London – Friday, December 6, 2024: As Christmas draws closer, new research from Samsung found that leftovers are a consistent headache for Christmas cooks, keeping our fridges jam-packed throughout the festive season, with one in four (80%) of households admitting to being left with surplus supplies after the main Christmas dinner or lunch.

Turkey was the main offender, with one in four households having leftovers, followed by the humble potato and the much-maligned Brussel sprout.  Gravy, carrots, and chocolates tie at 15%, while indulgent treats like Christmas cake (14%) and cheese (13%) also make the list.

The top ten ingredients most commonly leftover:

1. Turkey (25%)
2. Potatoes (20%)
3. Brussel sprouts (16%)
4. Gravy (15%)
5. Carrots (15%)
6. Chocolates (15%)
7. Christmas Cake (14%)
8. Stuffing (14%)
9. Chicken (13%)
10. Cheese (13%)

From Surplus to Scrumptious: How Samsung Food Transforms Christmas Leftovers

To solve Christmas cooking challenges, Samsung’s innovative home appliances can take the stress out of every Christmas meal, whether cooking fresh or with leftovers, leaving hosts to enjoy the day with family and friends. From smart appliances like Samsung’s Dual Cook oven that allows different dishes to be cooked at different temperatures or for different lengths of time, through to innovative AI-powered solutions that automates cooking decisions, Christmas can be prepped on autopilot.

Dan Barfield, Director of Digital Appliances at Samsung Electronics UK and Ireland, said: “If you are hosting at Christmas it can often feel like a never-ending task, with preparation for the main Christmas dinner starting days, if not weeks, beforehand. Every year we face the same challenges around the big day – striving to make the dishes we share perfect and on time, for friends and family.

“That’s why our latest features focus on how we can make our customers’ lives easier. Whether it’s leftover menu inspiration, checking the oven whilst you watch the Christmas movie, or cooking two different dishes at different temperatures in the same oven, our innovative features can take the stress out of any cooking endeavour. It’s just like having your very own sous chef!”

• Your own personal sous chef with AI Pro Cooking: Available on the latest Samsung models, it optimises cooking settings, recommends mode, temperature, and time for recognised dishes, and allows real-time monitoring via the SmartThings App’s View Inside feature.

• Dual Cook Steam Oven turns two cooking tasks into one: With two independent cooking zones, it lets you cook multiple dishes at different temperatures without flavour transfer, ideal for turkey and dessert prep. Energy-efficient features reduce usage by over 25% and preheat 52% faster^[1], saving time and streamlining holiday cooking.

• Samsung fridges deliver maximum flexibility when space is at a premium: When it comes to keeping a stocked-up fridge fresh, Samsung fridges are perfect for busy kitchens at Christmas, combining innovative features to maximise freshness and storage. Humidity Fresh crisper drawers preserve fruits and vegetables with adjustable settings, while Space Max technology offers increased capacity without increasing external size^[2]. Twin Cooling Plus ensures separate cooling for fridge and freezer, preventing flavour crossover, while Smart Conversion lets you switch the freezer to fridge mode—ideal for hosting large groups during the festive season. Select models also feature AI Vision Inside, an internal camera^[3] that can identify certain fresh food items^[4] when put in or taken out and allows you to manage a food list, helping to reduce waste.

• The Samsung Food app provides effortless menu inspiration – an AI-powered, personalised food and recipe platform available across multiple devices including your phone, tablet and TV and on Android or iOS – can help Christmas cooks plan each meal, compile ingredient lists, compare prices for shopping across popular supermarkets, and even adapt recipes to cater for different dietary requirements.

[1] 25.3% energy savings and 52% faster pre-heating based on using only the top half of the oven. Internal testing on Series 5 NV7B5675LAK, upper vs. whole compartment for small cake baking at convection 165℃  (IEC-60350)

[2] Samsung fridge freezer capacity is 84.5L larger than the market average capacity based on all other wide combi models in the market (70-83cm width) sold in major UK retailers from February 2024. UK shopping bag average of 19.1L capacity.

[3] Red light will turn on when camera is working. User’s appearance can be captured, but surroundings other than food item will be automatically blurred.

[4] As of March 2024, AI Vision Inside can recognize 33 food items. If the food is not recognisable, it may be listed as unknown item. AI Vision Inside cannot identify or list any food items in the fridge door bins or freezer. It recognises food items based on deep learning models, which may be updated periodically to improve accuracy.

LONDON, UK – 10^th November 2022 – With the festive season just around the corner, new research from Samsung Electronics UK has revealed the Christmas dishes that the nation finds the most difficult to perfect when cooking Christmas lunch or dinner.

Roast turkey, roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings lead the way as the dishes that UK adults struggle to get right, as nearly two thirds (64%) admit that cooking Christmas dinner for family/friends is one of the most stressful parts of Christmas.

The different temperatures required to cook multiple dishes at the same time (37%) was cited as the main reason why a Christmas dinner dish is difficult to make. This was closely followed by trying to time the dish with other elements of the Christmas meal (35%) and it not being a recipe that the individual makes often (27%).

Roast potatoes (48%), roast turkey (36%) and bacon wrapped sausages (36%) were voted the nation’s favourite dishes to eat during the festive season, whilst 1.01pm-1.30pm was the most popular time to start tucking into the main Christmas meal on Christmas Day (23%). In addition to this, nearly a quarter (23%) admitted to still eating Christmas leftovers up to three days after Christmas Day.

The survey revealed the top pet peeves when making Christmas dinner for friends or family, including mess created in the kitchen (44%), lack of space (42%) and timings being off when making the food (36%).

For those eating Christmas dinner, the main pet peeves listed were people not helping to clean up or wash up after the meal (20%), mess created on the dinner table when eating (17%) and being crammed round the table (16%).

Whilst those making Christmas dinner stated that an oven (55%), hob (35%) and fridge freezer (30%) are the most crucial kitchen appliances to cook a good Christmas meal, the nation has admitted to taking various shortcuts when preparing Christmas dinner. This includes using instant gravy granules (43%), buying premade stuffing/bacon wrapped sausages from the shops (41%) and microwaving food that usually goes in the oven (20%).

To help the nation this festive season, Samsung have enlisted the help of leading Chef and Manager of Sauce by The Langham, Millie Simpson, to create a number of easy-to-follow Christmas recipes including how to make the perfect roasties for the dinner table.

Tanya Weller, Marketing Director of Home Appliances at Samsung Electronics (UK & Ireland) Ltd., commented,

“As our research revealed, cooking the Christmas dinner for loved ones is considered one of the most stressful tasks during the festive period, with those surveyed stating that cooking different dishes at multiple temperatures and trying to time the dishes with other elements of the Christmas meal are the biggest challenges. Fortunately, Samsung has a number of great home appliances to combat this, including our Dual Cook single oven range that allow individuals to cook two different dishes at two different temperatures – ensuring they can have a seamless experience when in charge of making Christmas dinner. Plus, if you only use the top half, you can save 25% on energy.^[1]”

Samsung’s innovative Home Appliances range is the perfect equipment to have in your kitchen for everyday use and special occasions, such as Christmas. With a Dual Cook oven that allows different Christmas dishes to be cooked at different temperatures and Induction Hob with Flex Zone, a large open area which accommodates different sizes of cookware when cooking large meals, Samsung’s Home Appliances will ensure users can enjoy stress free Christmas dinner prep this December.

For more information on Samsung’s Home Appliance range, please visit: https://www.samsung.com/uk/home-appliances/

[1] Internal testing on Series 5 NV7B5675LAK, upper vs. whole compartment for small cake baking at convection 165℃ (IEC-60350).