With Thanksgiving just days away, local cooks are planning for the annual feast for family and friends.   Registered Dietician and Family Consumer Sciences Agent Amber Runsick from the Baxter County Cooperative Extension Service has these tips for cooks.   She says busy cooks should plan ahead.

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For a whole turkey, Runsick suggests on planning a pound per person and a half a pound per person served for a boneless turkey breast.   If the turkey is frozen, she says plan on how long it will take to thaw the bird in a refrigerator.   According to Runsick it will take 24 hours to thaw four or five pounds of the turkey, or for a 12 pound bird it will take three days to thaw in the refrigerator.

Taking enough time to cook the turkey thoroughly at the proper temperature also requires planning ahead, says Runsick.

It is very important to consider food safety on Thanksgiving Day.   Runsick says food should be served soon after it has been cooked and should be refrigerated when the meal is over.