Brits reveal biggest food mistakes including doubling up, stealing recipes and serving dinner they left on the floor

From stealing recipes to duplicating, the BRITS’ biggest food fakes have been revealed.

One in six Britons admit to serving food to dinner guests that has been thrown on the floor.

Chef Tom Kerridge has admitted to stealing his mother's bolognese recipe — Chef Tom Kerridge has admitted to stealing his mother’s bolognese recipeCredit: Simon Jacobs/PinPep

Tom said he thought it was "the imperfections" that make cooking fun — Tom said he thinks “imperfections” make cooking funCredit: Simon Jacobs/PinPep

A survey of 2,000 adults found that 28% have tasted food directly from a spoon they have. cooked with – and then stick it straight back into the pot.

While 28 per cent knowingly served food past its sell-by date, and a third (32 per cent) wiped a bread knife and put it back instead of washing it.

And 13 percent let a pet “clean up” spilled food or drink.

The research was commissioned by the kitchen appliance brand NEFFas part of the Hidden Heroes campaign, which shines a light on the unsung moments in the kitchen that make hosting truly memorable.

Celebrity cook Tom Kerridgewho runs the campaign, even confessed to “stealing” his mother’s famous beef bolognese, proving that even the best chefs borrow a trick or two from family.

Tom said: “I think it’s brilliant to see so many of us sharing the same oddities and woes in the kitchen – whether it’s dropping food on the floor or ‘borrowing’ a family recipe.

“Cooking should be fun and those little imperfections make it special.

“I’ve certainly had my share of disasters, and yes, I’ve been known to take credit for my mother’s beef Bolognese.

“At the end of the day, it’s all about creating great food and memories with the people you love, no matter how you get there.”

Interestingly, older Brits are more relaxed about their culinary slip-ups – with 60% of over-65s saying they wouldn’t feel guilty about one.

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But 57% of guilt-ridden Gen Zers would be left to own up to their mistakes.

The research also looked at where Britons learned their best cooking tricks, with 58 per cent doing so from relatives.

In fact, 45% still rely on their family members to help them cook and prepare food.

While respondents value hand-meals, 62% like to give them RECIPES a personal twist.

One in ten young Brits (11%) even admitted to serving up a family recipe and passing it off as their own.

TOP 20 KITCHEN BREADERS RECOMMENDED AT:

1. Leaving dishes in the sink overnight and washing them in the morning
2. Using the bread knife and wiping as opposed to washing
3. Cooking with food that has passed its sell-by date
4. Taste the food directly from the cooking spoon and then put it back in the pot
5. Accidentally burns a dish and scrapes off the burnt parts to make it look good
6. Don’t tie your hair back when you prepare a meal, risking hair falling into the food
7. Spilling something in the oven and hoping it burns rather than cleaning it up
8. Drop a piece of food on the floor, quickly pick it up and serve it to the guests
9. Let the dog/cat clean up spills on the kitchen floor instead of mopping
10. Using pre-made ingredients (eg pre-made baked goods or mashed potatoes) and pretending you made them
11. Adding spice or chilli to a dish without warning guests who may or may not like spicy food
12. Serving leftovers that are a little too old and should have been thrown away
13. Using the same tongs or spatula for raw and cooked food, risking cross-contamination
14. Don’t pre-check for allergies
15. Reheating a ready-made meal – and passing it off as your own
16. Telling your dinner guests a recipe is yours when it’s really a friend or family member’s special recipe
17. Forgetting to check dishes are suitable for vegan or vegetarian guests
18. Cough or sneeze into a bowl and don’t tell anyone
19. Using dirty plates or utensils, pretending they are clean
20. Telling your dinner guests your recipe is an old family recipe when you recently Googled it

And the secret recipe-switching doesn’t end there – as 43% admit to ‘stirring the pot’ by tweaking a family recipe without telling anyone, fearing it could cause a recipe ruckus at the table.

For Gen Z and Millennials, that pressure is even more intense, with 66 percent worried that playing with a prized dish could cause an all-out family feud.

Despite the potential chaos in the kitchen, adults under the age of 24 are leading the way when it comes to hosting, with 60% enjoying cooking for guests.

However, 23% of those surveyed, via OnePoll, would prefer to face a job Interviews (23 percent), meeting parents for the first time (22 percent), or sitting in a traffic jam (20 percent), then cooking an unfamiliar meal for company.

And when things go wrong in the kitchen, it seems parents are still the best culinary lifeline – with 33% of Brits calling on mum and dad for help in the middle of culinary chaos.