By the Numbers: 2009 Thanksgiving meal cheaper than last year's

$42.91

Average cost of a Thanksgiving meal for 10, down about 4 percent from last year's average of $44.61, according to the American Farm Bureau, an agribusiness lobbying group. The same meal cost $28.74 in 1986, the first year the AFB started tracking the price of the holiday meal.

"Consistent with the retail food price declines seen throughout the year, consumers will pay just a bit less for their Thanksgiving feast this year," said Jim Sartwelle, an economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, in a press release. "Consumers are benefiting at the grocery store from significantly lower energy prices and the effects of the economic slowdown. Again this year, the cost per person for this special meal is less than a typical 'value meal' at a fast-food outlet."

The components for the meal, described by the AFB as a "classic Thanksgiving dinner," include a 16-pound turkey, peas; sweet potatoes; cubed bread stuffing; fresh cranberries; 1 gallon of milk; a dozen rolls; a relish tray (carrots and celery); pumpkin filling; pie shells and cream for pumpkin pie; and sundries like onions, eggs, sugar, flour, evaporated milk, butter, and coffee. The AFB's figures are based on information from 200 shoppers in 35 states. The AFB graph shown tracks the actual cost and inflation-adjusted cost of the meal since 1986.

Missing from the AFB's list are premeal snacks for the noshing and grazing you'll do throughout the day—there are three National Football League games on Thursday, after all—and beverages, including wine and beer (again, there's football to watch).

If you're behind on your Thanksgiving work, check out this recent post about planning for the holiday, and learn how to shave 34 percent off your Thanksgiving food costs with the expert advice from Tightwad Tod of our Money blog.

Here's wishing you a wonderful holiday, one that's filled with good food, good company, and good times. And for a bit of Thanksgiving-related diversion, check out these two short films made in 1951 from the Prelinger Archives on the Internet Archive. The first covers Thanksgiving dining etiquette for kids and the other involves a family that's experiencing some hard times and won't be able to have a turkey for the holiday.—Steven H. Saltzman | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: While I don't plan to hit the stores on Black Friday—that's a day to sleep in and then go on a hike with my family and our dog—if you're inclined to do some holiday shopping this November 27, stay on top of the deals and the news by visiting our Holiday Shopping Guide.

In this turkey trot, TurboChef is faster than Electrolux Wave-Touch range and NuWave oven

As cooking appliances get faster, records continue to fall in our labs. The video (right) shows how the TurboChef 30" Double Wall Speedcook oven, using "Airspeed Technology," cranked out a nicely browned 13-pound turkey in a record 53 minutes. So if time is really of the essence—you'll have to shell out about $8,000 for a TurboChef—this dual oven could be for you.

No oven or range we've tested is as fast as the TurboChef, though the Electrolux Wave-Touch smoothtop electric range wasn't that far off—and costs about $6,000 less. With its Perfect Turkey setting that uses a meat probe to measure the internal temperature and adjust cooking time, it produced a juicy, 13-pound bird in 98 minutes, about half the time of most other electric ranges.

If you're on a much tighter budget, consider the $150 NuWave Pro Infrared Oven. Using direct heating, convection, and infrared cooking, in two hours it made a 10-pound turkey that was tasty and juicy with a moist interior, albeit a little bit overdone toward the outside. The NuWave oven is available with an extender ring that allows you to cook larger turkeys. e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Our recent post on Thanksgiving planning looked at grilling, deep-frying, and smoking turkey. Check out our new report on national brands of turkey stuffings and watch our video on carving a turkey. With Black Friday coming up, stay on top of the shopping deals by reading Tightwad Tod on our Money blog.

Home-use fire extinguishers are key safety gear, especially over the holidays

With Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year's upon us, the risk of a fire at your home could be higher since you're likely to be cooking more, using holiday lighting (especially on Christmas trees and the like), and perhaps even burning candles more frequently.

