Thumbnail Image
Item

Let’s talk about chefs, baby: Comparing three types of home cooks on recipe use before and during COVID-19

Cuykx,Isabelle
; 
Teunissen,Lauranna
; 
Decorte,Paulien
; 
Pabian,Sara
; 
Van Royen,Kathleen
; 
Vandebosch,Heidi
; 
Van den Bulck,Hilde
; 
De Backer,Charlotte J. S.
Abstract
Not everyone comes to the kitchen equally equipped and, as such, does not have the same opportunities for gaining cooking skills, resulting in different taste standards and less healthy food intake. This paper aimed to cluster home cooks based on their ‘cooking capital’, consisting of their incorporated capital (self-reported cooking skills, attitudes, behaviors) and objectivized capital (access to cooking means), and investigate the differences in food-related preferences and behaviors. In total, 19.378 home cooks, older than 26 and living in one of the 38 participating countries, completed an online survey. Two-step clustering was used to create clusters that were then compared on recipe use, bread baking at home, and food intake, both before and during COVID-19. Three segments emerged: low-priority cooks (lowest cooking capital), everyday cooks (middle bracket), and hobby chefs (highest cooking capital). Clusters differed significantly regarding recipe sources, valued recipe aspects, and food intake. Hobby chefs appraised high-capital aspects more (taste, healthiness, sustainability) and reported overall healthier diets. Practical elements (ease, preparation time) were valued highest by low-priority and everyday cooks. During COVID-19, all segments used all recipe sources less frequently; practical ingredient-related variables, tastiness, innovativeness, and health increased in importance for all. Some gaps between clusters on practical and high-capital recipe preferences grew smaller during the pandemic. Implications are made for a segmented communication approach adapted to each cluster of home cooks rather than focusing on upper classes with higher levels of cooking capital.
Description
Funding Information: We acknowledge Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship/Flanders’ FOOD (HBC.2018.0397) and the Research Foundation Flanders (G047518N) for their financial support. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 Elsevier B.V.
Date
2023-06
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Collections
Tilburg University Research Output Collection
Show all metadata
Files
Thumbnail Image
65106414.pdf
Adobe PDF, 1.32 MB
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Keywords
COVID-19, Cooking capital, Food media, Home cooks, Recipe use, SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
Citation
Cuykx, I, Teunissen, L, Decorte, P, Pabian, S, Van Royen, K, Vandebosch, H, Van den Bulck, H & De Backer, C J S 2023, 'Let’s talk about chefs, baby : Comparing three types of home cooks on recipe use before and during COVID-19', International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science, vol. 32, 100699. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgfs.2023.100699
URI
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14602/78958
License
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
cb
Embedded videos