Gen Z students are ditching clubs for cooking as a way to socialise

With the cost of a big night out a worry for many, a new study, commissioned by global product design and technology company, SharkNinja, found that over a third (38%) of students now prefer a night in sharing food.

To get to know new friends many are using their culinary skills - with almost six in 10 (59%) revealing they love to cook with flatmates as a social activity.

However, student life’s move from the nightclub to the kitchen is not without its issues. Around 27% said they lack the space to store ingredients in their shared cooking space (27%), with another complaint being that overuse makes kitchens too dirty (26%).

More than three quarters (76% ) say they would like to be more creative when it comes to cooking at home, with students citing a larger cooking space (41%), less crowding (36%), and better appliances, like an air fryer (35%), as key factors that would make them better able to cook up a storm.

A whopping 89% also admitted that cleaning up after cooking more complex meals is daunting.

Carolyn Anderson, EMEA VP of Ninja Marketing, says: “Our research shows that more and more students want to be creative with cooking, but may not have the space or appliances to cook with flatmates properly. It also highlights that they really value the benefits of cooking with flatmates as a bonding tool.”

To help turn students’ kitchen nightmares into dream cuisine, SharkNinja has partnered with Big Zuu, TV Chef and musician, to give his advice to students on how to make cooking at home with friends an enjoyable activity.

He hosted a cook-along with students where he demonstrated how to be more creative using the Ninja CRISPi - an all-in-one complete cooking system with four functions – Air Fry, Roast, Keep Warm and Recrisp.

Zuu says the portable, compact nature of the CRISPi can help save storage space, but that its swappable containers can manage both sides and larger meals for social occasions.

Plus it helps the cost-conscious to cut down on their food waste.

“You can even revive leftovers for a freshly-cooked finish, such as that leftover pizza from yesterday,” he explains.

Perhaps most importantly for that 89% who want to avoid piles of washing up, it also avoids the need for using multiple utensils when making a more complex meal.

“You can marinate and prepare your food for dinner with friends directly in the glass containers, then attach the PowerPod to cook when you’re ready to eat,” the food-loving rapper continues.

“The Easy-grip handles let you serve directly to the table, without needing to transfer to a serving dish. So you can do everything in one container to save on washing up.”

Anderson adds: “The Ninja CRISPi is the perfect product for students to easily snap, crisp, serve, store and re-crisp delicious meals and snacks with one portable appliance, saving time, cutting down on clean-up and helping cut food waste.”