Andrew Zimmern Encourages Shoppers To Buy Thanksgiving Turkey Now - Exclusive

Preparation is key when it comes to Thanksgiving. The unspoken rule is that you're supposed to purchase your bird the weekend or a few days before the national holiday. However, Andrew Zimmern claims that there is a much more budget-friendly way to approach buying your turkey. In an exclusive interview with Mashed, the "Bizarre Foods" star gave his best tip for your Thanksgiving table: grab your turkey now.

Zimmern told us in September that he is already preparing for the November rush. "I just did my generic ideas of what I want to cook for Thanksgiving," he explained. "The reason that I do that now is when turkeys roll out, and at whatever time they do in November, when they start filling up [in] great quantities, the price is going to be at peak." Zimmern encourages families to purchase whole, frozen, or small turkeys to roast and make gravy to avoid being overwhelmed by the holiday chaos.

You can eat turkey more than once a year

Believe it or not, you can consume turkey more than once a year. In fact, Andrew Zimmern uses the meat to make a tasty meal. The "Family Dinner" host said to Mashed, "Once a month, I roast a turkey, and I take the legs and I make pot pies with them, and I roast the breasts and slice them and put them in the fridge and we make turkey sandwiches." Zimmern will head to the store early and then freeze the turkey and the homemade gravy.

Besides the fact that this method crosses off one extra task on your Thanksgiving week to-do list, it also allows you to purchase the usually expensive food when the cost is lower. According to Axios, the average 16-pound turkey sold for $28.96 in 2022, increasing the price point by 21% than 2021. Hopefully, that upward trend doesn't continue, so try to avoid it by putting a turkey on your grocery list a little earlier this year.

Andrew Zimmern's new frozen food line is now available exclusively at Walmart. Keep up with his latest recipes on his website or Instagram.