Over half of adults say they want to cook fresh meals every night but lack the time at the end of the day to do so.
The figure comes from new research carried out by recipe box Gousto, who also found that most also eat ready meals once a week.
On Newstalk Breakfast, TV chef Aisling Larkin said she completely understands why people do not want to cook at the end of the working day.
“It’s a combination of having the mental bandwidth as well,” she explained.
“There’s a little bit of planning involved, there’s a little bit of creativity involved.
“So, I think it’s kind of having the bandwidth to pull the skill, the time, the cooking, along with the planning.
“And then the creativity of, ‘What am I going to make that tastes really nice?’”
A chef cooks in a restaurant kitchen. Picture by: FreeProd / Alamy Stock PhotoMs Larkin added that she “gets it”, but suggested people try and “keep it simple” if they want to do more cooking.
“My prep time will always be 15 to 20 minutes,” she said.
“After that, when it’s cooking - whether that’s a tray bake in the oven or it’s in the slow cooker, I don’t count that time.”
She continued that people should try and “lean into the shortcuts”.
“Things like greens that are already in packets and pouches that are already cooked,” she said.
“You can get brown rice and quinoa, you can get cooked rice. Things like tinned lentils; the frozen chopped garlic, chopped onions - like they’re great.
“Super, super hacks like that.”
A child eating broccoli at dinner table. Image: AlamyIf possible, Ms Larkin tries to avoid microwave meals, which are less healthy than freshly cooked alternatives.
“They’re there to make a margin, they’re there for palatability and they’re there for shelf life stability,” she said.
“That’s their mission; their mission is not to make us the healthiest chicken curry we can ever eat.
“I would much rather have something simple at home that I know is wholefoods.
“Wholefoods, fresh ingredients, as close to nature and a grandmother’s store cupboard as you can get - that’s the way I think to go for all of us.”
Main image: A man putting a meal in a microwave. Picture by: Alamy.
