London, UK – 25^th May 2020 –Samsung Electronics UK Ltd. today released new research that shows how Brits have become a budding nation of amateur chefs in recent weeks.

The poll of 1,500 UK adults shows how cooking has risen in popularity, with nearly half of respondents (49%) saying that they are currently cooking more than usual. From batch cooking and basic baking through to not-so-perfect puddings, Brits are upping the ante in the kitchen and experimenting more with new recipes. Cakes top the list of foods that Brits are experimenting with (47%), followed by main meals (42%) with puddings and desserts coming in third at 29% – and when it comes to these main meals Brits are really mixing it up!

According to the research the nation has been cooking a variety of different dishes in recent weeks. While British food is still often the order of the day with 66% saying that they are cooking more traditional recipes, 53% are also cooking more Italian food and 32% more Indian. The top five cuisines are then completed by Chinese (27%) and Mediterranean (23%). But just why are we getting more creative in the kitchen?

“I think that cooking and baking is something that lots of people want to do more of, but it is difficult to find the time. In recent weeks that has clearly changed, so I’m not surprised that people are doing more of it,” explains Bake Off star and 2019 winner David Atherton. “Cooking is also a fantastic thing to turn to when you need a distraction, whether it’s an elaborate cake or flavoursome meal, because the art of cooking can be totally absorbing. Personally, I find it helps me to escape from reality and get some much-needed headspace. It’s also something you can get really creative with, plus it has a tangible result – when your food comes out the oven you get a real sense of achievement, as though you’ve done something productive with your time. The best bit by far is that you can then reward yourself by eating your creation!”

It’s clear that many Brits are also recognising the benefits of keeping calm and cooking on, with three quarters saying that they hope to continue cooking more in future.

The growing phenomenon is only serving to reinforce that the kitchen really is the heart of the home, with almost 3 in 5 Brits agreeing that they believe this to be true. Similarly, 62% agree that the oven specifically is the hero of the kitchen, making it by default, the unsung hero of the home!

Food is also helping to bring the household together during these times, with 48% of multiple person households saying that they are sitting down to eat together more often. But while they may be eating at the same time, they are not necessarily eating the same meals. In fact, 30% are cooking more than one main meal a day to cater to different taste preferences, while 20% are cooking more than one main meal due to having different dietary requirements within their household. Fortunately, with appliances such as the Samsung Dual Cook Flex oven, this needn’t present too much of a problem.

“People often want to cook more than one thing at a time, whether that’s multiple courses, different meals due to taste preferences or dietary requirements, or because they are batch cooking multiple meals at one time,” explains Ruth Storey, Head of Marketing, Home Appliances, Samsung Electronics UK Ltd. “That’s why Samsung has developed its Dual Cook Flex range which gives you the ultimate flexibility in the kitchen. Offering the opportunity to divide the oven into two, so you can steam your fish or bake your cake all in the same oven at the same time, with no transfer of odours or tastes.”

Top 5 cuisines that Brits are cooking more of

1. English
2. Italian
3. Indian
4. Chinese
5. Mediterranean

Samsung found that the other bad kitchen habits that irk the UK population most are: not emptying the pockets of clothing items before putting them in the washing machine (68%); wiping crumbs and food remnants off surfaces and onto the floor (66%) and leaving dirty dishes in or next to the sink rather than putting them in the dishwasher (61%).   Interestingly, domestic annoyances are a great leveller as the survey didn’t show up any big variations here across gender, age or UK location.

The nation’s favourite kitchen hack was a simple time-saver: to make double the quantities when cooking so you can use what’s needed on the day, and then can freeze the rest to use later.

Samsung asked what the one kitchen item you can’t live without is.  Here the fridge came out top with 41% of the vote, followed by the washing machine (21%), the kettle and oven tied at 16%.  The washing machine rated more highly with women (30%) than with men (11%), and the kettle was the biggest hit amongst the older 65+ age group – it must be all those cups of tea.

Samsung then asked the nation’s opinion on what’s the best way to make the perfect cup of tea?  They overwhelmingly agreed (89%) that you need to boil the kettle for the full amount of time.  They’re more evenly split on how long you should allow the tea bag to brew for: 49% saying leave it to brew for 3-5 minutes, 46% saying to leave it brewing for just 1-2 minutes.    On when to add the milk, 81% say after the hot water.  And the perfect colour for the perfect cup of tea?  41% like their tea best when its caramel-coloured, 37% prefer it stronger/darker, with only a splash of milk.

Samsung Home Appliances’ “The Domestics” is a six part comedy series that reveals the little observations in modern day life that can cause tensions and frustrations. Starring Katherine Ryan and Joel Dommett, Samsung worked closely with the comedy duo to develop their humorous takes on everyday domestic moments to entertain viewers, whilst showcasing Samsung’s appliances and the innovations that can help to resolve these tensions.

Sally Whitson, Head of Marketing for Domestic Appliances at Samsung Electronics UK and Ireland says, “Domestic tensions really are the Great British bug bear. Our research proves how passionate we are about our little idiosyncrasies, but also how divisive they can be. This, combined with our own experiences, inspired us to create The Domestics, and bring to life those everyday frustrations we all experience, adding a bit of humour in along the way. We also wanted to show how Samsung’s appliances are designed to help with these everyday tasks so you can have more time to do what you love… and hopefully rowing less with who you love!”

Watch each episode at Samsung.com and YouTube.com/SamsungUK

Episode 1: Tea: How to make the perfect cup of tea

Episode 2: Fridge: Joel and Katherine discuss fridge etiquette

Episode 3: Hob: Joel attempts to cook Katherine the perfect meal

Episode 4: Dishwasher: Joel and Katherine debate the appropriate way to stack a dishwasher

Episode 5: Wash-Dry: Joel is preparing for date and needs his lucky shirt washed

Episode 6: Going-out: Katherine & Joel Tupperware stacking

*research conducted by Bilendi on 21 September 2017 with a representative sample of 2,000 UK population aged 18+