Butterball Helps Hosts Celebrate All Kinds of Thanksgiving Gatherings with Ultimate Thanksgiving Host Freddie Prinze Jr.

GARNER, N.C., Nov. 01, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Butterball Turkey Talk-Line is officially open for the holiday season, ready to help hosts with their turkey questions for Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, and every ‘giving’ in between. This year, Talk-Line experts are encouraging hosts to put their own stamp on the holiday with new trends, tricks, and hosting expertise from the first ever Ultimate Thanksgiving Host, Freddie Prinze Jr.

To understand how the Thanksgiving holiday is evolving and expanding to include new occasions like Friendsgiving, Butterball recently conducted a survey regarding how celebrations are changing among different generations. According to the survey:

• Responsibility for family traditions and hosting are being handed to the next set of generations – while Millennials are expected to overtake Boomers as the largest generation in 2019, Generation X are taking on more of the hosting duties that recently belonged to Boomers.
• Americans are trying new recipes or adding cultural dishes, especially for the side dishes:
  • 30 percent of Millennial hosts are interested in serving new and different foods
• Millennials are more likely to experiment with alternative ways to cook a turkey: three out of 10 tried cooking with a turkey fryer, on the grill, and/or on a smoker.
• 83 percent of those who celebrated at an alternative gathering last year (e.g. Friendsgiving), in addition to Thanksgiving Day, intend to do so again this year.

“Over the past 40 years, the Turkey Talk-Line has witnessed first-hand the evolution of Thanksgiving celebrations among the people we help every year,” Butterball Turkey Talk-Line Director Nicole Johnson said. “From hosting your first Friendsgiving to testing different cooking methods – like air-frying – we are here to help answer all those turkey questions so you can celebrate the big day—when, where and however you decide.”

New this year, Freddie Prinze Jr. joins the Turkey Talk-Line as the first-ever ultimate Thanksgiving host – where he’ll dish out his favorite hosting hacks and simple recipes anyone can pull off. Freddie has years of experience hosting his own Thanksgiving occasions, from big gatherings to intimate dinners, hosting friends, family and everyone in between. Now, he’s excited to share the lessons he’s learned along the way.

“I've been eating Butterball turkeys my entire life and I'm thrilled to bring my cooking and hosting skills to the Turkey Talk-Line this year to join the experts and help people celebrate however they want this holiday," said Freddie Prinze Jr., Butterball’s first-ever Ultimate Thanksgiving Host. "Over the years I've enjoyed all kinds of Thanksgiving celebrations and know that as long as you have good people and good food, it’s going to be a holiday to remember.”

The beloved actor will help hosts knock Thanksgiving out of the park with practical hosting tips and simple recipes. Consumers will also have the chance to directly ask Freddie all kinds of Thanksgiving questions when he helps answer questions over the Turkey Talk-Line phones on Thursday, November 14, 2019.

To learn more about the ways the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line and Freddie Prinze Jr. are supporting home cooks everywhere, visit Butterball.com or Butterball’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter channels.

Expert Advice Anytime, Anywhere: Butterball Turkey Talk-Line experts are available Nov. 1 through Dec. 24, with extended hours the week of Thanksgiving. With decades of Thanksgivings under their belts, Butterball’s experts are a holiday staple and a source of vital turkey knowledge. You can reach the Turkey Talk-Line via:

• Butterball Skill for Amazon Alexa: Users can simply say, “Alexa, ask Butterball…” to enable the skill. Once enabled, just ask the Butterball skill your cooking questions and hear trusted Talk-Line experts share answers. Users can even watch how-to videos on compatible Alexa-enabled devices (Echo Show, Echo Spot and Amazon Fire TV).
• Text (844-877-3456): With nearly one in three first-time cooks saying they’d text the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line for cooking help, it only makes sense that, for the fourth year in a row, the Turkey Talk-Line offers text support in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. 
• 1-800-BUTTERBALL (1-800-288-8372): Turkey Talk-Line experts will be available this season starting Nov.1 through Dec. 24, 2019, to answer questions and assist all holiday cooks.
• How-To Videos: Need a visual guide? Check out our fun and helpful instructional videos at Butterball.com and YouTube.
• Facebook and Twitter: Help is available through the Butterball Facebook and Twitter pages with tips, special savings and more.
• Pinterest: Find Thanksgiving recipe inspiration for your holiday celebrations on the Butterball Pinterest page.
• Instagram: Follow Butterball on Instagram to get a behind-the-scenes look at recipe inspiration for your Thanksgiving meal and more.
• Live Chats: Engage with turkey experts through live chat on Butterball.com during November and December and receive real-time suggestions and advice.
• Email: Email Butterball using this form and receive helpful tips right to your inbox. 
• Website: With coupons, trusted recipes, step-by-step how-to videos and key tips for success, everything you need is accessible at Butterball.com.

About the Butterball Consumer Survey
Butterball commissioned a 15-minute, online survey among two audiences: a) 1,000 U.S. adults ages 18+ who prepared or hosted Thanksgiving in 2016 and b) 1,000 U.S. adults ages 18+ who participated in Thanksgiving but did not prepare or host the meal in 2016. The margin of error for both samples is +/- 3.1 percent at the 95 percent confidence level. The survey was fielded between January 17 and January 25, 2017.

About the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line
One of the first national, toll-free consumer help lines, the Turkey Talk-Line has helped almost 50 million consumers since its first season in November 1981. Each November and December, professionally trained turkey experts assist more than 4 million cooks through the Turkey Talk-Line, Butterball.com, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Butterball Skill for Alexa, live chat and emails in the United States and Canada. With more than 50 staff members, the Turkey Talk-Line has the resources to answer questions from both English- or Spanish-speaking callers and respond to questions via email.

About Butterball
Headquartered in Garner, N.C., Butterball is the largest producer of turkey products in the U.S. – producing more than 1 billion pounds of turkey each year. For more than 65 years, the company has provided foodservice and retail products to customers and consumers around the world. As an industry leader in quality, food safety and animal well-being, the company employs numerous processes to ensure the health of flocks and implements recognized prevention measures to exceed food safety standards. Butterball products are currently distributed throughout the U.S. and in more than 45 countries. Butterball operates seven processing plants located in North Carolina, Arkansas and Missouri.

For consumer questions or information, please visit Butterball.com or call 1-800-BUTTERBALL (1-800-288-8372).

CONTACT
Shelby Montgomery
Edelman
312-BB-MEDIA
(312-226-3342)
[email protected]

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