Insights from the annual Kitchen Audit reveal trends in entertaining habits, appliance usage, and meal prep

CHICAGO – Nov. 7, 2024 – Circana™, a leading advisor on the complexity of consumer behavior, today released insights from its latest Kitchen Audit. The audit revealed that the average U.S. consumer experiences around 18 special occasions per year, translating to roughly 6 billion consumer occasions annually. The study provides an in-depth look at U.S. kitchens, highlighting favored appliances and generational differences in entertaining and cooking habits.

Understanding the foods, beverages, appliances, and tools that consumers rely on offers valuable opportunities for consumer packaged goods (CPG) marketers and kitchen appliance manufacturers, who are looking to meet consumers’ shifting needs as they balance convenience, social occasions, and cost-conscious cooking.

Key findings include:

• Special Occasions and Entertaining: The average U.S. consumer experiences more than one special occasion per month. While entertaining can bring joy, it also introduces stressors, particularly around food preparation and hosting, which varies across the generations. Special occasions differ from everyday meals, often involving guests, restaurant-sourced food, weekend gatherings, and dinner, leading to different appliances used during these occasions. 

• Appliances: As in-home meals and quick heat-and-eat solutions rise in popularity, fast-growing appliances like air fryers, griddles, and food processors reflect the need for speed and taste. Empty nesters prioritize versatile appliances like coffee makers and griddles to accommodate their changing meal needs. Smart kitchen device ownership is growing, but future interest is waning, and accomplished home cooks are twice as likely to own a device. 

• Meal Preparation: Consumers across generations are focused on quicker meal prep, often using pre-cooked ingredients. As home cooking rises and dining out declines, reliance on social media for recipes has surged. TikTok is Gen Z’s top online source but is used less often by other generations. Millennials and Gen Xers are expanding their skills through frequent recipe use, while older Gen Zers, who honed their cooking abilities during the pandemic, now see themselves as accomplished home cooks. Despite fewer stock-up trips, consumers opt for just-in-time supplies due to cost pressures, creating new opportunities as digital platforms shape kitchen habits.

“The kitchen serves as the heart of many U.S. households, and brands that align their food and beverage offerings with the appliances and gadgets people already own will win,” said Darren Seifer, industry advisor, Consumer Goods and Foodservice, Circana. “As Boomers increasingly turn to social media for meal ideas, there is a unique opportunity to reach all generations with engaging content. By helping consumers feel more confident in the kitchen, especially for large gatherings, brands can enhance the overall experience and make special occasions more enjoyable for everyone.” 

For more information, visit https://www.circana.com/intelligence/reports/2024/inside-americas-kitchens/.