Men not so novice in the kitchen: survey shows men are turning up the heat in
the kitchen and tempting taste buds with visions of delicious feasts

To see the Social Media Release, click here: http://smr.newswire.ca/en/conagra-foods/men-not-so-novice-in-the-kitchen

TORONTO, Oct. 22 /CNW/ - Move over Jamie Oliver, watch out Tyler Florence, there is a new chef in town.  According to a recent survey by Angus Reid Public Opinion commissioned by VH® Sauces, seven in ten Canadians reported having had a meal made from scratch the last time a man cooked for them. In fact, when asked what images came to mind when thinking of men cooking in the kitchen, more than half said they imagine a gourmet feast. These and other insights reveal that men are not so novice in the kitchen.

"Whether it's the overwhelming number of celebrity male chefs or the increased focus on sharing domestic duties, one thing is clear: men are turning up the heat in the kitchen and pleasing taste buds," said Tony Angelucci, Senior Brand Manager, Meal Enhancers. "We are continually introducing new products to help inspire Canadians in the kitchen and make it easy for them to create delicious meals for their families."

The survey coincides with the premiere of a VH-sponsored online series entitled Life Unjarred. Life Unjarred is a series of comedic webisodes that follows a stay-at-home dad, Randy Matthews, his French Canadian wife Natalie and their son Jack as they stumble into the world of unexpected celebrity status.

Though men may be confident in their culinary prowess, many women lack confidence in the gastronomic abilities of their male counterparts.  When polled, almost 40 per cent of women imagine a big mess to clean up when they think of men cooking in the kitchen, versus only 21 per cent of men. Similarly, only half (53%) of women surveyed think of men taking charge in the kitchen whereas almost three-quarters of men (74%) saw themselves dicing and sautéing with ease. And when it comes to following a recipe, over half of men agree they follow it exactly (52%) whereas only a third (33%) of their female counterparts agreed.

"VH Sauces are an easy way for everyone to make a meal the whole family will enjoy," continued Angelucci. "With new Thai Market Spicy Thai Chili and Red Curry sauces, the choices for adding some excitement to meal time are endless. Easy-to-prepare recipes featured on Life Unjarred will also help diminish worries about big messes to clean-up, preparatory work and other common culinary concerns"

VH's new line of Thai Market Sauces are specifically designed to help Canadians prepare simple yet delicious meals while adding a little creativity and spice to kitchens countrywide. The new sauces, available on store shelves now, include VH Spicy Thai Chili Sauce, a spicy chili pepper dipping sauce with garlic and VH Red Curry sauce, a cooking sauce with hints of coconut, lemongrass and cilantro. Both sauces are now available at most major grocery stores across the country for a suggested retail price of $3.49.

Other survey findings include:

• French-speaking Canadians are more likely to imagine a 'gourmet feast' when thinking of men cooking at home, compared to only half of English-speaking Canadians
• 65 per cent of Canadians agree that men are relaxed in the kitchen
• Almost twice as many men (21%) rely more heavily on their microwave to get dinner on the table compared to women (12%)

Life Unjarred can be viewed online at www.lifeunjarred.com and is available to all Rogers Digital Subscribers on Channel 100. Episodes are also available to all Canadians on www.rogersondemand.com.

About VH Sauces

VH Sauces inspire you to create a variety of easy, simple and delicious meals on a busy schedule. Full of flavour, VH Sauces were developed to add personality to any dish without having to spend hours in the kitchen. VH offers a whole line of Asian-inspired sauces that can be integrated into any meal creating more variety for the family and recipes that everyone will enjoy. More information on the complete VH line can be found at www.vhsauces.com. Add simple, easy delicious messaging here.

About ConAgra Foods Canada, Inc.

ConAgra Foods Canada, based in Mississauga, Ontario, is a division of ConAgra Foods Inc. (NYSE: CAG), based in Omaha, Nebraska.  ConAgra is one of North America's largest packaged-food companies, serving consumer grocery retailers, as well as restaurants and other foodservice establishments.  Popular ConAgra Foods consumer brands include: Healthy Choice, Orville Redenbacher's, Hunt's, Snack Pack, Chef Boyardee, PAM, POGO, VH, and many others.

About the survey

From August 23 to August 24, 2010, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,014 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Angus Reid Forum panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.1%. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure samples representative of the entire adult population of Canada. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

For more information, please visit us at www.conagrafoods.ca

For further information:

MediaContacts:
Jennifer Riddell, Ketchum on behalf of ConAgra Foods, Tel: [phone], E: [email protected]
Marshneill Abraham
Ketchum, on behalf of ConAgra Foods
Tel. [phone]
E-mail. [email protected]