UVM Theses and Dissertations
Format:
Print
Author:
Nathanson, Alyssa A.
Dept./Program:
Nutritional and Food Sciences
Year:
2008
Degree:
MS
Abstract:
The objective of this research was to identify themes and patterns in the way people talk about cooking as well as in the way people cook in their home kitchens. Surveys, semi-structured interviews and videotaped dinner meal preparations were used to obtain detailed information from the perspective of the home cooks. Seven individuals living in a northeastern metropolitan area who are the primary meal preparers in their household participated in this research. One main theme identified by this research was time. All participants talked about how time has an impact on their cooking and the videotaped meal preparations revealed how time impacts everyday cooking practices and strategies. For the seven participants, time appeared to function as a barrier, an enabler and an organizer when cooking or thinking about cooking.
Another identified pattern was the complex nature of the term "cooking skill." While participants were using their hands-on skills when cooking, they were employing cognitive, perceptual, organizational and creative skills as well. Identifying time as a factor that has an impact on how people cook will allow for the creation of interventions that specifically address time. Similarly, understanding that the cooking skill people utilize in the kitchen includes both technical skill and cognitive skill will aid in the development of effective and relevant interventions as well as broaden the discourse surrounding cooking. As cooking appears to be in a state of transition, identifying those factors that are contributing to this transition will allow a more focused and grounded discussion of cooking in the 21st century.
Another identified pattern was the complex nature of the term "cooking skill." While participants were using their hands-on skills when cooking, they were employing cognitive, perceptual, organizational and creative skills as well. Identifying time as a factor that has an impact on how people cook will allow for the creation of interventions that specifically address time. Similarly, understanding that the cooking skill people utilize in the kitchen includes both technical skill and cognitive skill will aid in the development of effective and relevant interventions as well as broaden the discourse surrounding cooking. As cooking appears to be in a state of transition, identifying those factors that are contributing to this transition will allow a more focused and grounded discussion of cooking in the 21st century.