This Thanksgiving, 82 Percent of Cooks Will Try a New Side Dish Recipe, but Don't Mess With the Turkey!

SEATTLE, Oct. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Allrecipes.com, a Reader's Digest Association (RDA) brand and the #1 recipe site in the U.S., today announces "Thanksgiving Menu Mania," a collection of Thanksgiving menus created to satisfy the cravings of home cooks this holiday. Allrecipes compiled a collection of themed menus from the site's more than 3,700 Thanksgiving recipes from home cooks across the country. The menus include "Modern Twists to Old Favorites," "Gluten Free," "Bacon Lovers," "Ready In 2 Hours or Less," "Delightfully Light," and more at (http://bit.ly/a588w3). The star of the show is a menu selected from Allrecipes' community itself; "America's Thanksgiving Choice Menu" was created with top recipes based on the behaviors of millions of home cooks, then voted on by thousands of community members to create a nine-dish feast from appetizers to dessert.

"With millions of home cooks in our community, there is a wide range of tastes and expectations for the Thanksgiving spread, which is why we created Thanksgiving Menu Mania," said Lisa Sharples, president of Allrecipes. "Thanksgiving is the most important food holiday of the year and Allrecipes is consistently ranked the #1 food site for Thanksgiving. We are committed to meeting our community's expectations as the ultimate destination for Thanksgiving meal planning."

Thanksgiving Statistics

Allrecipes expects a significant increase from the 11.5 million home cooks who visited the site in November last year. Results from Allrecipes' annual Thanksgiving Trends survey demonstrate what the community will be looking for:

• 82 percent of respondents said they plan to try a new side dish recipe this year, while only 15 percent are willing to mess with the tried and true turkey.
• Preparing dishes from scratch continues to rise with 66 percent of home cooks making their meal from scratch, up 11 percent year over year.
• Positive ratings and reviews from peers are the most important factors that help home cooks choose holiday recipes.
• The top three challenges of Thanksgiving are having dishes ready at the same time (36 percent), finding room in the fridge for leftovers (12 percent) and finding time to shop, cook and clean (12 percent)...though women are three times more likely to feel pressed for time compared to men (13 percent vs. 5 percent).

Second Annual LIVE Thanksgiving Webcast

The use of technology to aid in Thanksgiving preparation continues to rise as 46 percent of home cooks report they will view recipes on a computer or phone while in the kitchen preparing Thanksgiving dinner. To help tech-savvy cooks, Allrecipes is hosting its second annual LIVE Thanksgiving webcast on Saturday, November 20, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. PST. The webcast will take place in Allrecipes' Seattle kitchen where staff and special guests will prepare America's Thanksgiving Choice Menu, answer home cooks' questions in real time on air via Facebook and Twitter, award prizes to live trivia questions and provide holiday cooking and entertaining tips and tricks. For the full schedule and segment topics, visit www.allrecipes.tv/live.

Stuffing In, Or Out?

America is divided over what makes the perfect stuffing, according to Allrecipes Thanksgiving Trends survey. Forty-one percent of respondents prefer stuffing prepared outside of the bird, 27 percent prefer it prepared inside the bird and 32 percent don't care how it's prepared as long as it's on the table. Cooks in the Northwest are most likely to skip the stuffing, Midwest cooks are most likely to choose a boxed stuffing and Southerners are three times more likely to choose a cornbread stuffing compared to other regions. To flame the debate, "Allrecipes.com What's Cooking?" asked members of its community to weigh in and filmed their stuffing secrets and preferences. Video vignettes from these cooks will air at 9:30 a.m. PST, during the stuffing segment of the LIVE Thanksgiving Webcast on November 20.

About Allrecipes

Allrecipes, the world's largest food site, receives 434 million annual visits from home cooks who discover and share food experiences through recipes, reviews, photos, profiles, and blog posts. For 14 years, the Seattle-based site has served as a dynamic, indispensable resource for cooks of all skill levels seeking trusted recipes, entertaining ideas, everyday and holiday meal solutions and practical cooking tips. Allrecipes has 16 international sites around the world providing insights into the kitchens and cooking passions of home cooks everywhere. Allrecipes is part of Lifestyle Communities @ RDA, a division of The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. For additional information regarding Allrecipes, please visit www.allrecipes.com.

About Reader's Digest Association

RDA is a global media and direct marketing company that connects more than 130 million consumers around the world with products and services from trusted brands. With offices in 43 countries, the company reaches customers in 78 countries, publishes 91 magazines, including 50 editions of Reader's Digest, the world's largest-circulation magazine, operates 78 branded websites and sells 40 million books, music and video products across the world each year. Further information about the company can be found at www.rda.com.

SOURCE Allrecipes.com