Long Live the Queen...of BBQ's
Date - 29th August 2011: Man may have discovered fire but it’s women who know how to use it according to new research out today, which reveals that over a third of men (69 per cent) have burnt food on the barbeque compared with 57 per cent of women(1).
The study by Sheilas’ Wheels home insurance found that one in eight men (12 per cent) have served up raw food by accident (compared to seven per cent of women) and nine per cent have made someone ill from their cooking. A hot-handed 42 per cent of men surveyed admitted they always incinerate at least one item of food whilst cooking outdoors.
Proving that men can’t stand the heat, 18 per cent of women have had to take over the barbeque from their other halves due to male boredom (23 per cent), lack of ability (16 per cent) or because they burnt everything (12 per cent).
Dispelling the age-old myth that the barbie is a man’s domain, men are twice as likely to be involved in a barbeque accident than their female counterparts (9 per cent compared to 4 per cent). Small wonder given that more than a third of the men questioned (38 per cent) have never read the instructions for their BBQ and a worrying 35 per cent admitted to putting lighter fuel on the BBQ to accelerate the burning of the charcoal.
According to the findings, 29 per cent of men have burnt themselves whilst barbequing and seven per cent have had a barbeque accident that required medical treatment. Nevertheless, the study found that men still get more enjoyment from cooking outdoors than women. Over half (60 per cent) said they find barbequeing relaxing and a neanderthal 52 per cent said that cooking meat over fire feels instinctual. Despite this, 35 per cent of men don’t like taking advice from others when it comes to cooking up the perfect bry and 45 per cent hate admitting defeat when they can’t get the barbeque going.
Jacky Brown at Sheilas’ Wheels car insurance commented: “Whilst men consider the barbeque to be their domain, the study shows that women are not only in control of the tongs but getting better results too. With Britain set for a ‘sunblock summer’, we will no doubt see more and more people choosing to cook outdoors. We would advise those in charge of the barbeque to remember that they are playing with fire and to pay careful attention so they don’t hurt themselves or their guests.”
Brits cook an average of 16 barbeques every year and spend as much as £1,500 on their barbeque and grilling equipment. Men spend £148.50 on average on the perfect grilling machine. Despite this 10 per cent confessed that they had never used their brand new barbeques. 35 per cent of all barbeques are now cooked by women and nearly a quarter of Brits (23 per cent) said they would prefer women to man the grill.
According to the research, it’s people in the West Midlands who love to turn up the heat, cooking an average of 19 barbeques a year. Other barbeque hotspots in the UK include the capital and Yorkshire and Humberside where they grill 18 times a year on average. The most reluctant barbequers are the North East, with one in five (20 per cent) per cent admitting they prefer to oven cook their food.
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Notes to Editors:
(1) Sheilas’ Wheels used the independent online research company Fly Research who surveyed 1,313 homeowners from across the UK, aged 18 and over, between 1 and 3 June 2011.
