All Industries

Food

Cooking

Cooking In America Consumer Report 2024

Cooking In America Consumer Report 2024

Enthusiasm for cooking at home is back on the rise after wearing thin in the late stages of the pandemic. While enthusiasm for cooking is on the rise, skill levels exist across a spectrum. Still most cooks at all skill levels express interest in improving their skills.

Cooking in America – Consumer Landscape

In the US, cooking frequency, enjoyment and interest in skill improvement have all notched increases among consumers over the last two years. Elevated prices and lingering financial uncertainty make the economics of cooking at home more appealing, but a number of other factors, including the efforts of grocery retailers and marketers, have helped to make cooking less of a chore and more of an adventure. Social media is also playing an increasingly important role in exposing home cooks to new ideas, tips and tricks.

Home cooks in America are keen to improve their skills. The opportunity for retailers and marketers lies in meeting cooks at whatever level they are at and taking them to the next level, whether that’s simplifying the steps it takes to make a few favorites or exploring the possibilities of new ingredients and cuisines.

Cooking in America – Consumer Statistics

US consumer attitudes towards cooking: Americans hold a generally positive view of cooking: nearly two thirds of adults say they like or love cooking.
US consumer cooking inspiration: While cookbooks remain important sources of recipes and ideas, Instagram and TikTok are rapidly rising as influences.

Cooking in America Consumer Report – What’s Inside?

Key Topics Analyzed in this Report

Cooking motivation and frequency
Cooking skills and desire to improve
Change in cooking-related behaviors in the past year
Reasons for choosing cooking at home over foodservice
Reasons for choosing foodservice over cooking at home
Sources for recipes and cooking ideas
Attitudes toward cooking

Meet the Expert Behind the Analysis

This report was written by John Owen. John provides in-depth analysis and insight across a variety of categories, including household and home care, health and wellness, food and beverages, and consumer lifestyles. He brings extensive experience in advertising and shopper marketing, most of it with Saatchi & Saatchi.

Enthusiasm for cooking and interest in skill improvement are back on the rise, creating opportunities for marketers that can help take home cooks to the next level.

John Owen
Associate Director – Food and Retail

Collapse All

Executive Summary
- What you need to know
- What consumers want & why
- Opportunities
Market Dynamics
- Market context
- Market drivers
- Consumers remain uneasy about their finances, motivating many to look for ways to save on food
- Graph 1: assessment of personal financial situation, 2022-24
- Inflation easing faster on food at home than on foodservice
- Graph 2: percentage of total food spending, at home vs away from home 2020-24
Cooking segments
- Segment factors
- Cooking segments
- Graph 3: cooking segments, 2024
- Enthusiastic cooks grow as unenthusiastic and avoidant cooks decline
- Graph 4: cooking segments, 2020-24
- Cooking segment demographics
- Enthusiastic cooks
- Aspiring cooks
- Unenthusiastic cooks
- Avoidant cooks
- Conflicted cooks
- Content cooks
- Non-cooks
Consumer Insights
- Consumer fast facts
- Cooking frequency
- Most Americans cook, but many don’t do it daily
- Graph 5: cooking frequency, 2024
- Cooking frequency is on the rise
- Graph 6: cooking frequency, 2021-24
- Women more likely to report frequent cooking
- Graph 7: cooking frequency, by gender and age, 2024
- Cooking sentiment and skill
- Most have a positive attitude toward cooking
- Positive view of cooking regains momentum
- Graph 8: attitude towards cooking, 2020-2024
- Enthusiasm highest among young adults
- Graph 9: attitude toward cooking – love or like a lot, by gender and age, 2024
- Ample opportunity to help home cooks improve their skills or just make things a little easier
- Most cooks aspire to skills improvement
- Graph 10: interest in improving cooking skills, 2020-24
- Interest in improvement cuts across age and skill levels
- Graph 11: interest in improving cooking skills, by age, 2024
- Graph 12: interest in improving cooking skills, by cooking skill, 2024
- Changes in cooking behavior
- A positive view of cooking translates to increases in most cooking behaviors
- Emphasize both practicality and food enjoyment to connect with younger adults
- Graph 13: changes in cooking-related behaviors, by age, 2024
- Motivations for cooking at home instead of dining/ordering out
- Most common motivations are practical, but many cook because they enjoy it
- Graph 14: motivations for cooking at home instead of dining/ordering out, 2024
- Older cooks especially likely to cite practical motivations
- Graph 15: motivations for cooking at home instead of dining/ordering out, by age, 2024
- For enthusiastic cooks, health can be as important as enjoyment
- Graph 16: motivations for cooking at home instead of dining/ordering out, by cooking segments, 2024
- Motivations for dining/ordering out instead of cooking at home
- Eating out is about enjoyment
- Graph 17: motivations for dining/ordering out instead of cooking at home, 2024
- Unenthusiastic cooks enjoy dining out, including the no-cooking and no-cleanup parts
- Graph 18: motivations for dining/ordering out instead of cooking at home, by cooking segments, 2024
- Sources for cooking inspiration/new recipes
- Traditional sources are still important, but social media is on the rise
- Graph 19: sources for cooking inspiration/new recipes, 2021-2024
- Young cooks drive the shift to social media as social media, in turn, helps to drive engagement among young cooks
- Graph 20: sources for cooking inspiration/new recipes, by age, 2024
- Aspiring and enthusiastic cooks look to a wider array of sources
- Graph 21: sources for cooking inspiration/new recipes, by cooking segments, 2024
- Attitudes toward cooking
- Strong emotions drive aspiring and enthusiastic cooks
- Graph 22: attitudes toward cooking, by cooking segments, 2024
- Younger cooks open to meal planning ideas and advice
- Graph 23: attitudes toward cooking, by age, 2024
Innovation and Marketing strategies
- Launch activity and innovation
- Kroger launches Mercado, appealing to both tradition and cuisine exploration
- Value-added fresh products make home cooking a little easier
- Wegmans simplifies fresh cooking
- Marketing and advertising
- Making prepared foods a partner in home cooking
- The promise and challenges of social media for grocery retailers
Appendix
- Segmentation definitions
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology
- Generations
- Abbreviations and terms

