Sign in Subscribe

Shruthi Baskaran-Makanju

As beef prices hit record highs, home cooks rediscover the world’s oldest cheap proteins

Ground beef crossed $7 a pound this spring and shows no signs of coming back down. A federal antitrust probe into the four companies that process 85% of American beef launched this week, layered over a cattle supply shortage that has been building for years and won’t resolve quickly

The one thing Americans agree on at dinnertime

What do Gen Z and baby boomers have in common? A recent survey from the Food Industry Association finds 55% of consumers, regardless of age, cite comfort food as their top priority when cooking at home, while fast preparation time came in second. In a period marked by economic anxiety

Are traditional meals over? Here’s what Americans are eating instead

According to a February 2026 report from food industry research firm Datassential, more than 7 in 10 consumers skipped at least one traditional meal in the past month. That’s not a small subset of busy professionals or college students surviving on coffee. It’s the majority of American adults.

Snack orders surge as Americans turn to home cooking for the big game

According to Instacart’s 2026 Snacktime Report, orders for shelf-stable dips spike 227% during the week of the big game. Furthermore, demand for tortilla chips jump 106%, while salsa climbs 96%. This isn’t casual snacking but an event; one people prepare for at home. One week a year,

Inflation permanently changes how Americans grocery shop

More than 8 in 10 Americans changed how they buy groceries last year. They hunted for sales, switched to cheaper brands and stopped buying goods they once considered essential. The trigger, for most people, was straightforward: food costs too much. Fifty-six percent of Americans cited higher overall food prices

The cheapest vegetable in the grocery store goes viral

Searches for cabbage dumplings are up 110%, according to Pinterest Predicts 2026. The annual not-yet-trending report predicts cabbage will be the new obsession for boomers and Gen X, thanks to a wave of viral recipes that turned this humble, unglamorous ingredient into something people actually wanted to make.

Set it and forget it is back, and bigger than ever

Almost 5 in 10 Americans want to spend less than 30 minutes making dinner, while more than 1 in 10 would prefer not to cook at all. After years of aspirational cooking content, such as homemade pasta, the 47-ingredient curries and the fermentation projects, home cooks have declared a