A Recent Survey Finds That 63% of Home Cooks Believe They Could Compete Against Celebrity Chefs on TV

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Have you ever seared a steak to absolute perfection or mastered a difficult cooking technique and thought to yourself, "I could give a professional chef a run for their money?" If so, you're not alone. According to a new survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Signature Kitchen Suite, 63 percent of home cooks believe they could hold their own in a cooking competition with professional celebrity chefs if given the chance.

The survey polled 2,000 adults and found that for 77 percent of respondents, cooking is one of their favorite things to do. The participants that love to cook prepare an average of nine meals per week. Additionally, two in three believe they're capable of starting their own restaurant or catering business based on their skills, while 62 percent feel they could have their own cooking show. When the respondents were asked how well they'd fare on a cooking show, three in ten believe they'd only make it to mid-season, and 27 percent are confident they'd be the first to go. Five percent, however, feel their skills could take them all the way to the end to claim victory.

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If their cooking competition goals don't pan out, the respondents are happy enough with praise from their loved ones, with 84 percent stating that nothing feels better than having someone close to you compliment your food. Other pros of cooking according to the survey participants are knowing the right proportions for ingredients off-hand and a sense of satisfaction. "One positive outcome of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic is that it has bolstered Americans' confidence in the kitchen, with many rediscovering their joy of cooking like never before," says Nick Ritchie, an executive chef at Signature Kitchen Suite.

However, many of the home chefs included in the survey have been in the kitchen since well before the start of the pandemic, with 49 percent saying their family members taught them how to cook. People also used cookbooks (48%), magazines (43%), and friends (42%) for guidance. When it comes to putting their knowledge to the test, 36 percent believe cooking is a science, while 49 percent think it's more like "improvised jazz."