The best way to avoid fires is to be safe; check out our safety advice for the kitchen, holiday lights, and candles. Still, you should have fire extinguishers on hand, keeping one each in the kitchen, garage, workshop, basement, and on every living area of the home—and have one nearby when grilling or deep-frying a turkey. "Keep extinguishers readily accessible so you don't waste valuable seconds rummaging around when a fire breaks out," says John Drengenberg, director of consumer affairs for Underwriters Laboratories, which conducts compliance tests of fire extinguishers.

While it might be convenient to keep a fire extinguisher under a kitchen sink, for example, manufacturers recommend you mount extinguishers in their bracket—in a convenient location and in plain sight—3.5 to 5 feet above the ground so they're out of the reach of small children.

You also need to know how to properly use your extinguishers. "When a fire breaks out is not the time to read the instructions on the extinguisher," adds Drengenberg. When you bring the extinguishers home, read the owner's manual to familiarize yourself with their operation and register them with the manufacturer so you're aware of any product updates or recalls.

(We’re currently testing various sizes of rechargeable and nonrechargeable fire extinguishers from brands like First Alert and Kidde for a report scheduled to appear in the May 2010 issue of Consumer Reports, online and on newsstands in early April. Stay tuned for preliminary reports of our findings, including our experience with First Alert’s Tundra, an aerosol spray classified as a firefighting tool as it is not tested to the ANSI/UL711 standards that apply to home-use extinguishers.)

Buy only extinguishers that have been listed or certified by a nationally recognized testing laboratory, such as UL, ETL, CSA, and FM Approvals. You'll notice letters on the extinguishers, which indicate the type(s) of fires they can handle. Class A are designed to put out rubbish, wood, and paper fires; Class B are for oil and grease fires; and Class C are for electrical fires. Class ABC models work on all the fires above.

For the home, Drengenberg recommends Class ABC extinguishers, since you won't necessarily have time to analyze the source of a fire. Our in-house experts recommend that you buy the largest fire extinguishers you can comfortably handle, since they'll give you a longer operating time. To increase your chances of successfully and safely extinguishing a fire, use the PASS—pull, aim, squeeze, sweep—technique and watch this video from the Fire Equipment Manufacturers' Association:

• Pull the pin, hold the extinguisher away from you, and release the locking mechanism.
• Aim low, pointing the extinguisher at the base of the fire.
• Squeeze the lever slowly and evenly.
• Sweep the nozzle from side to side.

"Also, be sure the fire is not between you and the door—you want to leave yourself a way to get out," says Drengenberg, who says you need to be aware of an extinguisher's limits. "Fire extinguishers, especially smaller ones, have a limited amount of extinguishing agent and are meant for fires that are small and contained, such as those in a wastebasket or frying pan. If you're faced with a fire that is spreading rapidly, your job is to get people out and call 911." (If you're faced with a small flare-up in a pan or a pot, turn off the cooking element and cover the flames immediately with the lid, which eliminates a source of oxygen a fire needs.)

Like smoke alarms and carbon-monoxide alarms, which you should replace every 10 years and every five years, respectively, fire extinguishers have a limited service life. Replace home-use nonrechargeable fire extinguishers 12 years after the manufacture date, according to the National Fire Prevention Association. If you're unsure whether your extinguishers are rechargeable, check the owner's manual or the pressure gauge. On most extinguishers, a needle on the pressure gauge will sit in a green-colored part of the dial of if the unit is properly charged and to red-colored areas if it needs to be recharged or is overcharged.

To determine whether extinguishers are properly charged, inspect them every 30 days and as detailed in the owner's manual. If you need to charge rechargeable models, bring it only to a certified fire-equipment-maintenance company.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Check out the ratings of smoke alarms and CO alarms including where to place them in your home. If you want to carry a fire extinguisher as part of a roadside-emergency kit, our Cars blog colleagues recommend a 1A10BC or a 2A10BC compact model. Finally, learn how to treat burns and scalds.

