Allrecipes' 2014 Trend Report Provides A Preview Of What's In Store For Home Cooks In The New Year

SEATTLE, Dec. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Allrecipes, the world's largest digital food brand, with more than 1 billion visits annually, today announced the results of its annual 2014 Food Trends Report, providing a preview of what America's home cooks will be preparing, eating and shopping for in the year ahead.  

"We're fortunate at Allrecipes to have an engaged community of 30 million home cooks who have opened their kitchens and shared their shopping, cooking and eating habits to provide us with timely insights into upcoming food trends," said Esmee Williams, vice president of Brand Marketing at Allrecipes. "As we enter into the new year, we will look forward to seeing more home cooks get back to the kitchen as part of a growing DIY trend and experimenting with new flavors, ingredients and recipes."

Findings from the Allrecipes.com 2014 Food Trends Report were based on analysis of search and recipe viewing behaviors of home cooks across more than a billion visits to the site and mobile apps in the past year. The results show that specialty diets, such as paleo, will continue their popularity in 2014, especially among Millennials. With this, comes an increased scrutiny among home cooks of how their specialty meats are sourced. Home cooks will also try exotic nut butters, and find more ways to use coconut-derived products in the kitchen.

Below is a summary of the top trends for 2014:

Trend #1: Sweets Take a Back Seat to Savory
It seems that no flavor is too bold for home cooks as more consumers turn to bacon, basil and rosemary for desserts instead of traditional sweet flavors. However, not all savory desserts are created equal. The dual savory/sweet flavor of salted caramel is the top flavor choice for desserts with a 61 percent preference rating. And, regardless of flavor, home cooks across the country prefer cupcakes (61 percent) to ice cream (34 percent) for after-dinner treats.

Trend #2: Putting Meat under the Microscope
More home cooks are paying closer to attention to how their food is sourced, especially in the meat department. When purchasing specialty meats, nearly half of home cooks (49 percent) say hormone-free and grass-fed will continue to be their top purchasing criteria.

Trend #3: Smash-ups are King in the Southwest
Home cooks in the Southwest were found to cook up more smash-up dishes – meals combining unlikely pairings. For example, tater tot casserole was rated as the top smash-up recipe in the Southwest by 41 percent compared to a preference rating of only 27 percent in the Pacific Northwest.

Trend #4: Home Cooks Look Outside the Box
Recipes that were commonly prepared from a box, including pancakes and macaroni and cheese, are now being made from scratch thanks to a growing DIY trend in the kitchen. Most home cooks are selecting to prepare these dishes from scratch to enjoy homemade flavors (41 percent), eat "cleaner" (29 percent), and save money (18 percent).

Trend #5: More Exotic Nut Butters Take Over
Nearly a quarter (24 percent) of home cooks are recognizing the health benefits of nut butters, such as almond and hazelnut butter, as an alternative to peanut butter. In fact, more than two-thirds of America's home cooks already have tried a nut butter alternative.

Trend # 6: Going Coconuts
From coconut oil to coconut milk and water, the tropical fruit has invaded nearly every phase of cooking and will continue to do so in 2014, especially among Millennials.

Trend #7: Pickling More than Pickles
Home cooks continue to see appeal in fermented foods, pickling everything from asparagus to kimchi. Baby Boomers are among the largest group of home fermenters, with 31 percent making a pickled food in the last year versus just 21 percent of Millennials.

The full report of Allrecipes' 2014 Food Trends is available as a free download, with all graphic charts accessible here: http://freshbitesblog.com/2013/12/allrecipes-measuring-cup-trend-report.html

For more information about Allrecipes, visit http://allrecipes.com, or find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.

Methodology
Data provided is from Allrecipes' 2014 Trends Survey hosted on Allrecipes.com from October 25-November 4, 2013, and completed by 2,930 U.S.-based community members. No incentives were used to reward or incent participation. For more information on the survey methodology such as response counts for each question or details on questions in order or format, please feel free to contact us.

About Allrecipes
Allrecipes, the world's largest digital food brand, receives more than 1 billion visits annually from family-focused women who connect and inspire one another through photos, reviews, videos and blog posts. Since its launch in 1997, the Seattle-based social site has served as a dynamic, indispensable resource for cooks of all skill levels seeking trusted recipes, entertaining ideas, everyday and holiday meal solutions and practical cooking tips. Allrecipes is a global, multi-platform brand with 18 web and mobile sites, 11 mobile apps, and 15 eBooks serving 23 countries in 12 languages. In November 2013, Allrecipes magazine launched nationwide, and an Allrecipes cooking segment premiered on The Better Show. Allrecipes is part of Meredith Corporation, the leading media and marketing company serving American women. For additional information regarding Meredith, please visit www.meredith.com. For additional information regarding Allrecipes, please visit press.allrecipes.com.

About Allrecipes magazine
Launched in 2013, Allrecipes magazine is the first large-scale digital-to-print brand extension. For readers faced with unlimited recipe choices, Allrecipes magazine sifts through and serves up the best from Allrecipes.com, the world's largest online community of cooks.  Published six times per year by Meredith Corporation [NYSE: MDP], the magazine's current rate base of 500,000 reaches an audience of 2.75 million. Allrecipes magazine is based in both Meredith's New York, NY and Des Moines, IA headquarters. Allrecipes.com, based in Seattle, WA, is a global, multi-platform brand providing insights into cooks everywhere based on activity from 18 websites, 18 mobile sites, 16 mobile apps, and 14 eBooks serving 23 countries in 12 languages. 

SOURCE Allrecipes.com