Average person spends 'half as much time' cooking as parents' generation, poll claims

Many cite convenience or microwave cooking as main reason

(Getty)

The average modern adult spends just an hour cooking and preparing food each day - almost half the time their parents spent in the kitchen at the same age.

A poll of 2,000 people found that modern adults spends an average of 61 minutes making their three meals a day, as well as any snacks they may eat between meals.

This is 45 minutes less than their parents spent preparing meals for them when they were children.

A lack of time was considered the biggest barrier to cooking more often for 31 per cent of adults, along with a lack of knowledge (24 per cent) and working too late to cook fresh meals (15 per cent).

One in 10 blamed the rise of delivery services making it easier to get food sent to their home.

Despite this, 54 per cent said they still see the kitchen as the "heart of the home".

The stats emerged in a study by Kenwood, following its attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the world’s longest line of pancakes, in a bid to show how fun cooking can be.

Alex Pickering, from Kenwood, said: “Cooking is often seen as a chore - something you have to do rather than something you want to do.

“As a result, many are now cooking the quickest and easiest thing they can think of, rather than whipping something up because they want to.

“A lack of time is also making things more difficult.

“But pancakes are different – we all love pancakes and they are perfect for helping you to feel inspired and let your creatively flow in the kitchen."

The poll also found 54 per cent of those surveyed claimed to be good cooks, although almost one in five don’t think they can give themselves that label.

On an average week, respondents said they would fail at least one attempt at a meal, with some meals even ending up completely ruined.

Almost four in 10 reckoned they cook less than their parents did when they were younger, with 52 per cent putting it down to having more convenience or microwave food now.

Others though it was due to them eating out more often (26 per cent) and having more takeaways (23 per cent).

However, nearly one in four blamed their lack of ability to cook things from scratch, with one-third admitting they often rely on packet mixes or pre-prepared sauces.

Almost three in 10 even admitted to buying a packet mix or prepared sauce and then claiming to have made it from scratch.

Roast potatoes are the food adults felt most confident they can cook from scratch (68 per cent), along with pancakes (58 per cent) and bolognese sauce (49 per cent).

This may have come from 57 per cent of those polled, via OnePoll, saying they learned how to make pancakes as child, while another 27 per cent named pasta bake as one of the first dishes they made.

SWNS