Here’s something that might surprise you: the average American spends about 40 minutes every single day just preparing food and cleaning up afterward. That’s not counting eating. That’s not counting grocery shopping. Just the cooking and the dishes.
I started tracking my own kitchen time last month, and honestly? The numbers shocked me. Between making breakfast, packing lunches, cooking dinner, and dealing with the aftermath, I was spending way more time than I realized.
The good news is that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks this stuff precisely. Their American Time Use Survey gives us real data on how Americans actually spend their hours. And understanding where your kitchen time goes is the first step toward taking some of it back.
The BLS American Time Use Survey for 2024 tracks exactly how we spend our time. For food prep and cleanup? Americans 15 and older average 0.67 hours per day.
In plain English: 40 minutes every day.
That might not sound like a lot. But think about what 40 minutes a day actually means. It’s longer than most commutes. It’s longer than the average workout. It’s a chunk of time that shows up whether you feel like cooking or not.
The BLS tracks these specific activities:
What’s not included? Grocery shopping gets tracked separately. Eating the meal is counted elsewhere too. These 40 minutes are purely the work of getting food ready and cleaning up.
Let’s talk about something the data makes really clear. Women spend significantly more time on food prep and cleanup than men do.
From BLS Table 1 (2024):
| Gender | Daily Average | In Minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Men | 0.46 hours | ~28 minutes |
| Women | 0.86 hours | ~52 minutes |
| Overall | 0.67 hours | ~40 minutes |
Women spend 86% more time in the kitchen than men.
This gap shows up across age groups and employment status. Even in households where both partners work full-time jobs, women typically handle more of the cooking and cleanup.
Good news on this front. A 2025 study in Current Developments in Nutrition looked at 20 years of data. From 2003 to 2023, men are cooking more.
Among those who cook:
The gap is shrinking. Slowly, but it’s happening. More men cook now. This is especially true in younger households and among college grads.
This gap shows up in other chores too. The BLS data shows women spend more time on:
These numbers can start real conversations. Who does what? Is it fair? Should things change?
You’d expect weekends to involve more cooking, right? More time at home, more elaborate meals, maybe some meal prep for the week ahead.
The data says otherwise.
From BLS Table 2 (2024):
| Day Type | Daily Average | In Minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Weekdays | 0.65 hours | ~39 minutes |
| Weekends/Holidays | 0.70 hours | ~42 minutes |
Weekend cooking adds just 3 extra minutes per day.
This surprised me. Even with weekends free, people don’t cook much more. Kitchen duties stay pretty constant all week long.
BLS data tracks when people cook during the day. The peaks are predictable:
That evening window is when most cooking happens. It’s why dinner cleanup feels so heavy. Everyone cooks at once. Everyone faces dishes at once.
Let’s do the multiplication that really puts these numbers in perspective.
| Gender | Hours Per Year | Equivalent Days |
|---|---|---|
| Men | 168 hours | ~7 days |
| Women | 314 hours | ~13 days |
| Overall | 245 hours | ~10 days |
Women spend nearly two full weeks per year on food preparation and cleanup alone.
And remember, this doesn’t include grocery shopping, meal planning, or actual eating. This is purely the cooking and cleaning portion.
Here’s a sobering thought. The Palm Beach Post reports that 80% of Americans will spend nearly a full year of their life on household chores. Food prep and cleanup? One of the biggest pieces of that time.
The 40-minute average includes everyone – even people who didn’t cook at all that day. Looking at participation rates tells a different story.
From BLS data:
| Gender | Who Cooks? | Time If They Cook |
|---|---|---|
| Men | Lower rate | 0.86 hours (~52 min) |
| Women | Higher rate | 1.20 hours (~72 min) |
| Overall | 57.2% | 1.06 hours (~64 min) |
See the pattern? When you cook, it takes real time. The 40-minute average gets pulled down by takeout days, delivery nights, and leftover meals.
Statistics are useful, but what do real people experience?
In a popular Reddit thread on r/AskAnAmerican, users shared their actual kitchen time:
“1-2 hours is usually pretty good for cooking and cleanup combined.”
“Batch cooking on Sundays changed everything for us. Maybe 3 hours once a week, but then almost nothing on weeknights.”
“Single person here – I spend less total time, but more per meal since there’s no one to split tasks with.”
The discussion shows that individual experience varies based on:
Here’s where it gets interesting. Does cooking time affect what you eat? Research from the NIH says yes. This study has been cited over 429 times, and the findings are clear.
Key findings:
The takeaway? You don’t need more time in the kitchen. You need better skills. Learn to cook healthy meals fast. That gives you good nutrition without the endless hours.
If 245 hours per year feels excessive, here are strategies that actually work:
The stovetop catches most cooking splatters. Boil-overs, grease pops, sauce drips – they all land in the same place.
A fitted gas stovetop protector changes everything. Wipe for seconds instead of scrubbing for minutes. Stoveshield.com makes custom-fit protectors with a non-stick surface which helps reduce cleaning time by guarding your stovetop from difficult spills and stains..
This single change can reduce post-cooking cleanup from 10+ minutes of scrubbing to a quick 1-2 minute wipe.
Estimated Daily Kitchen Cleanup Time Savings With a Stove Protector
| Gender | BLS Minutes per Day (Prep + Cleanup) | With Protector (12% Less) | Minutes Saved per Day |
| Men | 28 | 24.64 | 3.36 |
| Women | 52 | 45.76 | 6.24 |
| Overall | 40 | 35.2 | 4.8 |
Protector scenario assumes ~12% less food prep & cleanup time (illustrative estimate)
Even small daily time savings add up.
Using a stove protector can save the average household over one full day per year on food preparation and cleanup — and for women, nearly two full days annually.
That’s time reclaimed for family, rest, or simply a cleaner, calmer kitchen routine.
Professional kitchens run on this principle. While a pot simmers or something bakes:
This spreads cleanup across your cooking time. No mountain of dirty dishes at the end.
Instead of starting from scratch every night:
Batch prepping can save 15-20 minutes daily while still providing home-cooked meals.
Keep frequently used items accessible:
An organized kitchen saves 5-10 minutes per meal. Less walking. Less searching. More cooking.
Touch things once. Don’t set dishes on the counter “to deal with later.” Put them straight in the dishwasher. Or wash them right away.
As home organization experts at Home As We Make It recommend, this simple habit prevents cleanup from piling up.
The BLS data confirms what you probably already feel. Kitchen work takes real time. At 40 minutes daily or 245 hours yearly, it’s one of your biggest time commitments after work and sleep.
What you can do with this information:
The goal isn’t zero kitchen time. Home cooking brings good things: better food, family time, the joy of making something yourself. The goal is making those hours count.
Ben Karlovich is an expert in the stove niche and has spent his career creating products and accessories that enhance household kitchen stoves. In 2016 he launched stovedecals.com (Stove Decals brand) and was the first to create and offer replacement stove decals across thousands of stove models. In 2022 he created stoveshield.com (Stove Shield brand) focused on stove top protectors, a patented knob panel protector, and other useful stove accessories fitted for your exact stove model. This niche expertise helps bring a unique blend of creativity and innovation to every article post.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be relied upon as the sole basis for purchasing decisions. Product specifications, pricing, and availability are subject to change – contact the relevant manufacturer or retailer for the most current information. Stove Shield is not affiliated with and receives no compensation from any brands mentioned in this article.
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