Staying at home during the coronavirus pandemic changed the way we all live – and one of the life aspects is rediscovering the kitchen and making meals. Sure, the delivery services such as GrubHub ramped up, keeping restaurants alive. Supermarkets, as essential services remain open, as the only other option to feed one’s family.
When life gets back to a new normal, though, it’s a sure bet that the joy of cooking and baking in the kitchen will remain high, and thus, kitchen accessories will make for fun and successful promotions.
Understanding the trends in homestyle foods will help you create campaigns that resonate with today’s modern family.
Healthy , if not downright delicious anchors the trends. Exotic experiences, expanding adventure on the plate is another – and third is sustainability and earth friendly.
The research team at AllRecipes.com analyzed its data from 1.2 billion annual visits and 2.5 billion annual page views plus surveyed its devoted cooks/visitors about what is in their carts and refrigerators, on their stovetops, in their ovens and on their tables, for its “Home Cooking in 2020” trend report.
“We know more people are cooking than ever,” according to the group – mind you, this is before COVID-19. Nearly three-quarters of Allrecipes’ users say they are trying more new recipes than two years ago, and more than half of the respondents say they are prepping new recipes every week. The criteria for what constitute “good” recipes are taste, convenience and ease. And, there has been a spike in the importance of healthfulness/nutrition.
And, according to Allrecipes.com, there are numerous exciting trends occurring this year.
For example, there’s a growing “appetite for adventure and cultural heritage.” This can be seen in the produce and spice aisles with exotic new offerings from around the world. For example, the spice blend Harissa, a popular North African hot chili pepper blend; mangoes and avocados everywhere, aloe leaves, and more. The easy and constant connectivity via apps and websites with video instructions, refrigerators that can keep track of its contents, all allow for ease of globe-trotting for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with local sources.
An example of a hot ethnic food trend that home cooks are delving into is Filipino, which blends Latin, Asian and American influences for a unique, flavorful experience. Also continuing to rise in popularity is Indian cuisine, as its spices also have functional health benefit, chiefly, turmeric (curry) which is known to manage chronic inflammation.
Also at home, especially for family and friend gatherings, is “grazing,” which often entails creating adventurous gourmet charcuterie boards; as well as “finger foods,” or “appys” such as mini quiches, crab Rangoon, and sliders. The idea here is to be able to enjoy but in smaller (fewer calorie) bites to satisfy.
Meanwhile, a growing trend among eating at home is group participation, where guests are involved in food prep and cooking, enjoying appetizers and toasts. In the warm weather, this extends to outside kitchens/living spaces, and more homeowners are investing in more elaborate outdoor cooking areas that include outdoor griddles. One such device receiving a lot of attention and sales growth is the pellet smoker, many of which are equipped with Wi-Fi to better control and manage the food being smoked.
Kitchen accessories, therefore, are sure to be a hit. There are many options. For example, when restaurants and bars re-open, how about giving out a jar opener as a “welcome back” promotion? Bay State has an incredible 57 types to choose from.
When business gets zooming again, and your clients that rely on salespeople begin reconnecting with customers and prospects, how about suggesting the client give a beautiful bamboo cutting board with knife as a reward when a certain number of sales are reached?
Banks, realtors, insurance companies and other financial services can tie into any food holiday with a wide assortment of utensils such as pizza cutters, measuring spoons, ice cream scoops, mini cutting boards, measuring cups, pancake flippers, silicone spatulas, silicone baking brushes, such as those available from Garyline and Beacon Promotions. Beacon also offers a large assortment of oven mitts.
Employees who bring their lunches from home, especially those that are health and diet conscious, may enjoy receiving multi-compartment food containers or a 2-tier bamboo bento box, all available from a multitude of suppliers. Or how about Webb’s Wheat Straw Utensil set – portable fork, knife and spoon with imprintable covers, all made from biodegradable wheat straw?
Although the public will go out en masse once restrictions are lifted, and restaurants and bars open again, but the home cook, the idea of gathering safely and enjoy making food and dining together will remain a desirable thing to do.
This time that will go down in history will likely convert many people to become cooking enthusiasts, more so than ever. According to Mintel, the market research firm, in the US in 2018, “Cooking Enthusiasts account for 45% of adults aged 18+, or about 113 million people. These adults have at least basic cooking skills, like or love cooking, and cook because they want to rather than because they have to.” Add several million more, and you have an exciting area to develop creative, successful promotions.