Statistics from Google search figures show that people in the UK searched for a simple pancake recipe up to 368,000 times a month in the past four years, with that number rising to 522,000 times a month on average in 2021.
Other popular recipes people are keen to learn via the internet are chicken curry, fajitas and carbonara – with 49,500 searches each on average each month since 2017.
And research of 2,000 adults found 62 per cent regularly turn to the internet when they’re trying to find a recipe – as only eight per cent have NEVER used the world wide web for cookery help.
The research, commissioned by Birds Eye [https://www.birdseye.co.uk/recipes/food-inspiration/recipe-searches-survey], also found despite the average household owning seven cookery books, half of those polled find it easier to use an online recipe.
While one in twenty (six per cent) even admitted to using cookery books for display purposes only.
But 43 per cent have been inspired by social media to try out a new recipe, with Facebook and Instagram being the most popular.
A spokesperson from Birds Eye said: “After the challenges and changes to our daily habits we’ve all encountered over the last 18 months, it’s incredibly interesting to understand what meals the nation is now searching for and how they’re searching for them.
“Chicken breast recipes have been a midweek staple for many years, being a great option for a meal-for-one to catering for a dinner party, but the huge increase in searches for these following lockdown suggests how we are now more eager than ever to experiment with new recipes.”
There have also been shifts in recipe searches during the pandemic, with ‘simple chicken breast recipes for dinner’ seeing a 4,900 per cent increase in searches when comparing data from August 2019 to July 2020, with August 2020 to July 2021 – while searches for ‘chicken pasta recipes for dinner’ have also risen by 1,106 per cent.
The average adult estimates they search for seven recipes online each month, and that they would be ‘lost’ without the Internet when it comes to cooking.
A quarter were also guilty of using the internet to search for really simple instructions, such as how to boil an egg.
And 38 per cent of those polled via OnePoll said they have discovered their favourite recipes on the internet.
The spokesperson added: “Social media has been a great way for us to reach a new audience with exciting and delicious chicken grills recipes.”
50 most searched for recipes and average monthly searches:
1. Recipe for pancakes 368000
2. Fish and chips 201000
3. Recipe for banana bread 135000
4. Recipe for scones 135000
5. Recipe for Yorkshire pudding 135000
6. Recipe pizza dough 90500
7. Fish pie 74000
8. Chicken breast recipes 60500
9. Chicken curry 49500
10. Chicken thigh recipes 49500
11. Fajitas 49500
12. Thai green curry 49500
13. Recipe American pancakes 49500
14. Recipe carbonara 49500
15. Recipe for chilli con carne 49500
16. Recipe hummus 49500
17. Recipe paella 49500
18. Chicken casserole 40500
19. Chicken tikka masala 40500
20. Katsu curry 40500
21. Roast chicken 40500
22. Recipe apple crumble 40500
23. Recipe guacamole 40500
24. Recipe lasagna 40500
25. Recipe macaroni cheese 40500
26. Recipe quiche 40500
27. Recipe toad in the hole 40500
28. Recipe victoria sponge 40500
29. Recipe with courgette 40500
30. Recipe with minced beef 40500
31. Butter chicken 33100
32. Coq au vin 33100
33. Hunter chicken 33100
34. Chickpea curry 33100
35. Fish tacos 33100
36. Sea bass recipe 33100
37. Recipe cottage pie 33100
38. Veg soups 33100
39. Vegetable curry 33100
40. Vegetarian roast 33100
41. Chicken pie 27100
42. Coronation chicken 27100
43. Jerk chicken 27100
44. Kung pao chicken 27100
45. Sweet and sour chicken 27100
46. Tandoori chicken 27100
47. Onion bhaji 27100
48. Thai red curry 27100
49. Chicken and leek pie 22200
50. Chicken biryani 22200
