RACHAEL Ray is America’s second favorite chef – with Gordon Ramsey beating her to poll position, a new survey has revealed.
Ramsay – the fiery-tempered “Hell’s Kitchen” host (40%) – beat Ray (31%) and Iron Chef Bobby Flay (28%), according to 2,000 US adults.
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Caterer turned chef turned entrepreneur Martha Stewart (26%) and Emeril Lagasse (26%) round out the top five favorites.
Americans would even be willing to spend an average of almost $340 on a three-course meal cooked by their preferred celebrity chef and almost one in five (17%) would spend more than $500.
It comes after Rachael Ray made a rare public appearance at a New York food festival this month, after sparking health concerns and admitting to recent “bad falls.”
Fans expressed their fears for the star after she appeared to be slurring her speech in a clip from her show, posted on Instagram.
The 56-year-old, however, has not commented on the concerns and has instead filtered the comments on her videos.
Results of the TV chef survey revealed that the average respondent engages with or consumes food-related content four days per week, with 22% doing so every single day.
Foodies are watching TV shows (51%), browsing cooking websites (38%) and consuming social media or amateur food influencer content (30%) most often.
Conducted by Talker Research on behalf of KaTom, the survey explored how consuming food-focused content makes its way into Americans’ kitchens and onto their plates.
A little more than two-thirds (67%) prefer to watch videos where someone is physically preparing the food, rather than showing off a dish that’s already been prepared (11%).
This may be because 78% of respondents agree that consuming food-related content inspires them to be more creative in their own kitchen.
Not only that, but this content also encourages them to try new techniques (46%), feel more informed about cooking overall (37%) or even up-to-date on the latest and greatest products to use (24%).
About half (48%) of Americans have purchased kitchen products and chef tools that were endorsed by their favorite celebrities, including: cookware (58%), utensils (40%), cookbooks or recipes (38%), appliances (25%) and dishes (23%).
Over the last five years, those respondents estimate that they’ve spent an average of $382, while more than a quarter (27%) have shoveled out more than $500.
“Results found that 40% of Americans who haven’t purchased kitchen products endorsed by their favorite celebrity chef are likely to do so in the future,” said KaTom Founder, President and CEO Patricia Bible. “You don’t need to be Gordon Ramsey or Rachael Ray to unleash your inner celebrity chef. Experimenting with recipes and equipment is part of the journey and no matter whom you’re trying to emulate, there are always new things to learn and try.”
When asked to describe their own cooking skills, nearly one-third (30%) consider themselves to be a chef in training or someone who has a lot to learn but is getting better and enjoys cooking.
Almost one-quarter (23%) dubbed themselves a sous chef or a decent cook who enjoys helping out in the kitchen and will occasionally take the lead.
Others happily own the title of master chef (18%) who is great at cooking and enjoys doing so at home and for others, while 10% are take-out kings and queens who rarely cook at home and are most likely to order out.
Regardless of their cooking skills, Americans’ favorite foods include main dish proteins such as chicken or steak (46%), followed by grilled foods such as burgers and hot dogs (28%), desserts and baked goods (21%) and breakfast foods (21%).
In an average week, Americans will indulge in their favorite foods about four times.
When it comes to favorite cuisines to eat, American (35%), Mexican (33%), Italian (31%) ranked as the top three.
Sixty-three percent of Americans find their favorite cuisines to be easy to cook at home, which is good news for the 55% who prefer them to be home-cooked over at a restaurant (29%).
Americans also know an average of nine different recipes by heart, though interestingly, they’re slightly more likely to shop for food first and then plan meals later (50%) rather than shop recipe-forward (41%).
“Whether you’re already making gourmet meals at home or are just starting to awaken your inner chef, one thing is for sure: you need the right tools,” said Bible. “Choosing kitchen products that are functional and practical is a great place to start and an endorsement by your favorite celebrity chef makes for a nice cherry on top.”
Talker Research surveyed 2,000 general population Americans; the survey was commissioned by KaTom and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Sept. 25 and 27, 2024.
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