EXPLAINED: Kitchen disasters | Vintage Vibes

Cooking is a skill that almost nobody is naturally born with. It takes time, practice, and ideally, a great teacher to show you the ropes. Even if you started learning from your parents at 3 years old, you still picked up those skills from somewhere. And unfortunately, some people make it well into adulthood without knowing their way around a kitchen.

According to a YouGov survey, the majority of Britons consider themselves to be fairly good or very good cooks. But only 28% are “very confident” that they could cook a meal from scratch using only fresh ingredients without a recipe or instructions. And a measly 25% say that they actually do that often. 

When it comes to how many meals Britons feel prepared to make a meal from scratch without having a recipe on hand, 35% say they could make between one and five different dishes. Nearly a quarter say that they could make between six and ten different meals on the fly, and about one-fifth say they could make more than 11 meals. 

Unsurprisingly, young Britons are less confident in the kitchen than their elders, and one in ten Britons wouldn’t be able to cook a single meal from scratch without the help of a recipe. 

The UK certainly isn’t the only country where people feel uneasy in the kitchen. Linz Shop’s 2024 Clueless Cooks Report found that 54% of Americans don’t consider themselves to be proficient in the kitchen. Nearly one-fifth describe themselves as “beginner” cooks, and one-third have received negative feedback about their cooking skills. This can even cause issues within marriages, as 31% of people said their spouse can’t cook. (But this is something that 57% have decided to keep a secret. Probably a smart move.) 

Unfortunately, many Americans aren’t motivated to improve their cooking skills, as 35% say they won’t ever try to become a better cook. And as far as where the most clueless cooks in America live, Cleveland, Ohio, takes the cake, apparently. Other cities in the top ten include: Pittsburgh; Seattle; Madison, Wisconsin; Lubbock; Portland, Oregon; Austin; Minneapolis; Atlanta; and Nashville. 

Now, you might be wondering what it is exactly that’s stopping these Americans from improving their cooking skills. The Clueless Cooks Report found that lack of time is the most common excuse cited. Americans also said that lack of motivation, lack of skills/experience, limited kitchen resources, and lack of confidence hold them back in the kitchen. And as far as what influences how Americans cook, having parents who were good cooks and watching cooking videos online seem to make the most impact.

More than a quarter of Americans admit that they’re intimidated by the idea of cooking a meal from scratch. And over three-quarters say that dinner is the scariest meal to have to prepare. As for what intimidates them the most, Americans say time constraints, cleanup, complexity of recipes, lack of experience, and fear of failure worry them the most.  

Past negative experiences might also be scaring Americans out of the kitchen. 75% say that they’ve failed miserably at cooking a meal before, so they might not feel confident getting back in there. The most common mistakes these chefs have made are burning a meal, undercooking a meal, forgetting a key ingredient, misreading the recipe or adding the wrong ingredient, breaking or shattering dishes or cookware, and using expired or spoiled ingredients.  

Are these photos making you terrified to try out a new recipe for dinner tonight, pandas? Keep upvoting the photos that you’re extremely glad didn’t happen in your kitchen, and let us know what the worst cooking disaster you’ve ever experienced was. Then, if you’re interested in checking out another article from Bored Panda featuring absolute nightmares in the kitchen, look no further than right here!