Learn more about the Amish heater and EdenPure space heater

The calendar indicates that heating season is  upon us, but the Home & Garden blog team doesn't need to look at a thermometer or watch the Weather Channel to know it's starting to get colder here in the New York City metro area and elsewhere around the country.

Nope, all we've got to do is look at the traffic to and comments about heating appliances on the Home & Garden blog and ConsumerReports.org. Specifically, readers are looking for information about the Heat Surge Roll-n-Glow Electric Fireplace (aka the Amish heater), EdenPure space heaters, and pellet stoves.

• If you're considering the Heat Surge appliance, read our review of the Amish heater as well as our post about some consumer complaints to the Better Business Bureau. And remember, although Heat Surge claims its heaters will help you save on your heating bills, the only way to do so is to employ zone heating. (Note: According to a customer-service representative at Heat Surge, heaters made in 2009 were updated with a stronger blower and other changes affecting heat distribution. The company also says it plans to add a thermostat on future versions, possibly in 2010. The model we purchased and reviewed early this year might have incorporated some or all of the updates.)

• If you're pondering buying an EdenPure space heater, read "Are EdenPure Space Heaters Just a Lot of Hot Air?"
 
• If a pellet stove seems like a viable heating option, learn more about these appliances in our October 2009 report and our previous buyer's guide to pellet- and wood-burning stoves.

Essential information: "Don't Let Energy Savings Go Up and Out the Chimney" covers proven ways to save energy during heating season. And learn about space heaters, programmable thermostats, and weatherizing your attic. If you're in the market for new heating equipment, get up to speed on the $300 million State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program, aka cash for clunkers for appliances.

Some celeb chef kitchen knives, like those from Paula and Martha, don't make the cut

You might enjoy watching the many celebrity chefs who perform culinary magic (and, sometimes, mayhem) on TV, but based on the results of our tests of kitchen knives, you'd be better off learning a technique or a new recipe from them than buying the kitchen knives that bear their names.

The video (right) details why knife sets from Paula Deen and Martha Stewart are near the bottom of our ratings of more than four dozen different sets of kitchen knives (available to subscribers) and those from Rachael Ray and the Culinary Institute of America might not be a sharp buy. If you're in the market for new knives as Thanksgiving and the other end-of-year holidays approach—they make a great gift, by the way—read our June 2009 report on kitchen knives and get some of the details of our testing below.

During testing, our technicians chopped carrots, onions, and celery into 1/3-inch cubes with chef and santoku knives and peeled potatoes and apples to see which paring knife can produce the thinnest peelings.

The testers also wielded the slicing knives and santokus against ham, tough-skinned soppressata, and tender, stringy pot roast to see which had the sharpness and control to produce thin slices, and used utility knives on raw sausage, peppers, and onions. (If just the thought of onions brings tears to your eyes, consider investing in these RSVP Onion Goggles.) Beyond cutting performance, the overall scores consider handle comfort and susceptibility to corrosion, among other factors.

So which knives should you buy? The Tramontina Professional L-400/03, $90; Oxo Good Grip Professional, $80; Chicago Cutlery Metropolitan, $60; and Chicago Cutlery Walnut Tradition, $60, performed quite well and don't cost a lot. Spending more will get you even better-performing set of set of forged-steel knives, such as the Henckels Twin Professional "S," $290; Wuesthof Trident Classic #8418, $300, and Mercer Genesis by Mercer M0 30768, $170.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Get a jump on planning for Thanksgiving and watch our video on sharpening your knives.

Fire and burn hazards prompt recall of 665,000 Perfect Flame gas grills sold at Lowe's

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission yesterday announced the recall of about 665,000 Perfect Flame gas grills, which were made in China and sold exclusively at Lowe's stores nationwide from September 2005 through May 2009 and in Canada from December 2007 through May 2009.

According to the CPSC, the grills pose fire and burn hazards—burners on the grill can deteriorate and the lids of some models can catch fire. As of the recall date, Perfect Flame had received about 40 reports of fires from the burners deteriorating and about 23 reports of the lids catching fire.

