New Survey Reveals the Most Popular Size Turkey to Buy for Thanksgiving

The question is never if you're buying a turkey for Thanksgiving—it's how big of a bird should you buy? There is a simple method on how to estimate how much meat each person at your gathering will eat, but according to a new survey, most Americans are opting for a medium-sized bird regardless of how many people will be at the dinner table.

Whole Foods Market recently released the results of a survey asking about Americans' turkey preferences. Of the 1,000 people surveyed, 58% of respondents who were in charge of buying or cooking the bird said they will choose a turkey that is 18 pounds or smaller this year. This could be because Americans would rather fill up on side dishes or save room for the desserts—only 24% said they devote at least half of their plate to turkey.

Karla Conrad

Theo Weening, vice president of meat and poultry at Whole Foods Market, says there are a couple of other reasons people are opting for smaller turkeys. "Our stores are seeing a growing trend in shoppers looking for medium-sized turkeys, with customers purchasing additional turkey breast to satisfy the demand for more white meat at the table and avoid the added logistics of a bigger turkey," he says in the news release. When questioned about which part of the bird people wanted to eat the most, half of the respondents said the breast, 19% chose the leg, and 14% liked the thigh.

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The questionnaire also inquired about the preferred method of preparing the bird, and there was one clear winner: Roasted turkey took the top spot with 63% of the vote, followed by smoked turkey at 22%, and deep-fried turkey at 21%.

No matter what size turkey you opt for, as long as you have enough for leftovers, you made the right choice for your gathering.