The effects of the global credit crunch have taken their toll on the little luxuries in life and eating out regularly has certainly been one of them.But as a consequence, a number of cookery schools have noticed an upsurge in interest as consumers look to equip themselves with better skills in the kitchen.Monika Reti, owner of the Hipcooks school in Portland, Oregon, told Marketplace I think as people are realising that going out to eat is not just expensive but sometimes not as delicious or not as healthy as cooking at home, they are coming to me to learn how, in droves.Another cookery school owner, Ben Dyer, claims that people are looking to find out about cheaper alternative to their favourite cuts of meat, for example.In these economic times, people are looking to kind of make what they eat a little less expensive so they can feed their family a little more easily, he said.With all the new cookery skills being picked up by home users, an essential item in any modern kitchen is a practical and well-designed sink, such as a model from leading manufacturer Franke.