Mintel: Market Intelligence Made Easier

The first Mintel Market Intelligence report was published over 50 years ago. Since then, we have provided our unique insights and understanding of consumers, innovation and global markets to thousands of customers worldwide. Here’s why our customers rely on Mintel:

Gain a comprehensive, 360-degree view of the market: Mintel reports blend consumer research, market forecasts, product innovation tracking, and competitive analysis, allowing businesses to see every angle of their industry and identify new opportunities quickly.
Make decisions with confidence, grounded in robust data: Each report draws on up-to-date, reliable information from trusted sources and industry experts, ensuring your strategies are based on solid evidence rather than speculation.
Benefit from expert analysis and practical recommendations: Mintel’s reports are written by experienced analysts who interpret complex data and provide clear, actionable insights you can trust to guide your next moves.
Stay ahead with actionable intelligence on market trends and consumer behaviour: By combining fresh research with long-term market monitoring, our reports help businesses anticipate changes and adapt strategically. So you’re prepared to make informed decisions and drive growth.

What goes into a Mintel Market Intelligence Report?

Curious about how a Market Intelligence report comes together? We like to think of it as building a detailed puzzle. We start with individual pieces: data from consumers, market statistics, industry trends, and online conversations. Then our expert analysts add world-class human insight and industry knowledge. The pieces are assembled to reveal a clear, comprehensive picture of a market.

The Four Pillars of Our Research

We use a combination of four main research methods when creating our reports, each adding a valuable perspective:

Consumer Research: Direct surveys with real people, giving us clear, current insights into what people think and do.
Desk Research: In-depth review of trusted data sources. We use this rich database, plus powerful internal tools that track new products and market sizes, to detect trends and guide forecasts.
Trade Research: Insights from conversations with industry experts. Their real-world experience helps us understand what’s happening behind the scenes.
Brand and Social Media Research: Analysis of online opinions and trends. This lets us spot trends, measure brand sentiment, and capture feedback in real time, adding further depth to our research.

Bringing It All Together

Each of these four pillars provides a different piece of the puzzle. Consumer research tells us what customers think, desk research provides the factual framework, trade research offers an insider’s view, and social media analysis reveals public sentiment.

Our expert analysts are skilled in weaving these diverse data streams together. They apply a range of quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques to uncover the deeper story, connecting the dots to deliver clear, actionable insights. This comprehensive, multi-layered process is how we transform raw data into a market intelligence report you can trust to inform your most important business decisions.

For a closer look at a Mintel Market Intelligence Report, take a look at the sample PDF report below:

Please Note: All of the figures, graphs, and tables in this sample report have been redacted.

£ 3,695 (Excl.Tax)

Download today with instant access
Multiple formats provided
Interactive databook included
Save 10% on all orders with the code INSIGHTS2026

Report Brochure Methodology Talk to a Reports Specialist

Next Starts Here

Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.

Learn more

Trusted by global industry leaders

We use Mintel Reports, mostly for financial services and ecommerce markets, plus a few retail and technology ones.

As a leading payments provider, we value additional insights into consumer behaviour, opinions and trends that are shaping the many different markets we operate in. Mintel is a very good and very quick way for us to obtain those insights.

We use Mintel to get a view on where a particular market is going, which can support us in product development and help us identify opportunities or indeed risks, it is a very useful barometer of a market’s potential.

Andrew Neeson, Market Intelligence Manager, VocaLink

There is no question that Mintel is the go-to resource for the best quality market research, but I did not think it was an affordable option for Abacus Marketing to consider. As a small marketing agency, we only work with a few new clients each year.

However, we have a very high-end consultative approach to our work, so we really do need a partner like Mintel to provide the big agency experience we are always aiming to deliver. Our clients come from an incredibly diverse range of industry sectors, so we obviously need access to market research reports from a very wide spectrum of marketplaces – and that is precisely what we got.

Stephen Taylor-Brown, Managing Director, Abacus

We use Mintel to inform our thinking and reinforce strategy. If you’re presenting new ideas, it’s essential they are underpinned by robust data and evidence, and clearly rooted in fact.

Mintel gives us all that. It’s a great brand and one that is trusted by clients.

Marie Stafford, European Director, The Innovation Group, VML

We utilize Mintel Reports, Trends and Comperemedia to mine for insights across the numerous business verticals that Epsilon serves, such as CPG, automotive, telecom, healthcare/pharma, retail and financial services.

By integrating Mintel insight into new business opportunities, we have been able to gain the competitive edge necessary to advance partnerships with global brands and key business players.

For our organization, it’s about depth and breadth. Having one without the other doesn’t enable success in our business.

Virginia Harvey, Secondary Research Manager, Epsilon

At Jackman, we believe that powerful strategies are based on human insight. Mintel’s leading-edge reports and insights into consumer attitudes and behaviors are an important input as we develop and execute strategy.