Singaporeans like eating more than cooking: Survey

SINGAPORE - 93 per cent of Singaporeans surveyed say they are passionate about food, but not many of them are confident of their cooking skills. 

Majority of respondents (46%) feel that 'limited' best describes their ability in the kitchen, with a further 19 per cent admitting to being a 'culinary disaster' in the Electrolux Asia Pacific Food Survey 2014.

The survey was conducted across a sample size of 5,000 across the Asia Pacific region in 10 countries including Australia, China, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Thailand comes up top in the battle of the foodie nations, with 100 per cent of respondents in the country sharing a strong passion for food, despite just 34 per cent enjoying cooking as a hobby. Experimental cooking is less likely in Taiwan, with a quarter of respondents claiming to be a nightmare in the kitchen and just a fifth of respondents feeling proud of their cooking skills.

According to the survey, 80 per cent of Singapore respondents prefer to eat at home rather than dine out. In the region, 85 per cent of respondents prefer to eat at home rather than eat out, which includes 92 per cent in Indonesia, Vietnam and China.

36 per cent of cooks are self-taught. For the current generation, parents have been the main source of knowledge when it comes to cooking, with 75 per cent of respondents over 50 teaching their children to cook.  Just 28 per cent of under 30s in Singapore, however, believe that sharing the joys of home cooking with their children is a priority for them. Singapore is the second least likely country to do so across the 10 surveyed.

Of all the nations surveyed, Vietnam demonstrates the strongest desire to ensure the skills are passed down, with almost half of the respondents claiming that teaching children is a top priority and a further 35 per cent making sure that they cook a few dishes with the kids when there is time to do so.

So who is doing the cooking in Singapore's households? Although 35 per cent of men claim they are the primary meal preparer in the household, the women surveyed did not back this up - just 8 per cent agree that their husband does the lion's share of the cooking.

While they think they are having an impact in the kitchen, men lack confidence more than their female counterparts, with 65 per cent across Singapore choosing 'limited' or 'a disaster' to best describe their ability in the kitchen.

While most Singaporeans are not confident in the kitchen, 85 per cent of all respondents aspire to be a better cook.

maryanns@sph.com.sg