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Call number: LD2668 .T4 1956 G53 / Master of Science

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1979 M39 / Master of Science

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1984 H37 / Master of Science

The primary aim of this research was to investigate cooking practices and cooking knowledge in a rural environment, as well as learn how the kitchen environment may reflect and/or shape an individual‘s process when creating a meal. Qualitative methods were implemented allowing for the data to be triangulated. The research methods used included a semi-structured interview, participant questionnaire, and videotaping dinner time meal preparations by the primary meal preparer on two separate occasions. Emergent themes about the role of the rural food environment began to develop surrounding how respondents procure food. The rural Vermonter relied on using home gardens, farmers‘ markets, and community supported agriculture to procure food. Another theme that emerged was the role of the primary meal preparer, or the ―nutritional gatekeeper.‖ The nutritional gatekeeper was a huge component in controlling family meals and portion sizes inside, and outside the home, and the ingredients used in homemade meals. All rural respondents had some degree of cooking skills that began at a young age. Their skills were honed over time by necessity and/or curiosity. Rural respondents had general nutrition knowledge that was evident by their definition of a healthy meal, and procuring the freshest ingredients. The kitchen space was less of an influential factor when creating a meal than initially anticipated, but was the processing center where procured food items were crafted into a meal. The theme surrounding the environment and local foods strengthens the 21st century‘s shift of what consumers are demanding from the Nation‘s food system. Understanding how nutritional gatekeepers choose to prepare meals, and the influence of their food environment on the meal thought process, may make the domestic home a platform to disseminate healthful cooking practices. This study concluded an ongoing ethnographic study investigating peoples cooking practices, and cooking knowledge in an urban (Boston metropolis), suburban (Burlington, VT), and rural (Franklin and Lamoille County, VT) environments as an implication towards health.

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1979 C517 / Master of Science

Consumer preferences for legume cooking properties should be considered at an earlier stage in the breeding process. Hence, we developed an effective, low-cost method to analyze the cooking quality attributes of cowpeas. The objective was to develop a rapid screening method to evaluate the cooking quality attributes of cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata) and compare the results with currently used methods. Soaked samples (five grams) were boiled for 27 min, and seeds and their broth were separated into dishes with covers. Samples were subjectively rated on a 1-5 scale for cooked doneness, tactile texture, aroma intensity, and opacity of the broth. Water absorption, seed splitting, and soluble solid loss were also determined. The samples were evaluated in batches of 25 and replicated three times. Cooking properties showed significant correlations with each other, but did not correlate with raw seed size and color. The method is important because consumer acceptability largely depends on cooking quality in addition to seed appearance. Many properties like cooked doneness and tactile texture were significantly affected by genetics and environment. Compression force determined with a Texture Analyzer (TA) significantly correlated with doneness and tactile texture ratings at -0.67 and -0.69, respectively (P < 0.01). Cooking times from the Mattson bean cooker (MBC) were significantly correlated with doneness and tactile texture at -0.63 and -0.65, respectively (P < 0.05). The Texture Analyzer and MBC confirmed the subjective ratings of cooked doneness and tactile texture. A procedure to determine solid losses using a refractometer, instead of the time-consuming oven-drying method, saved time and has significant promise for use in simple evaluations. The rapid cooking method required 2 hr on the first day and 5 hr on the second day to evaluate 25 samples. The method is efficient, repeatable and uses inexpensive materials compared to the TA and MBC. It also provides descriptive information, and differentiates legume cultivars based on cooking properties. This method is a useful tool in the breeding program for selecting and advancing promising lines. Food processors may also use this method for a quick evaluation to check if their legumes meet required specifications for processing.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Adelaide, Master of Arts in Gastronomy, 2004. / "October 2004" Bibliography: leaves 112-117.