Why ‘What’s for Dinner?’ Is Harder than Ever artwork
The Journal.

Why ‘What’s for Dinner?’ Is Harder than Ever

Sep 28, 2026 · 17 min

Americans are spending more time in the kitchen than any point in the last 20 years. But the question “what’s for dinner?” is more fraught than ever. People are dealing with increasingly hectic schedules but a rise in prices is also piling on the pressure. Food prices jumped about 26% in the last five years. WSJ's Jesse Newman explains why putting a meal on the table has gotten so hard and how fam…