Bangkok, October 17, 2022: Cooking at home has been linked to a cheaper, healthier and more sustainable diet, and Thai’s are cooking 3% more than in 2020, compared to a 6% regional decline within South-Eastern Asia and the Pacific. The fourth annual World Cooking Index by Cookpad, a global recipe sharing platform, and Gallup, finds that on average, people in Thailand cook 6.6 freshly-prepared meals at home each week, out of a total of 14, including lunch and dinner.
Of the 122 countries surveyed, women in the world cook an average of +4 more meals per week than men. In Thailand the cooking gender gap is almost non-existent (+0.5), as Thai women only cook 6.8 meals per week and men 6.3 meals. In Singapore the gap is +2.7 meals cooked by women, in Cambodia it’s +7.4 and in Myanmar +5.9.
Thai men are actually cooking a third more (+34%) compared to the global average for men (4.7 weekly meals). Married Thai men are those who cook the most (7 meals per week) within this gender group compared to 6.5 meals in 2020, representing an 8% growth. This is much higher than married men's cooking frequency in Malaysia (6 meals cooked per week), and Singapore (3.2 meals).
Sutthikarn Srisavittiyakorn, Thailand Country Manager of recipe sharing platform Cookpad, comments, “The World Cooking Index research is reflective of the trends we are seeing within our home cooking community in Thailand. More Thai men are publishing recipes on Cookpad and they make up half of those attending our community cooking events. On our Thai app and website the top 5 types of dishes men cook are very meat-orientated, whereas women cook a mixture of sweet treats and clean eating options. We celebrate every one who chooses to cook more and shares their knowledge, because by doing so you are helping others to learn about the cooking process, and enjoy something that connects us all…food.”
Top 5 popular recipes men are cooking at home with Cookpad:
Top 5 popular recipes women are cooking at home with Cookpad:
Young people turn to cooking: Thai Gen Z’s cook 6.4 weekly meals, significantly higher than the global average (5.3) for the same age group. Nationally, 15-24 year olds are also cooking more than 25-34 year olds (6.2). There has been a 15% increase in Thai Gen Z’s cooking meals over the past four years, meanwhile amongst Millennial cooking frequency has been declining by 3% since 2018, when they cooked 6.5 weekly meals. Gen Z’s in Thailand are the fastest growing age group in home cooking.
The full report, “A Global Analysis of Cooking Around the World”, is available in English.
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Methodology:
Gallup and Cookpad measure the frequency of cooking by asking respondents to count the number of meals that they have personally cooked at home in the past 7 days – including lunch and then dinner. Respondents receive the following definition: “By ‘cooking at home’; I mean a meal prepared AT HOME from ingredients such as vegetables, meats, grains or other ingredients. Please do not think about pre-made foods or leftovers that you reheat.”
This survey was included as a module within the Gallup World Poll in 2021. Since 2005, the World Poll has regularly surveyed people in more than 160 countries using mixed methods of telephone and face-to-face interviewing. In a typical year, the poll results represent more than 95% of the world’s population aged 15 and older, using randomly selected, nationally representative samples.
About Cookpad:
Cookpad is a home cooking and recipe sharing platform whose mission is to make everyday cooking fun. Founded in Japan in 1997, Cookpad is now available in more than 70 countries across 30 languages, via mobile app and web. 100 million people use Cookpad every month for daily recipe inspiration and to contribute to its vibrant home cooking community. We believe that cooking is the key to a happier and healthier lives for people, communities and the planet.
About Gallup
Gallup delivers analytics and advice to help leaders and organizations solve their most pressing problems. Combining more than 80 years of experience with its global reach, Gallup knows more about the attitudes and behaviors of employees, customers, students and citizens than any other organization in the world.