Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Roast dinner, lasagne and a traditional fry up are among dishes that Brits can’t cook properly, according to a new study by Sharp Home Appliances.
Research has revealed the top 20 dishes that Brits regularly fail to serve perfectly – because they are burnt, undercooked or hard to deliver to the table at the same time.
A poll of 2,000 adults shows the average person endures a cooking disaster at least three times a month – that’s 36 meals ruined across the course of one year.
Speaking on behalf of Sharp Home Appliances, which conducted the research, UK sales and marketing director, Andy Warren said: “There’s nothing more disappointing than spending time on a meal, and then discovering that something has gone horribly wrong.
“Our research discovered many adults are suffering mishaps in the kitchen on a regular basis, often because they’re rushing things and don’t have the time to spend poring over recipes or getting the correct settings on the oven. And this is why we can understand why many adults stick to the same meals day in and day out for ease and speed.”
The study shows six in 10 British adults rarely deviate from their repertoire of familiar dishes because they ‘usually go wrong’ if they try to cook anything else.This means the average family will eat approximately six meals on rotation, to lower the number of cooking disasters in the home.
When it comes to ‘getting things wrong’, a third of those polled admit they frequently burn food, while the same percentage often over-boil vegetables. Three in 10 cooks will often serve up mushy pasta or rice, while one in six will often burn the edges of a dish but discover it is still raw in the middle. Adding too much salt, sugar or spice are other common mistakes, as os serving something raw or soggy by accident.
But for a third of adults, cooking in the kitchen is just one of many tasks they are trying to do at the same time, which is why they end up with a disaster on their hands. 22% admit they’re often so engrossed in the television while cooking they’ll get things wrong, and a fifth blame the children for being so distracting, while 13% simply get flustered when trying to knock up an evening meal and 20% make silly mistakes when in a rush.
Four in 10 people think they can attribute some of their cooking disasters to the fact they don’t know how to use their oven properly, and 38% aren’t even confident they know how to use all of the settings on the microwave.
But it can be devastating when a meal goes wrong, particularly when time is limited, which is why 21% of Brits claim to have had a complete ‘toddler tantrum’ when realising their errors in the kitchen, 15% have been known to burst into tears as a result of the dinner being inedible, while 26% have resorted to getting a takeaway.
Andy Warren continued: “Our aim at Sharp is to make cooking easy, fun and enjoyable for everyone. We understand that most people don’t have time to learn all of the settings on their kitchen appliances, and need to be able to knock up healthy and nutritious meals in minutes. This is why all of our major domestic appliances are easy to use and maintain.”
TOP 20 ‘DISASTER DISHES’
1.Soufflé
2.Yorkshire puddings
3.Roast dinner
4.Omelette
5.Scrambled eggs
6.Poached eggs
7.Victoria sponge
8.Toad in the hole
9.Lasagne
10.Pasta carbonara
11.Crème Brulee
12.Pancakes
13.Curry
14.Meringues
15.Pork chops
16.Dauphinoise potatoes
17.Risotto
18.Traditional fry up
19.Spaghetti Bolognese
20.Beef stew
