Cooking is an essential skill for everyone, but when it comes to rating our own efforts in the kitchen, it seems Kiwis aren’t as confident as we could be!
A recent survey* commissioned by Gregg’s found that 1 in 5 New Zealanders feel the need to apologise to guests for their home cooking, and only 51% feel completely confident cooking for their family.
When it comes to cooking for guests, only 20% said they felt completely confident, and 67% said they felt the need to step up their cooking creativity.
Andre Gargiulo, New Zealand Country Manager at Cerebos Gregg’s, says Kiwis are exposed to a wider range of cuisines now thanks to cooking shows and new food options.
“New Zealanders used to be more of a meat-and-three-veg nation, but now we face the challenge of keeping up with other’s expectations,” he said.
Happily for Kiwi home cooks, it seems we’re being much harder on ourselves than we need to. The survey showed that while only 1 in 10 people judged their own cooking as ‘excellent’, their own families were twice as likely to rate them as excellent.
So what’s keeping us back from talking up our skills in the kitchen? Some respondents blamed complicated recipes and time constraints, while others found it difficult meeting everyone’s expectations and being creative.
“It’s important to remember that cooking should be about having fun in the kitchen and spending time with family and friends,” Mr Gargiulo said.
“It’s easy to get caught up in the stress of getting the perfectly plated meal on the table but as the survey results show, more often than not, your perfect is perfect,” he said.
Need a confidence boost in the kitchen? Here are three ways to fall back in love with cooking:
1. Find your inspiration
Whether it’s the latest cooking show, a cookbook, or a new way of using an ingredient, culinary inspiration is all around you! Find what interests you and encourage yourself to try something new.
2. Take a cooking class
Want to tackle a particular type of cuisine, or master a certain skill? Take a lesson from the pros and watch your own confidence in the kitchen grow. You can even bring a few friends along to make it a social experience!
3. Fun for the family
Make family mealtimes fun by getting everyone involved. Your kids will be more likely to finish their plate if they had a hand in choosing the meal for the day, and they’ll be learning an important skill at the same time.
*Independently conducted survey for Gregg’s completed by a panel of 1,417 New Zealanders
