A survey commissioned by Ben’s Original found that more than half of adults (55%) fear a cooking disaster — from “spilling ingredients and burning food to forgetting to turn the oven on.”
The poll of 2,000 adults revealed that 32% dread undercooking meat or poultry, 24% worry about making rice too soggy, and 22% fear leaving a pan to overboil. Other common mishaps include charred onions, scorched sauces, and the all-too-familiar panic of burning rice or overcooking pasta. Some confessed to struggling with “burning garlic in seconds” or “getting the rice-to-water ratio completely wrong.”
The research also uncovered that 43% of people find weekday dinners and evening meals among their biggest sources of kitchen stress, while 60% admit they find cooking for more than four people downright daunting.
In fact, 42% of respondents avoid certain dishes altogether because they’re afraid of messing them up.
The study was commissioned as part of Ben’s Original’s campaign to make cooking less intimidating, launched alongside TV presenter Alex Jones, who took part in a family cooking challenge.
The self-proclaimed “terrible cook” said:
“It’s high time the nation turned cooking chaos into kitchen confidence. Let’s face it, we’ve all had a kitchen disaster, and the more people at the table, the trickier it gets. Even simple meals can go sideways, that’s why having quick, reliable staples are a total lifesaver. They take the stress out of cooking and give families more time to actually enjoy being together around the table.”
The research further revealed that 30% of people lack confidence when trying new recipes, with reasons including inexperience (47%), fear of making mistakes (37%), and not enough time (25%).
Meanwhile, 46% feel embarrassed by their cooking skills, and a third (33%) admit to feeling “overwhelmed when cooking more than one dish at a time.” The top cooking stresses include timing everything correctly (30%), getting all the elements ready together (29%), and cleaning up afterwards (27%).
When things go wrong, 35% say they’ve had to throw away burnt food, 30% have opened windows to clear the smoke, and 24% have eaten something they didn’t enjoy just to avoid waste.
Among the dishes people feel least confident preparing from scratch are baking (26%), desserts (19%), and rice-based meals (14%).
But there’s hope for anxious cooks — 35% believe more practice would help build confidence, while others say clearer recipes (29%) and step-by-step guides (25%) would make a difference.
Finally, 42% of participants admitted they often look for “reliable shortcuts” to make cooking less stressful — a reminder that even in the kitchen, confidence often comes from a little help and the right ingredients.
