Overcooking or undercooking food topped the list as the most common cooking ‘faux pas’ (20%), closely followed by messing up timings of when to cook everything (19%) and burning the food (18%). Despite being in a relationship, some Brits surprisingly admitted to cooking a dish their partner doesn’t like (15%) or forgetting their loved-one is allergic to an ingredient they have used (15%).

The study by Samsung, to support their innovative Dual Cook Flex ovens, also revealed that fillet steak is likely to feature on many dinner tables this Valentine’s Day, with one in five Brits (20%) saying it’s their all-time favourite dinner date dish. However, Gen Zs did not agree, with a veggie curry topping the list (13%) for their age group.

The research highlighted the growing demand for ‘dine in for two’ style packages, with nearly one in five (17%) Brits planning to purchase one of the packages to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year.

When it came to date night turn offs, talking about ex partners topped the list (33%), followed by work chat (33%), poor table manners (32%) and cheesy music (19%).

To help couples this Valentine’s Day, Samsung enlisted the help of leading dating expert, Sarah Louise Ryan, to provide her top tips on how to have a memorable Valentine’s Day dinner at home, including how to avoid common mishaps and ensure there are no kitchen or oven cooking dramas.

1. Dress to impress – after a couple of years in our favourite jogging bottoms, Valentine’s Day is an opportunity to pull out all the stops to feel good on the inside and look good on the outside. Dress to impress if you really want to set the date night scene.
2. Plan food ahead – you don’t want to have any last-minute hiccups with a missing ingredient or two, so plan what you’re both making ahead of time to make cooking hassle free.

3. You may want to make different dishes – why don’t you both mix it up by cooking a dish each? So your partner could take the starter and dessert, whilst you tackle the main course?
4. Work as a dream team as you’re working to dish up the romance – it may be the case that one of you is a dab-hand in the kitchen and the other one hasn’t the foggiest clue what to do. Practice lots of patience with one another to keep the flame of the evening firing away, and if needs be, maybe allocate a Chef and a Sous Chef.

5. Keep all work chat off the table – so many couples use date night as a time to plan and catch up on life admin and the seemingly mundane. Challenge yourself and each other to keep chit chat to strictly all things romance and about you two as a couple.

6. Topics to talk about – look at planning a holiday, your next weekend trip together or your weekly/monthly date nights. Think about things you’d want to do spontaneously or whilst planning ahead.
7. Keeping date night exciting – create a date jar where each of you writes down many things on multiple pieces of paper that you would like to do on your date nights – scrunch them up and pull them out one at a time on each date night alternately.
8. Dishing up dessert – why not rustle up a trio of desserts for you to share as you finish off your at home Valentine’s Day dining experience?
9. Keeping the night going – think about watching a movie together or playing a game or two for you competitive few. If you’ve been a dream team in the kitchen perhaps you want to set each other to task with competitive spirit. Or for those of you that are ready to wind down, simply relax on the sofa.
10. Make sure you have fun – Valentine’s Day Date night needn’t be a pressure cooker event. Do it the way you and your partner want to do it, keep it light and fun and playful and exciting. You both deserve to let your hair down and laugh, and who better to do that with than your significant other?

Samsung’s innovative Dual Cook Flex ovens are the perfect appliance to have in your kitchen for everyday use and special occasions such as this Valentine’s Day. With a flexible door and the ability to cook efficiently at two different temperatures and settings within a single cavity, the oven provides endless cooking combinations and ensures you can say goodbye to mealtime dramas.

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

From guidance on where to place your refrigerator, to the best space in the fridge to keep certain items cold; Samsung shares tips to help you enjoy a cool, calm and collected summer.

Top tips to keep your fridge contents at the optimal temperature

• Keep your fridge temperature set at 3°C/37.4F and your freezer set at -19°C/-2.2F (or -18°C/-0.4F, depending on your model) all year-round
• Ensure that your fridge-freezer is situated at least 5 cm from walls on both sides and 10 cm from the wall at the rear. If the fridge-freezer isn’t well-ventilated, the freezer temperature could rise and food may start to defrost when the overall room temperature starts to rise, as it does in summer (Ice cream and bread tend to be the first items to soften)
• Ensure your fridge-freezer is not placed in a conservatory or direct sunlight during the summer months. Such locations are likely to exceed 40°C on warm sunny days which could cause the internal temperature of your appliance to rise too
• Only use the power cool and power freeze functions featured on your Samsung fridge freezer when large quantities of fresh food are placed in the fridge or freezer (such as when you’re storing the week’s grocery shopping). The power function should be switched on 2 hours before the food/drink goes in and switched off 5 hours after the food/drink has been placed in the refrigerator
• Do not keep ice creams, ice lollies or bread in the doors or on the top shelf of the freezer: these areas aren’t the coldest parts and so these items are likely to defrost faster if stored in these areas

“Keeping our food and drinks at the right temperature is not only essential to preventing them from going off, but it can also maximize our enjoyment eating and drinking them. This is why we are committed to providing customers with total control over the temperature of their fridge-freezers, building in helpful features such as the cool select pantry to make them as easy to use as possible,” said Nick Bevan, Head of Product Management for Digital Appliances.

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