BY N. LOTHUNGBENI HUMTSOE

New Delhi– It’s that time of the year to focus on making healthy and conscious food choices. Several contemporary trends involving health and food are expected to materialise and take shape in 2023. One such emerging trend, is a growing interest in culinary cultures that have a sharp and renewed focus on wellness, which will drive kitchen appliances and tools purchases upwards this year.

One has become increasingly focused on individual health choices, and kitchen gadgets play a huge part to support healthy cooking and also save time. As households will purchase such gadgets to adopt smarter lifestyle choices, the shift has been predicted by over 200 plus food enthusiasts and experts, according to the latest Godrej Foods and Trends Report 2022.

World over, especially in India, for many working people, the work-life balance is a major hindrance while settling in for healthy meal options that can be delivered within a limited period of time. Hence kitchen gadgets and appliances that promise on delivering healthy cooking options and are time saving, will come as a major relief to those with a paucity of time. From air fryers, to chopping tools to cookers, to blenders launch of such cooking gadgets has rapidly surged over the last few years.

Meanwhile over 65.1 per cent of the panelists of the Godrej Foods Trends Report 2022, also foresee an increasing pride in traditional Indian cookware, since such cookware emanates a sense of deep pride and heritage among multiple Indian households. “Traditional implements, many of which are suited to small batches will see a comeback as families try to create their own takes on heirloom recipes and spices,” claims food expert and connoisseur, Deepa Chauhan.

The Indian market today is flooded with multiple food gadgets and there is no doubt the Indian consumer is definitely spoilt for choice. 55.6 per cent of the panelists are confident that consumers will be opting for such healthy diet driven gadgets.

Gadgets also known to specify specific food cravings, or foster newly developed hobbies will gain popularity. According to home chef and owner of The Hopeless Ramentic, Navika Kapoor, while people want convenience, there is also an indulgent side to cooking at home in 2023.

“Convenience cooking gadgets like dough mixers, and instapots are gaining immense popularity because of their ability to make delicious, healthy meals less labour intensive. Elaborate stews, breads, and batters now take a lot of less babysitting and active attention, making it vastly easier to afford the time and energy to prepare these speciality meals,” adds Kapoor.

These thoughts too are echoed by the panelists of the Godrej Foods Trends Report 2022 where over 52.4 per cent of the experts predict consumers opting for time-saving cooking gadgets. For the uninitiated, instapots are multicookers that have a range of functions, including pressure cooking, slow cooking , steam cooking, warming and sauteing etc. They can assist in cooking many a day’s worth of lunches in an hour while avoiding a sink full of dirty pans and pots.

For many consumers cooking is often a hobby or the perfect idea to de-stress, the Report panelists forecasting close to 33.3 per cent consumers purchasing appliances meant for recreational cooking. While such consumers would not very often cook on a regular basis for meals, for many others, tradition is key, with over 28.6 per cent households picking up traditional food processing tools and implements, to maintain that vintage taste grandmama’s taste that brings along loads of nostalgia and tease the taste buds simultaneously.

There is also a growing and renewed interest surrounding traditional Indian cookware. According to culinary anthropologist Kurush Dalal, “Thanks to the lockdown, people have had the time to pay more attention to food and experiment with vessels. So a lot of people are moving back to cast iron, copper vessels, brass kettles and so on, in a big way even though they require more maintenance and care.” (IANS)