New Study Reveals Canadians Sharper in the Kitchen than Americans;
Montreal and Vancouver Top North American “Sharpest Cities” Index

A new survey¹ of the “Sharpest Cities in North America” fielded for the Chicago Cutlery brand finds that Canadians are sharper than Americans when it comes to cooking habits and kitchen knife use. 

The study was conducted in conjunction with the launch of Chicago Cutlery knives in Canada, with results setting the stage for yet another spirited rivalry between the two countries. Key findings reveal:

• Top chefs.
• Canadians outranked Americans on the “Sharp Cities Index,” with Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto scoring higher than American cities of New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
• Montreal (indexed at 62.2 out of 100) topped the entire list of Canadian and American cities; Among the U.S. list, Houston outranked New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
• The least sharp cities in the study were Los Angeles (57.4) and Chicago (44.9 on a 100 point scale).

• Culinary love.
• Canadians cook more than Americans, using knives to prepare an average of 21 meals per week, compared to seven meals per week in the U.S.
• Canadians enjoy cooking more than American with mean scores of 5.62 and 4.91 respectively (on a 10-point scale), supporting its “Sharpest” status on the overall Index.

• Sharpen with care.
• Approximately one third of Canadians (35.9 percent) and one third of Americans (32.6 percent) said they “sharpen their knives for better performance.”
• Canadian and American males (40.7 percent and 37.8 percent, respectively) noted that they were more likely than females (31.3 percent and 27.5 percent) to say that they “sharpened their knives for better performance.”

• An edible affair.
• Canadians scored marginally higher than Americans in terms of enjoying cooking as a social activity.
• In terms of gender, social cooking preference was split in the U.S., while in Canada more females enjoy cooking than males (mean scores of 7.10 and 6.31 respectively).

• Risky (kitchen) business.
• Canadians are more likely to try new recipes and tools to assist in their culinary creations than their American counterparts, with a mean score of 5.12 and 4.66 on a 10-point scale.

• Favored tools. 
• Both Canadians and Americans were comparatively more likely to say they used paring knives the most (30% and 26.5%, respectively), with santoku knives at the bottom (2.9% and 2.3%).
• Overall, Canadians said that they “used the right knife for the right job” slightly more than Americans (6.56 and 6.00 mean score, respectively). Surprisingly, only 15.1% of Americans and 15.7% of Canadians chose the utilitarian chef knife most often.

What Kind of Cook Are You?
The study organized home cooks into several profiles.  Results reveal that although Canadian women proved more likely to be time pressed culinary masters, men in Chicago may possess both the time and talent to be the next top chef.

Master Chefs vs. Aspiring Chefs

• Master Chefs
• Always looking to sharpen their skills and take risks in the kitchen, the Master Chef title belongs to the Canadians. Montreal scored highest in Canada, while New York topped the Index in the U.S. (with scores of 62.6 and 55.7 respectively).
• Results showed that both in the U.S. and Canada these adventuresome cooks are more likely to be middle-aged females.

• Aspiring Chefs
• Aspiring home chefs have the potential to take on new recipes and challenges, but do not yet cook as much or sharpen their knives as frequently as the Master Chef. Americans index highest here, with Chicago topping the charts at an Index score of 55.1.
• Results revealed that males are more likely to fall into this grouping, especially those ages 18 to 29 in the United States, and males 30 to 39 in Canada.

Pressed for Time vs. Chefs with Time

• Pressed for Time
• These chefs enjoy cooking at home, but have trouble finding time to cook. Again, Canadians own this category, with Montreal and New York as the respective top cities (63.9, 57.0) in each country.
• Women prove more likely to be pressed for time, but age groups for the U.S. were slightly older (40-49) versus Canada (under 30).

• Chefs with Time
• Findings showed a number of home chefs who loved to cook and also had the time to do so. Americans found victory in this category with an index of 50.9 over the Canadian Index of 43.9.
• The study also showed that chefs with available time are more likely to be male. Chicago and Vancouver indexed as the top cities in this category.

For additional information on the Chicago Cutlery brand’s “Sharpest Cities Index”, or to learn about how to slice, dice and chop like a professional, visit www.chicagocutlery.com

¹Survey Methodology – Toronto, Ontario-based Nanos Research conducted a random telephone survey of 1,000 Americans and 1,014 Canadians aged 18 years and older. The random telephone survey of 1,000 Americans was conducted between September 7th and September 12th, 2010. A random telephone survey of 1,014 Canadians was conducted between August 28th and September 3rd, 2010. The margin of accuracy for both a random sample of 1,000 Americans and 1,014 Canadians is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

The Sharp Cities Index was developed by Nanos Research and measured attitudes and behaviors toward cooking and the use of knives. It was based on a composite “sharp score” out of a maximum of 100 points using lifestyle preferences, frequency of cooking and behavior related to knife sharpening. Key variables used to build the index included: interest in new recipes, cooking enjoyment, cooking as a social activity, the use of knives for cooking, number of meals prepared using a knife and behavior related to sharpening of knives.

Chicago Cutlery is a registered trademark of World Kitchen (GHC), LLC, used with permission by World Kitchen, LLC.