Some Aussies still struggle in the kitchen

Despite this year’s wild ride, new research has revealed a positive side effect to Aussie COVID-19 lockdown restrictions – families are spending more time cooking together.

But while findings from the national survey conducted by Pure Profile show that six in 10 Aussies used lockdown to cook more as a family, it also found that some of us need some help, with a quarter of parents self-identifying as “terrible cooks”.

But parents do want to improve, with a third saying they want to cook better food for their families and another four in 10 saying they’d like to eat healthier.

“Like thousands of Aussies, cooking became a regular family activity in lockdown, with many making homemade pasta, cookies and fresh-baked bread,” says former Better Homes and Gardens food editor, chef and Philips Kitchen ambassador Elle Vernon.

“Although cooking is enjoyable and second nature to me, I had many friends mention how they were struggling to feed the family through the lockdown months with fresh, nutritious and delicious meals – they didn’t know where to start and were very much overwhelmed.

“I think this is why so many parents, and dads in particular, resorted to takeaway. One friend admitted to ordering home delivery early in the evening for the kids, and then again later for himself and his wife. This was happening two or three nights a week!”

Aussie men indexed higher than women on multiple fronts in the survey, with males more likely to say they’re terrible cooks than females, while a quarter of blokes admit they don’t prepare their own meals. In fact, nearly four in 10 said they never even learnt to cook.

“I’m not surprised the research showed the biggest barriers to cooking are the perceived expense of healthy food [40%], followed by the inability to cook [28%] and a lack of time [19%],” Vernon says. “If you’re one of the many who fit into this group, I highly recommend getting a premium airfryer. From expert chefs to the most inexperienced of home cooks, at the touch of a button, an airfryer can give you confidence in the kitchen to prepare everything from pizza to pavlova in half the time and with a fraction of the fat.”

The hottest kitchen accessory of 2020, airfryers have created a community of culinary explorers looking to find new and fun ways to revamp their dinner plate.

The Philips Airfryer XXL with Smart Sensing Technology provides all the tools to create healthy, tasty dishes for even the fussiest of eaters. Its fat removal tech creates healthier fried food with up to 90 percent less fat, and with cook times up to 1.5 times faster than a regular oven, you can kiss those lingering post-lockdown takeaway habits goodbye.

The Philips Airfryer XXL with Smart Sensing Technology is available now from leading retailers including Bing Lee, David Jones, Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, The Good Guys and Myer. For more information, head to philips.com.au