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The Dutch regularly cook, but preferably not with a partner

Eight in ten adults put a fresh homemade meal on the table at least twice a week. And then we like to cook in company, for example with friends, relatives or in a cooking club. But the majority of adults prefer not to be in the kitchen with their partner, according to a survey by HelloFresh into cooking habits among more than 1,000 Dutch people. Possible causes? A large proportion of both men (28%) and women (51%) think their own cooking skills are better than that of their partner. A quarter believe that their partner offers too few culinary surprises and a third of the women are mainly annoyed by the mess that the other leaves behind. It is striking that men (47%) find it less worrisome to stand behind the stove with their partner than women (57%). It is therefore not surprising that the woman prepares the daily meal alone twice as often.

And although more than six in ten like to cook for others, a quarter of the Dutch also dread having dinner at home. Estimating quantities of the required ingredients is found to be the most difficult. A large majority generally cook with a recipe. Does a culinary creation fail? One in ten is secretly not really enjoying the rest of the evening. Yet we are only too happy to broaden our culinary perspective. Half are open to cooking more often with ingredients whose taste is new to them. In addition, the majority of the Dutch (53%) cook the majority of all meals with seasonal products. In the summer purslane, bok choy and broccoli end up on the plate more often.

Top 5 – Sources of Inspiration for New Meals
1. Recipe websites (61%)
2. Cookbooks (56%)
3. Magazines (50%)
4. Recipe cards (49%)
5. Friends (48%)