How we’re eating now: Quick shortcuts and slow cookers

Ayear ago, many foodies were aspirational in their diets. Less so now. In general, “the trend is looking backwards rather than forwards,” says Esmee Williams, who looks at where home cooking is heading for Allrecipes.com.

Recipes from the 1960s and ’70s like chicken Kiev, chicken a la king, cheese fondue and salmon patties have become more popular, she says.

“There’s a lot of disappointment happening in our days, so nobody wants tears at the table. Let’s treat ourselves to something we all will like,” says Esmee Williams, who looks at where home cooking is heading for Allrecipes.com.

As Darren Seifer, a food and beverage industry analyst for the NPD Group in Chicago, puts it, consumers aren’t looking to explore new and fancy. Most “are just trying to get by.”

Home cooks are doing more with vegetables, particularly seasonal produce, while also hunkering down with indulgent sweets and treats. Seifer cites higher sales of both vegetables and ice cream in May 2020, compared to the previous May.

Seifer and Williams also see a trend towards shortcut products, like refrigerated dough, frozen pizza crusts and pancake mixes.

And don’t forget today’s fascination with what Williams calls “self-reliance” cooking — things like homemade bread, homemade pasta, homemade yogurt and an interest in canning. These more labor-intensive foods provide a way to keep busy, learn something new, save money and eat well, she says.

Other trends include simpler recipes, recipes with fewer ingredients, one-pot meals, sheet-pan meals, finger food and pantryingredient recipes. Vegan and vegetarian cooking is on the rise, she says. Tofu and tempeh searches, which have declined in recent years, are now increasing; grilled tofu was a popular search on Allrecipes this summer.

So, which appliances are riding these new waves? Multicooker sales are up, as are recipe searches for Instant Pot recipes (68% higher than this time last year on Allrecipes.com). Air fryers and slow cookers are popular.

And sales of bread makers were up 800% in April compared with the previous April, Seifer said.

Cheyenne M. Cohen / Associated Press Comfort food such as chicken ramen noodle soup typify home cooking preference these days. Even restaurants are feeding a trend toward simpler dishes.