This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Crafting a holiday meal can be the crowning glory or the biggest failure of the holidays. It's one thing to get an ill-fitting sweater for Christmas. It's entirely another to end up in the emergency room with acute food poisoning.

So, just how long do you take to make sure your food is a crowd pleaser?

If you live in Utah, you're pretty darn quick at it. According to the Del Monte Holiday Meal Census, which surveyed 2,500 Americans about how long they spent prepping holiday meals, the Beehive State ranks #9 in speed, clocking in at 4.3 hours. Maybe it stems from Utah cooks being used to cooking for large crowds at a regular family dinner. Maybe Jell-O salad and funeral potatoes just don't take as long as other states' side dishes.

Here's the breakdown:

The Top 25 speediest U.S. states for holiday meal prep

1 • Kansas (3.6 hours spent on holiday meal preparation)

2 • Iowa (3.7 hours)

3 • Delaware (3.8 hours)

4 • North Dakota (3.9 hours)

5 • New Mexico (4 hours)

6 • Nebraska (4.1 hours)

7 •Montana (4.2 hours)

8 • Idaho (4.2 hours)

9 • Utah (4.3 hours)

10 • Hawaii (4.5 hours)

11 • Connecticut (4.5 hours)

12 • Alaska (4.6 hours)

13 • Illinois (4.6 hours)

14 • Vermont (4.7 hours)

15 • California (4.7 hours)

16 • Washington (4.8 hours)

17 • Massachusetts (4.8 hours)

18 • Louisiana (4.8 hours)

19 • Tennessee (4.9 hours)

20 • Minnesota (4.9 hours)

21 • Wyoming (4.9 hours)

22 • South Dakota (5 hours)

23 • Ohio (5 hours)

24 • New Hampshire (5 hours)

25 • Nevada (5 hours)

The Top 5 most dedicated states for holiday meal prep

1 • Mississippi (7.1 hours on average for holiday meal preparation)

2 • Kentucky (6.9 hours)

3 • Alabama (6.7 hours)

4 • Georgia (6.5 hours)

5 • Texas (6.5 hours)

— Sheena McFarland

smcfarland@sltrib.com

Twitter: @sheena5427