Get your apron on: New research suggests that you should start your Thanksgiving preparations more than four weeks in advance.

Conducted by Talker Research on behalf of the Jennie-O brand, a recent survey of 100 Americans from each state investigated the best game plans along with different taste preferences when it comes to planning, cooking and enjoying the perfect Thanksgiving spread.

The results found both the guest list and the menu take upwards of two weeks of planning and cooking preparations add on another three days. It also involves an additional five hours of actual cooking and preparing on the day of the feast.

The longest prep time award goes to Delaware, averaging 17 days of guest list planning and another 19 days of menu building. Next in line is Virginia, where Americans spend almost 16 days picking guests (15.7) and nearly 17 days (16.6) on the menu, third only to North Carolina who averages a little more than 17 days (17.4) on their menu.