January 28/Glenview, Ill./PRNewswire – Once upon a time, the kitchen was considered a mom’s domain, but research shows that today’s dads are taking a more active role in the kitchen, as well as with food shopping, menu planning and meal preparation. A national survey administered by Kraft Cheese reveals 96% of American dads are cooking for themselves or others every week.

As dads become more comfortable in the kitchen -- 94% are confident in their cooking skills -- they are also looking to expand their recipe repertoire. Dads surveyed expressed an interest in mixing up their menus, with nearly half (46%) saying they would like to expand the recipes in their regular rotation. Dads also cited cheese as a key ingredient to making most meals better, second to fresh herbs.

“We understand that moms and dads approach meal time differently,” says Barry Calpino, vice president, Breakthrough Innovation, Kraft Foods. “Both are looking for inspiration, but not necessarily through the same channels or to the same end. We’re excited to learn more about dads and how we can have some fun, and add some value, in their kitchens.”

Key Findings
Kraft Cheese invited dads to share their opinions about what, why and how they are currently cooking.
Dads Dig Dinner: When it comes to meal preference, an overwhelming 63% of dads enjoy cooking dinner; 22% prefer cooking breakfast; and 7% prefer lunch.
Appetite for Chicken: The most common meals in regular rotation are chicken (84%), pasta (74%), sandwiches (67%) and burgers (64%).
Daring Dads: More than half (58%) of dads surveyed say they are adventurous or spontaneous in the kitchen.
Cheesy Goodness: According to the majority of dads, their favorite type of cheese to eat or cook with is Cheddar (24%) followed by Mozzarella (17%), American (10%) and Parmesan (10%).

Tech-Savvy Daddy
In addition to understanding what dads are cooking, Kraft Cheese is picking dads’ brains to learn more about how they are coming up with recipes. While it is no surprise modern dads are using technology -- 83% use technology for cooking or meal planning -- the survey revealed that more than half (51%) use a computer to print out recipes, and nearly one in three (29%) dads look up recipes on smartphones or tablets.

American dads also hit up their social networks for ideas on what to cook. Nearly a quarter of dads (22%) ask for ideas from friends or people on their social networks, and 20% use social media tools, such as Facebook and Instagram.