A roast chicken makes for a beautiful and impressive centerpiece for any feast, and it can be jazzed up to your liking with different brine formulas or seasoning mixes. However, while it's often assumed that the bigger the bird, the better, Food Network star Ina Garten begs to differ.

Your eyes may gravitate towards the larger cuts of meat at the grocery store, but the Barefoot Contessa says that smaller chickens are best. Earlier in her career, Garten found that larger birds don't roast as easily, so she recommends buying a chicken that is no more than 5 pounds, according to Food & Wine.

Additionally, the smaller the bird, the more flavorful it is, and if you're feeding a larger crowd, simply purchase more than one chicken. Stopping yourself from buying a gargantuan bird makes the often-intimidating task of roasting it much easier, and leads to a tastier and more evenly-cooked result.