Sophie Okolo, MPH

Written By Sophie Okolo

A new study by Google shows that Millennials are cooking more because of smartphones. Generation Y is known to dine at restaurants or purchase takeout meals, but smartphones are now encouraging Millennials to embrace the art of cooking.

Read More: Smartphones May Be Inspiring Millennials to Cook More

Technology has always played a big role in society. With the invention of smartphones, Millennials have access to popular mobile devices such as a personal digital assistant (PDA), media player and GPS navigation unit. These devices have improved their lifestyle as well as starting to impact their cooking skills.

According to Susmita Baral, reporter at iDigitalTimes, “Generation Y depends heavily on their smartphones at various steps in the cooking process whether it is to find meal inspiration, keep tab of recipes or purchase ingredients.”

Since Millennials are attached to their smartphones, it is not surprising that the cooking process now seems effortless. In fact, 59 percent of 25- to-34-year-olds bring their smartphones or tablets into the kitchen while people older than 35 are more likely to print out a recipe; this eliminates tasks such as buying cookbooks, researching recipes for hours, and cooking while trying to read from a cookbook or laptop.

Although smartphones are not for everyone, they are “able to create an experience, rather than a chore,” for Millennials who use them, according to Anna Conroy, planning director for Mcgarrybowen, an advertising agency that partnered with Google and Kraft Foods to conduct the study.

Read More: Smartphones may be inspiring millennials to cook at home

Despite the fact that generation Y is believed to be partly responsible for the surge in dining-out spending this year, the “digital kitchen” may inspire Millennials’ interest in cooking at home. Smartphones provide a ton of information including tutorials, recipes, mobile apps and more. Hopefully, this age group can break current trends and reduce dining-out expenses.

Do you own a smartphone? If so, do you use your smartphone to cook meals or purchase ingredients?