Top 10 Cities With Most Clueless Cooks In America 

I'm wondering how people are going to take this: We've got the list of cities with most clueless cooks. Don't take this personally Cleveland, but our friends at Linz Heritage have created this list based on factors like basic cooking skills, utensils, and techniques. What Cities Made Top 10 Most Clueless Cooks? Before we dive into WHY, let’s give you the list of the Top Ten: 1 Cleveland, Ohio 2 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 3 Seattle, Washington 4 Madison, Wisconsin 5 Lubbock, Texas 6 Portland, Oregon 7 Austin, Texas 8 Minneapolis, Minnesota 9 Atlanta, Georgia 10 Nashville, Tennessee Here’s more of the methodology behind it from Linz:  According to their analysis of Google search terms related to basic cooking skills, Cleveland tops the list for cities with most clueless cooks per capita. To determine our ranking, search terms and keywords related to basic cooking queries were analyzed across cities with a population of at least 250,000. While there’s no specific region associated with a lack of cooking skills, our research suggests certain cities are significantly behind the curve. Interestingly, some cities with thriving restaurant scenes, such as Seattle, Washington (No. 3), Portland, Oregon (No. 6), and Austin, Texas (No. 7), rank within the top 10 list of cities with the least-savvy cooks. Midwestern cities like Madison, Wisconsin (No. 4), and Minneapolis, Minnesota (No. 8), also make the list, along with two cities with industrial roots, Lubbock, Texas (No. 5), and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (No. 2). Rounding out the list are two unexpected cities. Despite its cobblers, cornbreads, and collard greens, Atlanta, Georgia, comes in at No. 9. Nashville, Tennessee, with its countless famous down-home dishes, claims the No. 10 spot on our list. What’s Holding Us Back From Being Better Cooks? In their nationwide survey of cities with most clueless cooks, over one-quarter of respondents (28%) admitted to being embarrassed by their lack of cooking skills, and nearly a quarter (24%) avoid hosting dinner parties because of their lack of cooking chops. These feelings might come from the healthy slice of humble pie served up by friends and relatives. One-third of all respondents (33%) say they have received negative feedback about their cooking skills. Not everyone is looking to improve upon their shortcomings in the kitchen, though. More than one-third of respondents (35%) say they have no desire to become a good cook. Common Pitfalls to Better Cooking The majority of respondents (54%) cited lack of time as the top reason preventing them from cooking more. Nearly half (49%) admitted that it comes down to laziness or lack of motivation. A significant number of respondents also blamed lack of exposure and access for their reluctance to cook. More than four in ten (44%) said they lack adequate experience, 34% lack the necessary kitchen resources, and one in four (25%) confessed that they simply don’t have the confidence to get started. How Americans Rate Their Cooking Skills In terms of cooking skills, nearly one in five (17%) describe themselves as “beginner” cooks and only 14% claim their kitchen skills are “advanced” or “expert.” When Americans are looking for cooking inspiration, nearly half (48%) say they follow food influencers on social media, and almost three-quarters (73%) say they watch cooking videos online to learn new recipes. That same percentage (73%) also say their parents were good cooks, so maybe some of the prowess is handed down. Then again, 70% of bad cooks also claim their parents were good cooks. Bad cooks also enjoy online cooking videos, with 67% reporting that they watch cooking content. So to our friends in Cleveland, it's not too late to get off the list of cities with most clueless cooks.