Skip to main content

Which Country Does the Most Home Cooking?

Support Provided By
Photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/fotologic/2359056682">fotologic</a>/Flickr/<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">Creative Commons</a>

Hint: It's not the United States, but we aren't at the bottom of the list either.

A recent survey by market research institute GfK looked at the cooking habits of respondents in 22 countries. Over 27,000 people were interviewed on how many hours per week they spent cooking, as well as their passion and knowledge about food and cooking.

India ranked highest on the list for home cooking, with an average of 13.2 hours spent in the kitchen every week. The lowest was South Korea, with an average of 3.7 hours each week. The U.S. fell somewhere in the middle with 5.9 hours.

In terms of experience, Americans ranked among the top countries with 35% of respondents saying they possess great knowledge about food and cooking (versus the global average of 29%). We also scored well on our passion for food and cooking, with 37% of Americans calling themselves truly passionate (versus the global average of 32%). (Note that the study does take into account the age and gender of the respondents when analyzing the results.)

Click here for a larger view of the infographic.

Graphic by <a href="http://www.gfk.com/us/news-and-events/press-room/press-releases/pages/in-us-cooking-passion-knowledge-top-global-averages.aspx">GfK</a>

Here's the full list of countries and the time they spend cooking each week. How do your own cooking-at-home habits compare?

India: 13.2 hours
Ukraine: 13.1 hours
South Africa: 9.5 hours
Indonesia: 8.3 hours
Italy: 7.1 hours
Spain: 6.8 hours
Russia: 6.5 hours
Canada: 6.4 hours
Australia: 6.1 hours
Poland: 6.1 hours
Argentina: 6 hours
Belgium: 5.9 hours
UK: 5.9 hours
USA: 5.9 hours
China: 5.8 hours
Mexico: 5.8 hours
Sweden: 5.8 hours
France: 5.5 hours
Germany: 5.4 hours
Brazil: 5.2 hours
Turkey: 4.9 hours
South Korea: 3.7 hours

Global Average: 6.5 hours

Support Provided By
Read More
A black and white photo of an adult dressed as the easter bunny with a giant costumed head, holding a little girl on their left who gives it a kiss on the cheek and, with his right arm, holding a little boy who brings his hands to his eyes as though wiping away tears.

Behold the Bunnies and Bonnets of L.A.'s Past Easter Celebrations

The onset of the spring season heralds the arrival of fragrant flowers in bloom — and all the critters that enjoy them, including the Easter bunny and families who anticipate his arrival with egg hunts, parades and questionable fashion choices.
A black and white image of an elephant holding a broom with its trunk. A man is seen near the elephant, walking towards the animal.

Lions and Tigers and Cameras! How the Movies Gave Los Angeles a Zoo

The early days of the movies in Los Angeles inadvertently allowed visitors to experience the largest collection of animals in the western United States. When animals weren't appearing in a movie, they were rented out to other film companies, performed for studio visitors, or in the case of filmmaker William Selig's collection — an opportunity to create one of Los Angeles' first zoos.
A vertical, black and white portrait of a blonde woman wearing a sparkly four-leaf clover costume as she holds her arms out and extends a leg as though in a curtsy.

Irish for a Day: L.A.'s History of 'Going Green' on St. Patrick's Day

Whether it was a parade, dance, tea party, home celebration or just enjoying a good ol' wee dram of whisky, here's a photo essay of how Los Angeles donned its green apparel to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and embrace the luck o' the Irish over the years.