A new survey has revealed that a quarter of Brits have never boiled an egg – and claim they do not know how to.
Supermarket chain Waitrose released the data in their annual Cooking Report, along with the news that 45% of UK adults have never made a Victoria sponge cake.
Despite this 35% of the 4,000 adults surveyed rate themselves as ‘very good’ or ‘excellent cooks’. Almost 40% wished they could spend more time in the kitchen, while a fifth say they spend more time entertaining at home dues to the cost-of-living crisis.
Brits are also opting to economise on the cost of a dinner party with 40% choosing cheaper cuts of meat and 7% asking their guests to bring a dish or course.
Microwaves are still proving popular time-saving gadgets, topping the list of kitchen appliances that Brits can’t live without. Despite the hype surrounding air fryers, almost three times as many people said they could not live without their microwave (32%) as those who said the same about air fryers (12%).
The Waitrose survey also reported that searches for ‘microwave meals’ were up 71% on the waitrose.com website, compared with the same time last year, while sales of microwaves were up 13% at John Lewis.
The survey also found that 46% of people ignore the sell-by dates on packaging, 38% use the ‘five-second rule’ for picking up food that has dropped on the floor, and 16% are happy to scrape the mould off food to eat or cook with it.
Martyn Lee, executive chef for Waitrose, said: “Food is a daily joy, and the cost-of-living crisis has hastened a change in how we cook.
“For too long we’ve been looking down on microwaves. You can do so much more in them than heat a cup of coffee. I make a great sponge in mine. I think it’s time to remember the enjoyment we get from the anticipation of their pinging.
“When you reheat a stew, or a slice of lasagne in your microwave after the flavours have had time to develop, you enjoy what’s known as the sixth taste sensation ‘kokumi’ – which is lesser known than the other five tastes – sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami.”
