What’s Cooking in Consumers’ Minds? Beef Recipe Development Research

By John W. Freitag
Friday, January 2, 2009 9:06 AM CST

What makes a cook collect and try a new beef recipe? Checkoff-funded inquiring minds wanted to know.

Cookery methods and recipe development are critical links in the beef promotion chain. Consumers want to know what cut to buy, how to cook it properly and what taste and nutrition benefits they can expect from the prepared dish. Checkoff-funded culinary center testing, consumer market research and food communications work to answer those questions long before consumers reach the meat case.

New recipes and enticing photos are usually the initial inspiration for a cook to actually save and try a recipe. Through focus groups and an online survey, a recent checkoff-funded study looked at what other factors motivate those who are primarily responsible for household cooking.

Some of the responses might sound familiar to the chefs in your house. Here are some of the findings:

Household cooks like to collect and try new recipes, especially beef dishes. Yet they don’t aspire to become TV culinary stars and quickly reject recipes that don’t fit their busy lifestyles.

Family, friends and cookbooks are the most popular and trusted recipe sources. Online recipe sites are becoming increasingly important, especially for younger consumers with children.

Household cooks want easy preparation and avoid trying recipes that could result in a rejected meal that wastes time and money.

Not surprisingly, a tantalizing recipe name and luscious picture instantly stirs the taste buds and conveys the possibility of delivering a rousing hit to family and friends.

Cooks respond best to new printed recipes that are short, sweet, succinct and surrounded by white space. It’s best if ingredients don’t go over five or six items.

Economics matter. Cooks are attracted by recipes that call for available, inexpensive ingredients and could provide leftovers. Since beef is the recipe centerpiece, and usually the most expensive item, it should be listed first on the ingredients list.

Ideally, cooks like recipes that require no more than 30 minutes preparation time in total. “Unattended” time out of the kitchen while the meal is cooking buys cooks a bit more total preparation time.

Recipes that evoke the thought of “comfort food” or are similar to family favorites are likely to catch a cook’s attention because they offer a new twist on a recipe that’s reasonably guaranteed to please.

Minimal labor, simple cooking methods and easy clean-up speak volumes to household cooks.

Accurate information about the number and size of servings, as well as clear nutritional details about the dish, are expected these days.

I once heard a very successful salesman share his secret: Make it easy for them to buy.

The checkoff is working to do exactly that through product, cookery and recipe development. In the hectic world and crowded marketplace we live in today, we need to do everything possible to attract consumers and potentially increase their willingness to buy beef.

We need to use all our checkoff-funded market knowledge to make beef an easy and reliable purchase. Because when it comes to flavor, aroma and a memorable eating experience n we already have that covered.

Wisconsin Beef Council staff just finished their annual Holiday Media tour where they shared some new and old recipes for beef and veal on TV for the holiday season in five cities around Wisconsin. During that time we had over 800 requests for the recipes used during those different appearances.

This is another example of how beef Checkoff dollars are expended in Wisconsin. Beef It’s What’s For Dinner!

Comments »

Comment on this story

Comments will be approved within 48 hours

Name:

Email: (optional)

Comments:

Image Verification: (Case sensitive)