Home » Beverages » Food and Cooking Trends from the Last Decade

Food and Cooking Trends from the Last Decade

  • Susan
  • January 5, 2010

Trendy or Just Plain Smart?2010 … already?

As we inch closer toward the beginning of the next decade, it is always interesting to look back at some of the trends that influenced those of us who cook, enjoy and appreciate food.  Back in 1999, as we waited for the new millennium, we could not have predicted some of the trends that have developed in the last ten years.

We’ve become a nation of bona-fide, foodies, but despite our interest in all things culinary, it seems that what goes around, comes around, at least during this past decade.  We’re getting back to basics.   The economy has forced many people to reevaluate how they eat and what they eat.

Comfort Reigns at HomeCooking at  home is the “in” thing to do

First, there has been a resurgence in home cooking.  With grocery prices going up and income going down, consumers are realizing that cooking at home adds value to their dwindling budgets.  Making your own meals can save up to 75 percent over eating out at restaurants, especially when you plan meals to take advantage of sales, coupons, buying in bulk and other store promotions.

The home cooking craze has also spawned a renewed interest in old-fashioned comfort food, such as meat loaf, and macaroni and cheese.  Easy to make, delicious and extremely affordable, comfort food is showing up on the tables of today’s foodies almost as frequently as haute cuisine.

Crock pots and slow cookers, the popular 1970-era countertop appliances, are  back in vogue,  after families realized that they provide a great way to cook tasty and economical meals with minimal effort.  They also work wonders with inexpensive and tough cuts of meat to make them tender and flavorful.  Today’s slow cookers have many improvements over the models of yesteryear, but even the very basic units from 35 years ago do a very credible job.

Crock pots are especially good for chili, soups and spaghetti sauce, all economical and filling meals that can be made in bulk, frozen and served later.

Cast Iron Skillets are the original, inexpensive non-stick frying pans.  They’re flying off the shelves at most retailers, but these heirloom pans are also being discovered in basements, in Grandma’s attic and even at yard sales.  Home cooks are just realizing the usefulness of a cast iron skillet, which is one of the most versatile cooking implements in the kitchen.  Easily going from stovetop to oven, it was good enough for Grandma and is now good enough for cooks of 2010.  Although Grandma might have used it to fry up bacon and bake cornbread, today’s cooks use cast iron for even more inventive recipes, such as roasted clams.

Farmer's MarketSaving the planet is a noble cause

With a return to basics, also comes a renewed focus on going “green,”with an emphasis on eating locally produced, seasonal and natural foods.  Not only are local agricultural products healthier because they are usually less than 48 hours from harvest, but they also have not been shipped thousands of miles across the country, which helps reduce the carbon footprint.

Over the course of the last decade, “personalized”food has become a popular seller at restaurants and now consumers are looking for ways to recreate their own small plates at home.  The Spanish appetizer-type selections (tapas) are popular, as are the mini, two-bite desserts (which satisfy the sweet tooth, but are gentler on the wallet and waistline).  Also, personal, one-cup coffeemakers that dispense the perfect cup of Joe from a one-serving pod are finding themselves on countertops at home and on desktops at the office.

These are just a few of the trends that we’ve seen develop and grow over the past decade.  There are many more;  and FriendsEat.com has written about some of them in the past.

What are your favorite trends from the past decade?

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments