This report focuses on the “cooking enthusiast” or those consumers who embrace cooking as a leisure pursuit. Some Americans, especially older generations and emerging minorities such as Asians and Hispanics, regard cooking as necessity of daily living. However, some Americans consider themselves “foodies,” and outfit kitchens with high-end cooking gear, are willing to spend on the freshest ingredients, and generally pursue cooking as a lifestyle statement. This second group is the lifeblood of the gourmet cookware market.

These “foodie” consumers are an attractive target market for suppliers and retailers of gourmet and epicurean foods, as well as sellers of kitchen equipment including cookware, gadgets, and other kitchen tools. They are also a key group to target for home remodeling and voluntary kitchen appliance upgrades, particularly to appliances that feature aesthetics and styling, with a focus on time-saving features such as self-cleaning or convection ovens.

Analysis of expenditure on food in the U.S. shows that in 2003, Americans spent 13% of their total annual budget on food and beverages. While trends point toward an increasing use of foods requiring little or no preparation, many consumers will engage in more elaborate cooking from scratch on weekends or for special occasions.

This report explores consumer attitudes about cooking from scratch, and pays special attention to those consumers who pursue cooking as a hobby or leisure pursuit, often referred to as “foodies.” These consumers embrace a “gourmet” lifestyle and are able and willing to invest in the appliances and cooking gear, as well as spend on specialty foods, to support that lifestyle.

Mintel recognizes that not all people who cook from scratch or cook meals at home consider this activity to be a lifestyle statement. Therefore, to focus more on consumer trends, the report draws heavily on the results of a consumer survey exclusively commissioned for Mintel and analysis of the Simmons NCS. For the purpose of examining the “cooking enthusiast” Mintel has created a sub-group of respondents who agreed that “I really enjoy cooking” and “The kitchen is the most important room in my house” to analyze trends in food and beverage shopping, cooking patterns, appliance ownership, hobbies and other leisure pursuits.