Most Americans Experience 'Cooking Fatigue' Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, Survey Shows

Cooking fatigue is common nowadays as people get to spend more time at home.

According to FoxNews, 55 percent of people who cook during COVID-19 pandemic has left them feeling fatigued.

The new study of 2,000 Americans showed that the restrictions on dining out amidst the pandemic make people eat at home more than ever and cook an average of nine meals weekly.

However, Americans are looking for more variety in what they eat, resulting in an average respondent cooking the same meal 28 times since the pandemic started.

Most Americans Experiencing 'Cooking Fatigue' During COVID-19 Pandemic, Study Claims — cook Jason Briscoe

Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Sun Basket, the survey asked respondents about their relationship with healthy eating and cooking amid the ongoing pandemic.

Many respondents answered that they enjoy cooking, but they sometimes wish it was less time-consuming. Sixty-nine percent or seven out of 10 individuals hope they could make a healthy dinner more quickly.

Almost half of the respondents or 46 percent prefer to cook a less prep work meal, and 43 percent like to spend less time planning their meals.

Around 40 percent find that planning their meals every day is sometimes a complicated task with so much else on their minds.

Many people are looking for alternatives for their dinner during the nights when they don't have time to prepare food. Only in a dream world can an average person make a delicious and healthy meal in 12 minutes.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, nearly two-thirds of American respondents are limiting their trips to grocery stores. Sixty-nine percent of these respondents occasionally feel limited when cooking because of the lack of ingredients at home.

Around 60 percent of the respondents think eating is less healthy than they used to eat because they lack fresh ingredients.

The lack of fresh ingredients and cooking fatigue prefer 53 percent of the respondents to eat more takeout and delivery to get a little break from preparing dinner every night.

Meanwhile, 55 percent admit that they eat more unhealthy food because of the increased takeout meals in their diets.

On the other hand, 46 percent of the respondents want to control their cooking and don't want to depend on delivery even if they can't get to the grocery store as often as they used to do before. Almost 60 percent have considered ordering pre-made meals, while 40 percent have ordered meal kits before.

Over half have considered heat-and-eat and pre-made meals. Their top three preferences for ordering meal kits were 47 percent convenience, 39 percent variety of curated recipes available, and 39 percent precisely measured ingredients.

Justine Kelly, the executive chef at Sun Basket, said: "Now that Americans are spending an increased amount of time at home, dinner solutions that are nutritious, delicious and easy to prep have become a priority."

Kelly noted that our fastest meal option is Fresh & Ready meals, which does not require prep feature in-season ingredients for peak flavor that will help relieve the stress of people who cook every night of the week.

As per The Sun, Kelly added that with the convenience that many consumers prioritize, they can get fresh and ready meals pre-prepared in wooden trays and prepared in less than six minutes.

"We wanted these meals to encompass everything in our classic meal kits, but with a shorter prep and cook time. Fresh & Ready meals cater to a variety of dietary preferences, are dietician-approved and use organic, fresh produce making them the perfect option for those looking for high-quality, convenient meals delivered straight to their doorstep," Kelly said.