Top home cooking trends of 2011: mobile, ethnic and pies

(Brett Mulcahy)

Mobile food resources, ethnic cooking and pies will be among the top cooking trends of 2011, according to a large recipe resource.

Seattle-based AllRecipes.com, one of the world's largest online recipe resource (with 16 international sites), surveyed the cooking habits of 25 million "home chefs" (regular people who cook at home) who use its site. The site released its predictions of the top home cooking trends for 2011 on December 8.

Here are some of the coming year's top trends:

Going mobile - According to the study, mobile devices and wireless computing serve up new meal-planning freedom. Online resources are invaluable for recipes, comparing prices and organizing thoughts and lists. In 2010, the site's page views from mobile devices surged 340 percent and the top food activities among smartphone-equipped cooks were: finding recipes (63 percent) and creating shopping lists (60 percent).

Ethnic cooking - In a likely effort to save money without compromising variety, cooks are increasingly taking a DIY approach to favorite ethnic dishes (instead of eating out). Consumption of ethnic dishes increased 29 percent in 2010 with the fastest growing cuisines coming from South America, Japan and Korea.

Pies - Pies of all types - hot and cold, sweet and savory - are increasingly popular. In 2010, savory pie was often served as part of dinner, and a sweet pie as dessert. Page views for AllRecipe's pie recipes were up more than 20 percent from 2009. Ice cream pie was 2010's fastest growing pie type.

Boozing at home - More than half of those surveyed are drinking more at home than they were a year ago; top motivations include cost (56 percent), entertaining more at home (22 percent), and interest in creating original cocktails (13 percent). There was also a growing interest in exploring new varieties of liquors. Tequila is the fastest growing spirit.

Healthy Eating - Healthy eating will be the focus in 2011, and this means maintaining good eating habits. What's out: fad diets (carb-free, grapefruit only). What's in: eating a well-balanced meal with lots of fruits and vegetables, a limited amount of sugars and processed foods. Nearly 90 percent of those surveyed said they were eating more fruits and vegetables in 2010, while more than 30 percent said they were eating less meat, and roughly 25 percent said they were eating more organic foods.

Men in the Kitchen - More men are cooking and appear to be the primary cook even when hosting guests. Male cooks are feeling more comfortable in kitchens - particularly the 20-something set, which the study suggests has taken inspiration from people like "Naked Chef" Jamie Oliver.

Visit the site here:  http://allrecipes.com/ and read the full report here:  http://www.slideshare.net/AllrecipesPR