Millennials love food but don’t like home cooking, according to new study of university students

Millennials are the foodie generation but many don’t actually like to cook, a new study has found. Young adults in their early 20s often eat at home, but only cook half of their own meals, according to interviews with 248 university students. They are more likely to eat meals prepared by others, or buy ready-made food because they think cooking is a waste of their time and don’t enjoy it. Some said they were too tired after work, or it took too long, while others said cooking was a “personal growth kind of thing”, not an essential activity. The findings reflect other studies which show millennials are regular consumers of food shows on TV, watch cooking videos on YouTube and follow food trends. But they cook less and buy fewer raw ingredients than any other generation. Lead researcher Dr Aidin Namin said even those who enjoyed cooking didn’t do it very often as they found it time-consuming. “Cooking is perceived to require a considerable amount of labour and a need for precise measurements, especially for those who enjoy doing it,” he said. Those who didn’t enjoy cooking said they would only do it to save money, if cleaning up was easy or if they were hungry late at night. Dr Namin and his team from Loyola Marymount University also found students thought food eaten out was likely to be less healthy but this didn’t affect them regularly eating at dining halls, cafes and restaurants. Jacinta Payne, 28, from Scarborough, said while she enjoyed quality food and trying new things, she rarely had the time or the energy to cook for herself. “I find it time-consuming and easy to screw up. My old work hours were all over the place so I either had to cook in advance or I’d be way too tired when I got home,” she said. “I used to bulk cook twice a week or so, but since I’ve started working away I think I’ve cooked maybe twice on home swings. “Either someone else in the household cooks in bulk, I get Uber Eats, or I buy pre-made meals from the grocery store.” She said she loved watching cooking shows and often had food channels on in the background while cleaning or cooking. Giorgia Vecchio, 23, said her main obstacle was not having time to go to the shops and get dinner ready after work. “I probably cook every second night, if I’m lucky. The rest of the time I’ll get Uber Eats. I prefer to eat at home.” she said.