Lockdown leads to surge in people buying kitchen gadgets
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
People spending more time at home has led to an influx of kitchen gadgets.
The annual national survey from BBC Good Food Nation has revealed half (52 per cent) of people surveyed have bought new cooking or kitchen equipment in the last year.
Coffee machines were the most popular gadgets, bought by 13 per cent of people surveyed, and they were the most used purchase, with barista-style coffees being made an average of five times a week.
The next most popular were air fryers (12 per cent), slow cookers (11 per cent), and smoothie makers (eight per cent) – linked to the one-in-four people (26 per cent) who said they prioritised eating healthily over the past year.
The downside of the new purchases is the need for additional storage space – over a third (35 per cent) of adults surveyed said they do not have enough space in their kitchen to accommodate their appliances.
The kitchen is the happy place in the home for 40 per cent of people, but just over a fifth (21 per cent) said they have started to dislike their kitchen because they have spent too much time in it. And almost three in 10 people (30 per cent) said they would like to completely redo their kitchen following the pandemic.
BBC Good Food Nation also reveals a dramatic shift in our drinking habits over the past year. Almost half of people surveyed (48 per cent) have been drinking more water since the pandemic began, with just more than a fifth (21 per cent) saying much more water.
The rise in popularity of alternative milks continues with a fifth (20 per cent) of people surveyed say they have been drinking more alternative milks since the pandemic began.
And when it comes to alcohol, almost equal numbers of people saying they are drinking more (20 per cent) and drinking less (23 per cent).
Christine Hayes, editor in chief of BBC Good Food, said: “Spending time in the kitchen, preparing meals that sustain us and support our health and well-being has been a mainstay for many people throughout the pandemic – it’s great to hear that 40 per cent of people say their kitchen is their happy place.
"There has been a huge increase in the number of people coming to www.bbcgoodfood.com over the past year, from those who enjoy experimenting with new ingredients and methods, and as the survey shows, new kitchen gadgets, as well as those finding comfort in cooking traditional favourites.”
