Of all the citizens in countries that belong to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, Turks spend the most time cooking every day — about 75 minutes a day. This is about 50 percent more than the average time spent cooking by those in other OECD countries. Americans spend the least time cooking every day, about 25 minutes per day, and spend the third-least time eating, less than 90 minutes per day.
More facts about cooking and eating:
- People in France spend the most time on meals, with more than two hours per day dedicated only to eating and drinking. They also spend the most time shopping — 23 minutes per day.
- In the 1960s in the United States, married women who didn't work spent more than two hours a day preparing and cleaning up after meals. In the United Kingdom during the same time period, women spent a little more than 90 minutes per day preparing meals. Men spent less than 30 minutes per day — almost the same as in the early 2000s.
- Despite the extremely short amount of time Americans spend on cooking and eating, the U.S. has the highest obesity rate of any country in the OECD — though some scientists say it's too early to tell whether the two factors are related.