Table 1 Cooking skills and food skills items
From: The development and validation of measures to assess cooking skills and food skills
Cooking skills a |
Cooking Method |
 1. ‘Chop, mix and stir foods, for example chopping vegetables, dicing an onion, cubing meat, mixing and stirring food together in a pot/bowl’ |
 2. ‘Blend foods to make them smooth, like soups or sauces’ (using a whisk/blender/food processor etc.) |
 3. Steam food (where the food doesn’t touch the water but gets cooked by the steam) |
 4. Boil or simmer food (cooking it in a pan of hot, boiling/bubbling water) |
 5. Stew food (cooking it for a long time (usually more than an hour) in a liquid or sauce at a medium heat, not boiling) e.g. beef stew |
 6. Roast food in the oven, for example raw meat/chicken, fish, vegetables etc. |
 7. Fry/stir-fry food in a frying pan/wok with oil or fat using the hob/gas rings/hot plates |
 8. Microwave food (not drinks/liquid) including heating ready-meals |
Food Preparation Techniques |
 9. Bake goods such as cakes, buns, cupcakes, scones, bread etc., using basic/raw ingredients or mixes |
 10. Peel and chop vegetables (including potatoes, carrots, onions, broccoli) |
 11. Prepare and cook raw meat/poultry |
 12. Prepare and cook raw fish |
 13. Make sauces and gravy from scratch (no ready-made jars, pastes or granules) |
 14. Use herbs and spices to flavour dishes |
Food skills b |
Meal Planning and Preparing |
 1…plan meals ahead? (e.g. for the day/week ahead) |
 2…prepare meals in advance? e.g. packed lunch, partly preparing a meal in advance |
 3…follow recipes when cooking? |
Shopping |
 4…shop with a grocery list? |
 5…shop with specific meals in mind? |
 6…plan how much food to buy? |
Budgeting |
 7…compare prices before you buy food? |
 8…know what budget you have to spend on food? |
 9…buy food in season to save money? |
 10…buy cheaper cuts of meat to save money? |
Resourcefulness |
 11…cook more or double recipes which can be used for another meal? |
 12…prepare or cook a healthy meal with only few ingredients on hand? |
 13…prepare or cook a meal with limited time? |
 14…use leftovers to create another meal? |
 15… keep basic items in your cupboard for putting meals together? e.g. herbs/spices, dried/tinned goods? |
Label reading/consumer awareness |
 16…read the best-before date on food? |
 17…read the storage and use-by information on food packets? |
 18…read the nutrition information on food labels? |
 19…balance meals based on nutrition advice on what is healthy? |