People	Weight
1-2	2.25kg / 5lb
3-4	2.25kg / 5lb
5-6	3kg / 6lbs 8oz
7-8	4kg / 8lbs 11oz
9-10	5kg / 11lbs 0oz
11-12	6kg / 13lbs 3oz
13-14	7kg / 15lbs 6oz
15-16	8kg / 17lbs 8oz

Ham

Number of People	Weight
1-2	2kg / 4lbs 5oz
3-4	2kg / 4lbs 5oz
5-6	2.4kg / 5lbs 4oz
7-8	3.2kg / 7lbs 0oz
9-10	4kg / 8lbs 11oz
11-12	4.8kg / 10lbs 8oz
13-14	5.6kg / 12lbs 4oz
15-16	6.4kg / 14lbs 1oz

Goose

Number of People	Weight
1-2	4kg / 9lb
3-4	4kg / 9lb
5-6	4kg / 9lb
7-8	4.5kg / 10lb
9-10	5.5kg / 12lb
11-12	2 x 4kg / 9lb
13-14	2 x 4.5kg / 10lb
15-16	2 x 4.5kg / 10lb

Canapés

2 hour party		4 hour party		All evening party
Number of People	Number of canapés	Number of People	Number of canapés	Number of People	Number of canapés
4	4 to 32	4	32 to 40	4	40 to 48
6	36 to 48	6	48 to 60	6	60 to 72
8	48 to 64	8	64 to 80	8	80 to 96
10	60 to 80	10	80 to 100	10	100 to 120
12	72 to 96	12	96 to 120	12	120 to 144
14	84 to 112	14	112 to 140	14	140 to 168
16	96 to 128	16	128 to 160	16	160 to 192

Other useful tools

The Food Standards Agency has put together some useful planning tools. Find out how long you need to cook your Christmas turkey - or goose or duck - to perfection.

Food safety is paramount when it comes to defrosting the Christmas bird. It can take a lot longer than you think to get it ready for the oven. Find out how much time you'll need.