(BPT) – A cultural shift in 2022 has led to more multigenerational living across the United States and it is now becoming increasingly common. According to a recent Bosch survey, nearly a quarter of Americans live with relatives. With more people under one roof, how can families create lasting family bonds at home?
Americans are spending over 400 hours in the kitchen each year with their families. As the heart of the home, the kitchen offers families – no matter what they look like – an opportunity to connect over the power of food. Check out these four tips for cooking with family.
1. Pull out the family cookbook! What better way to reconnect with the family than with a traditional recipe that instantly brings back memories? Sixty-four percent of Americans say they still cook meals today that their parents or grandparents used to make for them as kids. And, well over a third of Americans say that their fondest childhood memory is learning how to make a recipe with family members, from “Aunt Lydia’s chicken” to “Grandma’s arroz con pollo.’
2. Grocery shop ahead of time. Cooking in the heart of the home is often a sacred family activity. Fifty-six percent of Americans say they wish they didn’t have to go to the grocery store so often for more food, ice or water, demonstrating the need for a kitchen that’s conducive to uninterrupted family time. Bulk buy your produce and keep it fresher for longer with a refrigerator that optimizes for temperature and humidity.
Forty-two percent of Americans believe that a refrigerator that limits food waste and keeps food fresh, such as the new Bosch Standard-Depth French door bottom mount refrigerator, is the most important feature in their household when preparing a meal. It has the capacity and the technology to keep your food at peak freshness.
3. Make it like mama. Precision is important when remaking a family recipe so it tastes just like you remember it. Three in five Americans say they can never make certain family recipes ‘just right,’ mainly due to not having the same kitchen tools and appliances as their family members to make them of the same quality (59%).
While measuring out ingredients precisely is not typical for the family matriarch or patriarch – it’s usually a ‘pinch’ of this, a ‘dash’ of that – it is important to measure heat precisely, so you don’t overcook or undercook your meals. With the all-new Bosch industrial-style induction range, fuel-efficient technology provides precision in high heat to sear, or the perfect low simmer for delicate sauces, for repeatable results that make your family recipes taste ‘just like mama makes.’
4. Connect to something bigger. Fifty-six percent of all respondents agreed they’re proud to know recipes from their own cultural heritage and another 64% are eager to learn more about the foods and customs associated with their family’s culture. Branch out when deciding what to cook on a weekly or monthly basis and choose recipes that help you and your family connect with your cultural background.
