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Why Cooking Is The Best: Part Two

Americans used to cook. What the hell happened?

Published January 21, 2026

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Missed “Why Cooking Is the Best: Part One”? Find it right here.

Americans, I’m sad to report, spend less time cooking than anyone. We do not, however, spend the most time working, so that’s not the reason. (Koreans, Mexicans, Japanese, Chinese, and even Canadians punch more hours on a clock than we do.) How do we spend our time? According to the U.S. Department of Labor, in 2024 the average American spent 40 minutes each day preparing food and cleaning up—up a whopping eight minutes from 2010, presumably in large part due to the pandemic—as opposed to two hours and 45 minutes watching TV. Other activities competing with meal preparation include online pursuits and socializing—things for which we generally don’t budget time. (Few people say, “I don’t have time for television.” They say, “I don’t have time to cook.” Note that they have plenty of time to watch people cook on television!)

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