Four cooking trends we will see in 2021

Aussies spent more time at home last year and, consequently, more time in the kitchen.

While home cooking might be second nature for some, for others it meant discovering the joy of cooking for the first time.

According to customer data from HelloFresh, more people turned to meal kits during the pandemic and relished in the convenience of getting fresh ingredients and recipes delivered to their door.

Modern Australian came in as the top-ranking cuisine among HelloFresh home cooks. Photo: HelloFresh

What meals were your fellow Aussies loving?

Alongside beef fillet steaks and prawn curries, burgers came out on top.

In fact, Aussies loved them so much that over two million HelloFresh burgers were ordered last year, with a Cheesy Beef Burger with Truffle Mayo the favourite among meat-lovers.

As for our vegetarian friends? A Mediterranean Halloumi & Pesto Burger (which might explain the 1145 tonnes of halloumi HelloFresh ordered last year).

Modern Australian came in as the top-ranking cuisine among HelloFresh home cooks, closely followed by Italian and Thai.

And now that 2021 is well and truly under way, HelloFresh recipe developers have made some predictions for the four cooking trends we can expect to see in the year ahead.

The rise of the at-home cook

Meal kits with fresh ingredients and delicious recipes with extra twists (like coconut rice and parmesan mash – yum!) gave people a new-found appreciation for easy home cooking and connecting with loved ones over a delicious dinner.

Convenience is key

From skipping the grocery queue to having just the right amount of ingredients delivered, this year is all about bringing speed (and flavour) into the kitchen.

Exploring new cuisines

With international travel no longer at our fingertips (for now), home cooks are keen to bring more diverse and exciting flavours to the table, with HelloFresh predicting a rise in authentic Asian cuisine.

Great news if you love Korean and Japanese ingredients like kimchi and pickled ginger.

Plant-based popularity soars

Increasingly health-conscious home cooks are considering the impact on the planet before deciding what hits their plate.

It’s been exciting to see what industry leaders have created from mushroom, soy protein, coconut and pea protein, and HelloFresh research suggests we’ll only see this area grow in 2021.

For The New Daily readers, you can enjoy up to 40 per cent off your first HelloFresh box by clicking here.