What’s trending in the Aussie home kitchen!

Sean Edwards - The Magazine for the Cafe Industry April 20, 2020

Updated 2022/05/20 at 12:46 PM

3 Min Read

Since social distancing measures were introduced in March, Aussies have been spending a lot more time in the kitchen. Below is an excerpt from Good Food.com.au which explains what’s trending in the home kitchen!

Dalgona coffee, quince jam, damper: Australia’s home-cooking revival

April 17 2020

With restaurants closed and food budgets tightening, many Australian families are cooking more meals, sourdough and sweet things than ever before.

Data supplied by Google shows online recipe searches have skyrocketed by 50 per cent to reach all-time high in the past 30 days, while social media is rife with images of novice bakers presenting first loaves like newborns. “#QuarantineCooking” is a major trend on Instagram.

“People are cooking in a way I haven’t seen in my lifetime,” says 41-year-old Good Food columnist and television host Adam Liaw.

“You have to be incredibly practical in the kitchen now. Of course, you can still order takeaway dumplings, for example – and I have some in my freezer – but the idea that you have to cook more often because you have to, not just because you like to, is something most of my generation hasn’t previously experienced.”

Google data indicates Australians have been most keen to cook homely, rustic recipes since social distancing restrictions began.

Excluding Google searches for hot cross buns, which spike every year at Easter, the five most searched recipes over the past 30 days in Australia were banana bread, pancakes, pizza dough, bread and cookies.

Dalgona coffee topped the list of trending recipe searches over the same period. (That is, Google searches with the highest spike in traffic). The whipped mixture of instant coffee, sugar and hot water became an internet sensation when it was popularised by Korean YouTubers in March and can be made with the barest of pantry staples.Advertisement

Also trending was damper, quince jam, gnocchi, brownies, (Filipino sweet bread) pandesal, cinnamon rolls and carrot cake. The damper revival is potentially because the campfire bread doesn’t require store-bought yeast, a hard-to-find supermarket item with home-baking on the rise.

“Bread has dominated recipe-related searches over recent weeks,” a Google spokesperson says.

“With some baking staples in short supply, data reveals Aussies are also searching for workarounds and alternative ingredients. Search interest for ‘how to make baking powder’ spiked by 340 per cent in the past 30 days, while ‘how to make bread without yeast’ spiked more than 200 per cent.”