Recalled models include the SLG2006B, SLG2006BN, SLG2006C, SLG2006CN, SLG2007A, SLG2007B, SLG2007BN, SLG2007D, SLG2007DN, and SLG2008A (shown).

Get more details on the Perfect Flame recall and some of the background surrounding it by reading "Fires and Burns Prompt Recall of 665,000 Perfect Flame Grills Sold at Lowe's" on our Safety blog. | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: If you're planning to grill your turkey for your Thanksgiving and holiday meals, follow our advice for safe grilling. And if you're in the market for a new gas grill, check out our free buyer's guide to gas grills.

Weekend Project: Plan ahead for the Thanksgiving holiday

With Thanksgiving just over a week away, this weekend my wife and I will put the finishing touches on plans for our holiday gathering. We'll check on the wines in the wine cellar and clean the stemware, add the extra leaves to the dining-room table, get the house in order for the big day, and take care of a few other odds and ends.

When it comes to the holiday meal itself, I'm a pretty traditional guy, but this year I'm going to change things up a bit. Since one of my kids has become a "fishetarian"—that is, she eschews beef, chicken, and turkey but eats fish—I'll make a poached-salmon dish to accompany the turkey instead of a rib roast. And I'm considering grilling the bird outdoors instead of roasting it in the oven. Even though I have double ovens, I'd like to free up some cooking space for the array of side dishes I'll prepare.

Turns out I'm not alone when it comes to not oven-roasting the bird. According to a recent poll by the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association, more than 70 percent of respondents said they won't use the oven to cook their turkey: 18 percent plan to grill, 25 percent expect to smoke, and 28 percent intend to deep-fry. (Americans are expected to cook 46 million turkeys this year.)

These alternative cooking methods appeal for a number of reasons, says a National Turkey Federation survey. Fifty-four percent of respondents are looking to try something new; 54 percent think grilling, smoking, or frying produces a more-tender or juicier turkey; 53 percent want to free up oven space; and 52 percent envision easier cleanup. This last one sounds like another compelling reason to grill the turkey.

Here's hoping your Thanksgiving is a joyous occasion. The advice here might help with the planning and take some of the stress out of your day:

• If you need a new grill to cook your turkey, check out our free buyer's guide to gas grills.

• If you want to smoke your bird, take a look at the Traeger Lil' Tex BBQ070 pellet-fueled cooker.

• If you're considering deep-frying a turkey, don't miss "A Safer Way to Fry a Turkey" and watch the accompanying video for important safety advice. You can also "deep-fry" your turkey without oil.

• If you need some basic wine advice for the holiday, read about the right wines to serve.

• And if your knives have seen better days, read our ratings-based report on kitchen knives.—Steven H. Saltzman | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

More turkey talk: • Time- and money-saving steps for a better Thanksgiving • Holiday eating without the guilt • Turkey tips for Thanksgiving and beyond • Lab-tested turkey advice • Learn how to sharpen your knives (video) • Find an accurate meat thermometer

Essential information: Stay on top of the news surrounding Black Friday by reading Tightwad Tod on our Money blog.

Buzzword: Recalibration

What it means. Calibration is typically associated with things like measuring instruments and electronics gear, which need to be tweaked for optimal performance. And President Barack Obama got into the calibration game after he reviewed his initial response to the July 2009 arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., saying, "I could have calibrated those words differently." When it comes to the U.S. economy and consumers, the key phrase these days is recalibration.

"We're in a state of recalibration," says Edward Farrell, a director of the Consumer Reports National Research Center, which produces the monthly Consumer Reports Index, the latest installment of which came out this week. His observation came after several months of uninspiring consumer sentiment in the CRI, a monthly telephone poll of a nationally representative sample of American adults.

Why the buzz? While green shoots might hint at a stabilizing economy, a full recovery hasn't arrived yet, and during this time of recalibration, American consumers have adjusted to that new economic by changing how they spend. "We've seen a loss of confidence by consumers in the old rules, for example, that they'll have more money in their house 10 years from now or that their 401(k) will help carry them through retirement," says Farrell.

