Internet replaces mom’s recipes

FROM roast chicken to spaghetti Bolognese, almost every cook once used recipes learnt at their mother’s apron strings.

But today’s generation instead look to the internet and celebrity chefs for inspiration, a new report reveals.

Just 20 years ago, 36% of us cited our mothers as the inspiration in the kitchen.

But now that figure has plummeted to 16%, while social media and YouTube account for the source of recipes for one in five cooks.

And among 25 to 34-year olds 38% of those polled go online for recipes, watching Ella Mills and other foodie celebrities.

MasterChef star Michel Roux jnr has in the past said the loss of recipes handed down through the family is to blame for “major health issues”, saying: “There have been at least two generations of mothers no longer cooking at home and no longer passing on their basic cooking knowledge. That is part of the problem.”

But others are less concerned. A Women’s Institute spokesperson said: “We think it is great that young people are learning to cook, however it works for them.”

MasterChef finalist Emma Spitzer, 44, who learnt French dishes such as coq au vin from her mother, said youngsters liked the range of dishes available on the internet.

The mother of four said: “If my children want to make something, they go on to YouTube or another platform. There is just so much information at their fingertips. They don’t need to ask their mother, they can go online and learn to make wontons or Thai green curry from scratch.”

The author of modern Jewish cookbook Fress, added: “Mothers tend to have a set repertoire of dishes. But kids like sites such as Tasty on Facebook where they can watch a 30 to 60-second film, then find the recipe. They just want quick, easy dishes.”