New Delhi: Home sheltering has made cooking restaurant-style food at home the most common trend across the country. Millennials have been dusting off old aprons from the back of their cupboards, gearing up and marching into the kitchen, in a welcome break from the go-to sandwiches and noodles, they usually survive on.
As they actively take to social media to flaunt their newly found culinary skills, virtual cookoff eHome Masterchef’ saw more than 10,000 participants upload over 60,000 home-cooked dishes and recipes.
The virtual cookout courtesy, Dineout, brought to light that contrary to the age-old myth about Indian men neglecting culinary skills, more than 55 percent of participants were men, with a record number of chefs cooking up their favorite dessert and non-vegetarian recipes to enjoy emade-at-home’ lockdown treats.
Ankit Mehrotra, co-founder, and CEO – Dineout said: “In the digital age where everything is available at the tap of a finger, millennials have often been perceived to be lazy when it comes to cooking at home. Not to mention, the reduced app engagement we received in these unpredictable circumstances. Our Home Masterchef campaign helped us set aside these beliefs with some remarkable entries and also increased our app engagement by 45 percent! With life returning to normalcy with Unlock 1.0, we’re proud to see these promising youngsters go into the new world with renewed confidence and interest in the culinary arts!”
Rocky Mohan, Founder and Mentor of Gourmet Passport while judging the contest said: ”The Home Masterchef contest was a revelation for thousands of food lovers across the country as it offered many their first insight into what they really’ like to eat the most. It was heartening to see these promising amateurs become creative with dishes like the Fusion Chaat Platter, Bird’s Nest Cutlets & Wheat Beet Tacos. I would like to congratulate their innovative recipes, resourcefulness, and enthusiasm.”
Boasting of an illustrious panel of celebrity judges including Gourmet Passport’s Founder Rocky Mohan and celebrity chef Sabyasachi Gorai aka Chef Saby, Dineout’s Home Masterchef campaign saw food enthusiasts uploading photos and videos on Dineout Stories – an engaging and premier story feature on the app. The winners from the contest won Huawei and Redmi smartphones, Amazon Echo devices, Bluetooth earphones from Noise, Home appliances from Wonderchef and Lifelong, and gift vouchers from Cult. Fit, Rebel Foods, and Udemy among others.
By Puja Gupta (Puja Gupta can be contacted at puja.g@ians.in)