Paco Underhill, retail consultant and author of Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping, agrees. "We are never going back to the we way were," he says. "Americans have had a considerable financial shock. Virtually everybody has traded down, and conspicuous consumption is now viewed as bad manners."

None of this bodes well for holiday sales. But neither Farrell nor Underhill is predicting a bloodbath from now through Black Friday and beyond. "A rally might actually be under way for retail heading into the holidays, with personal electronics leading the charge," says Farrell. He notes that according to the latest CRI, a quarter of consumers plan to buy personal electronics this month, up 5 percentage points from October.

Underhill anticipates healthy sales for comfort gifts, such as food baskets, fine wines, and beauty products. "I think this holiday season will be better than many retail pundits are predicting because people want to show compassion in troubled times." For his own gifts, Underhill says, "When people ask me what I want, I tell them one pair of black cashmere socks. They are warm, they are eminently practical, and I wouldn't buy them for myself because they're expensive. But for $20, it's the ultimate answer of what to get an aging male."

Farrell would like to see continued stability in the Consumer Reports Sentiment Index, which captures respondents' attitudes regarding their financial situation. "Yes, we want people to spend and save responsibly," he says. "But we also need there to be a feeling of optimism."

Without that, instead of talking about recalibration we could be discussing a lost decade. Also check out our growing roster of Buzzwords.—Daniel DiClerico | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Follow all the news related to holiday shopping by following Tightwad Tod on our Money blog.

Tip of the Day: Find the right wines to serve for Thanksgiving and the holidays

Do a Web search for "best wines for Thanksgiving"—or "for Christmas" or "for the holidays"—and you'll find an overwhelming number of results, and some of that information might prove more confusing than edifying.

Wine choices for Thanksgiving and end-of-year celebrations are all over the map. Some folks swear by a robust Zinfandel for turkey dinners; others think a versatile Riesling is right for holiday repasts.

Whether you're an oenophile with your go-to favorites and a sense of adventure or a novice looking for some solid wine advice, we can't predict which wines you'll like. But as you'll see in our new "Holiday Wine Bargains," there are plenty of reds (Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère, Zinfandel) and whites (Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc) that will enhance your holiday meals without breaking your budget.

Before you head to the store to shop, visit our wine buyer's guide for shopping tips and a wine glossary as well as expert advice on proper serving temperatures for wine and suggested food pairings. e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Keep your wine in tiptop shape by storing it in a wine refrigerator/cellar and find the best corkscrews to open your bottles.

Weekend Project: The best ways to deal with leaves

Whether your yard is covered with leaves or you're still waiting for them to carpet your property, you're probably looking for the easiest, most-effective way to deal with fall cleanup. As you'll see in The Great Rake-Off: Man vs. Machine video, using a leaf blower can provide faster, more-efficient leaf-wrangling than raking.

To help you find the right leaf blower for your needs, check out our free buyer's guide and watch our new video buyer's guide to this outdoor power equipment (right), which details the pros and cons of the four major blower types and the features to look for.

Corded electric models have their upsides—they tend to be lighter and quieter than gas-powered models and don't produce emissions at the point of use their own—and the best electric blowers can rival gas machines in performance. But as Senior Ed Perratore knows all too well, the power cord can limit your mobility. Ed traded up to a handheld gas-powered model, but since he's got a bum shoulder, he's considering a backpack blower, which distributes the weight more evenly than a handheld.

No matter which kind of blower you use, nozzle type is key. Our tests have shown that a round, reduced opening is better for cleaning embedded lawn debris and that a wider, flat opening works better when moving large leaf piles.

A final tip: If you do go the raking route, follow this expert advice to avoid injury and minimize soreness.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Check out our "Fall Lawn and Yard Checklist" for details on tending to all facets of your property, and keep your power equipment in shape with our "End-of-Season Lawn-Equipment Guide." You'll find other tips on our Fall Cleanup Guide page.