Holiday Cooking Trends Reflect America's Modern Family Dinner Table

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., Nov. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- From multi-generations to multi-cultures, honoring traditions while catering to different tastes may prove challenging for holiday hosts. A recent Kenmore survey found that more than half of Americans (52 percent) celebrate the holidays with extended family and/or friends, bringing a variety of food preferences to the table. As a chef who makes a living from experiencing many global flavors in cities around the world, TV host and celebrity chef Eden Grinshpan offers simple twists on holiday cooking to update family favorites and even create new traditions.

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The Kenmore survey revealed that 46 percent of Americans create special dishes for guests and 44 percent of those say the main reason in offering something special is to spice things up. Further, many respondents think holiday preparations are fun, with 27 percent of women responding that they feel like a "Rock Star" when it comes to holiday cooking and entertainment.

To inspire and help those aspiring "rock star" cooks, the Kenmore brand introduces cookmore.com, to easily create custom cookbooks including favorite family recipes, as well as access and share from a recipe library built by everyday cooks and acclaimed chefs. Suiting the need holiday hosts have to spice things up, the site allows users to add their own special "twists" to recipes they save and even share their own twists on others' traditional favorites. 

For example, turkey still reigns supreme, with 90 percent of Americans planning to eat it this year. However, for those looking to spice up the bird, Grinshpan's 'Mediterranean Turkey' recipe calls for paprika, cumin, fennel and even pita bread and cinnamon.

"While guests appreciate the tried and true dishes they come to expect during the holidays, they tend to feel extra special if their specific tastes are catered to," said Grinshpan. "Through travels for my show, I discover food and ingredients from cultures all over the word that inspire me to bring something new and unexpected to the dinner table. With cookmore.com, cooks can share and discover fresh recipes to serve up joy year round."  

Valuing the spirit of giving thanks during the holidays, the Kenmore brand brings something more to the table – $1 for every recipe submitted or downloaded on cookmore.com will be donated to Sears Heroes at Home  – up to $10,000 – to make the holiday season brighter for military families. The Heroes at Home program strives to uplift, assist and honor America's military service members, veterans and their families.

"The holiday season brings challenges in the home, from finding the right recipes to knowing the right tools that help ensure a sensational holiday meal," said Michael Castleman, president, Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard and SVP of Sears Holdings. "The Kenmore brand has been a part of American homes through a century of holidays. We know the right solutions and innovations, such as double ovens and large capacity refrigerators, which enable hosts to spend less time in the kitchen and more time with their guests at the table."

Managing the Main Event

The Kenmore survey also found that 63 percent serve more than one main course during the holidays to satisfy guests. With many advances in cooking appliances, consumers can deliver double the number of main dishes even with limited space.

The Kenmore Elite® Electric Free Standing Double Oven and Slide-In Ranges offer greater cooking versatility as both models have dual ovens with equal 3.5 cubic foot capacity. Main dishes, such as full-sized turkeys or hams, can cook concurrently in separate ovens and at different temperatures for greater flexibility.

With 7.0 cubic foot capacity and two oven cavities, home chefs spend less time waiting for one dish to be cooked before starting another and more time enjoying their kitchen experience. Each model delivers true convection in both ovens to evenly bake and beautifully brown foods. Additionally, the new Turbo Boil FLEX™ element gives customers the ability to melt, warm, simmer and boil without moving the pot from element to element.

A Home for Coveted Leftovers

Where to put all that extra holiday food is often a dilemma for holiday hosts, especially when considering that 37 percent of American holiday gatherings are potluck style. The Kenmore brand has just the place to put those extra pieces of turkey, sides and pies: The Kenmore Elite Grab-N-Go™ Refrigerator.

Product highlights include:

• Massive 31 cubic-foot capacity is perfect for stocking-up and storing leftovers.
• The Grab-N-Go Door keeps items within easy reach in an extra refrigerator compartment that is accessible from the outside with a simple push of a button on the handle. 
• Slim In-Door Icemaker provides more storage on the top shelf while still allowing for plenty of door storage bins.

To put a twist on holiday dishes, visit cookmore.com for Eden Grinshpan's recipes and other inspiring meal ideas.

The Kenmore Elite® Electric Free Standing Double Oven (97512/3/9) is available in white and black ($1,899) and stainless steel ($1,999). The electric slide in range (41112/3/9) is available in white and black ($2,499) and stainless steel ($2,599). The Kenmore Elite Grab-N-Go Refrigerator (72062/3/9) is available in white ($3,879.99), stainless steel ($4,199.99), and black ($3,879.99).

Methodology: The Russell Omnibus was conducted online from September 28 – October 1, 2012 among 1,033 online adults across the United States.  Figures for gender, age, and geography were weighted where necessary to match their actual proportions in the population.

About Sears Holdings Corporation

Sears Holdings Corporation is a leading integrated retailer with over 2,600 full-line and specialty retail stores in the United States and Canada and the home of SHOP YOUR WAY, a social shopping experience where members have the ability to earn points and receive benefits across a wide variety of physical and digital formats through ShopYourWay.com.  Sears Holdings is the leading home appliance retailer as well as a leader in tools, lawn and garden, fitness equipment and automotive repair and maintenance. Key proprietary brands include Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard, with a broad apparel offering, including such well-known labels as Lands' End, the Kardashian Kollection, Jaclyn Smith and Joe Boxer, as well as Sofia by Sofia Vergara and The Country Living Home Collection. We are the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 15 million service and installation calls made annually and have a long-established commitment to those who serve in the military through initiatives like the Heroes at Home program. We have been named the 2011 Mobile Retailer of the Year, Recipient of the 2012 ENERGY STAR® "Corporate Commitment Award" for Product Retailing and Energy Management and one of the Top 20 Best Places to Work for Recent Grads. Sears Holdings Corporation operates through its subsidiaries, including Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Kmart Corporation.  For more information, visit Sears Holdings' website at www.searsholdings.com. Twitter: @searsholdings | |Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SHCCareers

About the Kenmore Brand

The Kenmore Brand is an industry leader in delivering trusted performance in the home with smart and stylish appliance innovations that help consumers do things quicker, easier and better. Recognized as a top appliance brand for nearly 100 years, the Kenmore Brand continues to give consumers more time, efficiency and better results for better living with industry-leading products across small and large appliance categories. The brand recently took on a major overhaul re-launching and revamping packaging, product, marketing and social media efforts with the promise of consistently delivering more.  The brand also introduced the Kenmore Craftsman Live Brand Experience -- an interactive space in the heart of Chicago equipped to stream innovative experiences and events live online via the Kenmore brand's Facebook page.  For more information, log on to www.kenmore.com or www.facebook.com/kenmore.

SOURCE Sears Holdings Corp