Nationwide Survey on Home Cooking Methods and Use of Cooking Equipment and Utensils among Students in Japan

<p>A nationwide survey was conducted targeting students studying at universities and junior colleges regarding cooking equipment, utensils, and their home cooking situations. The survey was conducted from September 2022 to February 2023 and 7,153 valid responses were collected using a web browser (valid response rate: 49.1%).</p><p>Results indicated that the most commonly used cooking appliances and utensils were microwave ovens, rice cookers, frying pans, and peelers; while steamers, dried bonito flake shavers (katsuobushi kezuri), and woks were less frequently used. The Japanese home cooking dishes that more than 80% of students answered they ‘mainly make at home' include Japanese omelet (tamagoyaki), cooked rice, simmered vegetables, and miso soup. On the other hand, less than 20% of students answered that they make simmered beans and red bean rice (sekihan), with the majority of students making pre-cooked foods or eating out. The most common sources of information for cooking were internet recipe sites, internet cooking videos, and cookery training at school.</p><p>Our survey showed that nowadays, microwave ovens and frying pans are used for many purposes and ready-made seasonings such as dashi stock are often used. Consequently, traditional home-cooked dishes, such as green vegetables with ground sesame dressing, have undergone changes in cooking methods that tend to make home-cooked meals simpler and faster to prepare.</p>