America's Thanksgiving Table 2013 Revealed By Pillsbury Showcases A Desire For Twists On Traditional Holiday Favorites

MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Tradition holds true across the country when it comes to preparing a Thanksgiving meal; however, according to a new survey conducted by Pillsbury, today's holiday table may have a new look as families seek to modernize classic recipes and incorporate time saving techniques. America's Thanksgiving Table 2013 Survey¹ reveals how the Thanksgiving meal will look for the majority of the nation, including the desire for new foods or preparations, and some of the challenges that people face while preparing the big meal.

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According to the survey, 92 percent of households will not stray from including turkey on America's Thanksgiving table. However, there is a desire for modern twists from today's holiday food lovers, particularly with side dishes and desserts. In fact, nearly three-in-five Americans indicate that they like to try new and different foods each Thanksgiving, showing that there is room to update traditional recipes. The desire for variety in the holiday meal is especially strong among millennial households with 65 percent of respondents indicating their preference for new foods.  Additionally, Thanksgiving hosts are trying to balance serving homemade foods with the time it takes to prepare them.  Eighty-nine percent feel that preparing homemade foods is how to show loved ones how much they care, but nearly half of Americans admit that the Thanksgiving meal is the most stressful holiday meal to prepare with 72 percent of respondents looking for tips and tricks to prep the holiday meal more quickly.

"Pillsbury provides easy holiday food ideas that help families save time while still wowing guests with homemade holiday breads, side dishes and desserts," said Madison Mayberry, Pillsbury food editor and entertaining expert. "By marrying traditional ingredients with modern flavors, such as adding salted caramel to a classic pecan pie recipe, you can easily make a modern homemade dish for your guests this Thanksgiving holiday."

More results from America's Thanksgiving Table 2013 Survey by Pillsbury include:

• Most, but not all, will indulge in Turkey on Thanksgiving.  While the vast majority of Thanksgiving tables will include turkey as the mainstay, one-in-six (16 percent) say they've started offering turkey alternatives or are likely to try different preparations for the bird. Additionally, while Thanksgiving may be uniquely American, there is still room to infuse cultural traditions from other countries as one-in-10 respondents like to serve foods specific to their family's culture like pastas, borscht, tamales or pierogis.
  
  
• Vegetable variety reigns on the Thanksgiving table. Vegetables like corn, carrots, broccoli, peas and green beans– especially in casserole form for more than half of Americans – make popular side dishes and vegetables are being included in more and more holiday meals.  Other Thanksgiving side dish staples include stuffing/dressing, potatoes, yams and sweet potatoes, as well as cranberries. 
  
  
• Bread, in a variety of forms, is a prominent participant in the holiday meal.  More than three-quarters of families will pass a bread basket at the Thanksgiving dinner table, including rolls (62 percent), and another third (35 percent) opt for biscuits or crescents as their bread of choice. Pillsbury makes it easy to serve freshly baked bread at your holiday meal.
  
  
• What's for Dessert? Pie, of course!  For nearly nine-in-10, Thanksgiving dinner is not complete without pie. Pumpkin is the traditional favorite across the U.S. (67 percent), with apple on 56 percent of the tables in the northeastern U.S. and pecan served on 43 percent of the tables in the South.  Of those surveyed, 37 percent exclusively serve homemade, while the others don't have time, don't know how, or believe it is too difficult. 

Pillsbury can help modernize classic Thanksgiving recipes without adding stress to the feast preparations, including classic twists to traditional side dish and dessert recipes using Pillsbury® crescent dinner rolls and pre-made pie crusts, such as Fresh Herb Crescent Rolls, Sweet Potato Casserole Crescents and Salted Caramel Pecan Pie.  For more information on Pillsbury including products, holiday recipes and food ideas, please visit www.pillsbury.com, Facebook and Pinterest.

Survey Methodology¹
The Pillsbury America's Thanksgiving 2013 Survey presents the findings of an online survey conducted October 23-25, 2013 by Toluna among a sample of 2,991 American adults 18 years of age and older who observe Thanksgiving. The margin of error associated with a sample of this size is +/- 2%.

About Pillsbury^®  
Pillsbury products have been trusted by families to make mealtimes special times for more than 130 years. Favorite Pillsbury products include refrigerated cookies, crescent dinner rolls, breads, biscuits, pie crusts and sweet rolls as well as frozen biscuits, pie crusts and breakfast items. For product information and great-tasting recipes, visit www.pillsbury.com. Log on to www.generalmills.com for company information.

About General Mills
General Mills is one of the world's leading food companies, operating in more than 100 countries around the world. Its brands include Cheerios, Fiber One, Haagen-Dazs, Nature Valley, Yoplait, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso, Wanchai Ferry, Yoki, and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., USA, General Mills had fiscal 2013 worldwide sales of US $17.8 billion. 

SOURCE Pillsbury