Kansas cooks dash to finish atop this survey

Kansas ranks first nationally in something.

And that something is the quickness with which Kansas cooks prepare a holiday meal.

Food company Del Monte has released the results of its Holiday Meal Census, which was based on a nationwide survey of 2,500 people.

So as cooks and their helpers get ready to head to grocery stores and kitchens to prepare their Christmas feasts, here are a few numbers to gnaw on:

▪ The survey found that Kansans spend an average of 3.6 hours preparing a holiday meal.

▪ That means we edged out Iowa cooks, who clocked in at 3.7 hours.

▪ Also in the top five were Delaware, North Dakota and New Mexico.

▪ The slower states tended to be in the South.

▪ Mississippi ranked 50th. There cooks spend 7.1 hours on average preparing the holiday meal.

This story was originally published December 19, 2014 at 8:27 AM with the headline "Kansas cooks dash to finish atop this survey."