Most Americans Prefer to Cook at Home: Report

Cooking at home is still the preferred way to prepare a meal for 98 percent of Americans, according to a new survey by ReportLinker.

Americans have plenty of choices for meals; restaurants, fast food, and the grocery’s prepared meals all compete for a share of the family food budget. Yet, despite this wide array of options, more than a third of Americans say they cook at home daily, and 50 percent say they cook between three and six days a week, ReportLinker says. Retirees and those who are at home all day are more likely than full-time employees to cook each day.

But cooking remains popular for two noteworthy reasons: it’s inexpensive and healthier. Thirty-one percent of Americans say the lower cost motivates them to cook at home, while 22 percent say their desire for healthy fare drives them into the kitchen, according to the survey. One in five Americans say they prefer cooking at home because it gives them better control over what they eat.

With the popularity of television cooking shows, recipe websites, and celebrity chefs, it is somewhat surprising that more Americans don’t cite a passion for cooking as one of their top three reasons for preparing meals at home, ReportLinker officials say. Only 13.7 percent of Americans said their love of cooking was the primary reason they spent time in the kitchen.

For busy families, time presents a significant obstacle to putting a healthy meal on the table. After all, a cook needs to devote at least a small portion of their day to shopping, preparing, and cleaning up after a meal. But long commutes and the demands of family activities make carving time for a home-cooked meal challenging. Still, more than half of Americans say they’re able to find between 31 and 60 minutes each time to prepare a meal, according to ReportLinker. Of these, 26 percent say it’s worth the time to be able to serve a healthy meal, and 12 percent do it because they believe it’s the best way to gather the family together.

The survey also reveals that the more passionate respondents are about cooking – or the more frequently Americans cook – the more likely they are to spend more time in the kitchen. For example, 48 percent of passionate cooks say they’ll spend more than an hour preparing a meal, as do 30 percent of those who cook every day.

Although cooking is still very common among Americans – particularly retirees, passionate cooks, and older generations – one group is much more reluctant to turn on the stove: Millennials. This generation, which ranges in age from 19-35 years old, has less cooking experience than older generations, and that, understandably, may make them less comfortable in the kitchen.

Nearly one in four Millennials say they cook just one to two times a week – or not at all. That’s far less than older generations, ReportLinker says. And because they cook less, Millennials are more likely to describe themselves as beginners. Almost a third consider themselves newbies, while about the same percentage of older generations call themselves experts in the kitchen.

In general, beginners tend to spend less time preparing meals, and when they do, it’s usually to prepare something simple. In fact, 13 percent say they spend less than 15 minutes cooking, and 25 percent say they often cook the same thing, according to ReportLinker’s survey.

Still, although Millennials are often beginners, they do seek opportunities to learn how to cook new dishes. For example, a third say they turn to cooking blogs and websites for inspiration and some are turning to meal kit delivery services.