Section IV - Three General Questions

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SECTION IV
THREE GENERAL QUESTIONS

The extent to which the vitamins and minerals contained in a vegetable are absorbed by the individual is, among other factors, dependent on the following:-

(1) Whether vegetables are kept warm or reheated.
(2) What use is made of the vegetable water.
(3) Whether soda or bicarbonate is used in cooking green vegetables.

THE REHEATING OF VEGETABLES

Questions asked: Do you cook vegetables for more than one meal at once? Are you able to serve the vegetables you have cooked for one meal immediately you have cooked them?

If you cannot serve immediately, for which member of the family does that apply?

If the vegetables cannot be served immediately, do you keep them warm or let them get cold and warm them up again?

Vegetables cooked for more than one meal at a time

Affirmative answers to this question refer to all those occasions where a considerable quantity of vegetables was left over from one meal and was reheated for another, independent of whether or not the housewife intended from the start to cook for two meals. We only include answers from housewives who stated that this practice of reheating occurs at least once a week or in ten days.

A distinction was made between potatoes and other vegetables, as a slightly greater number cooks them for more than one meal, as compared with the others. About a quarter of the housewives cook potatoes for more than one meal fairly frequently.

Table 15

Do you cook vegetables for more than one meal at a time ?

	Potatoes	Other Vegetables
	%	%
Yes	29	21
No	66	75
No answer	5	4
SAMPLE	2576	2576

Number of housewives who cannot serve vegetables immediately

Nearly a quarter of the housewives have to warm up the vegetables for one or some members of the family.

Table 16

Can you serve your vegetables immediately after cooking ?

	%
Yes	74
Sometimes	1
No	23
No answer	2
	2576

It is mainly the male members of the family who have to eat warmed-up vegetables.

Table 17

For which members of the family can the vegetables not be served immediately after cooking ?

	%
Men working	16
Women working	5
School children	1
Persons unspecified	1
No answer	6
SAMPLE	2576

GROUP DIFFERENCES

Income Group . A higher percentage in the lower income group have to reheat vegetables. (Table 53, page 27).

Urban, rural: working and non-working . A larger proportion of working housewives cook vegetables for more than one meal. (Table 54, page 27).

Regional . In the South fewer housewives cook vegetables for more than one meal. (Table 55, page 27).

USE OF VEGETABLE WATER

The question asked was: “What do you do with the vegetable water?”

About half of the housewives who cook the various vegetables use some of the water for stocks, soups, etc. more or less regularly.

About 9% drink some of the cabbage water, and a few drink the water in which cauliflower or sprouts were cooked.

Table 18

What do you do with vegetable water ?

	Cabbage	Beans	Cauliflower	Sprouts	Leeks	Carrots	Swedes, Turnips	Potatoes
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Use it for soups, stews, stock, etc.	53	30	40	44	26	49	33	75
Drink it	9	-	2	2	-	-	-	-
Seldom or never use	4	32	13	6	53	20	28	-
Not answered	34	38	45	52	21	31	59	25
SAMPLE	2576	2576	2576	2576	2576	2576	2576	2576

GROUP DIFFERENCES

Income Group . A greater number of the upper income group use vegetable water for stocks, soups and sauces (it is possible that this group cooks more of these foods), but more of the lower group drink vegetable water at times. (Table 56, page 28).

Urban, rural: working and non-working . Fewer working women use vegetable water for stocks and sauces than do the other groups. (Most probably they prepare less of these foods) (Table 57, page 28).

Regions . Fewer women use vegetable water for stocks, sauces, etc. in the Midlands than elsewhere. (Table 58, page 28).

SODA AND BICARBONATE USED

The question asked was: “Do you use soda or bicarbonate regularly or sometimes, when cooking green vegetables?”

61% of the housewives in the sample use either soda or bicarbonate. More women use bicarbonate than soda.

Table 19

Do you use soda or bicarbonate when cooking green vegetables?

	Soda		Bicarbonate
	%		%
Sometimes	7		13
Regularly	16		25
Never use either		39%
SAMPLE	2576		2576

GROUP DIFFERENCES

Income Group . A smaller number in the upper income group use soda and bicarbonate. (Table 59, page 29).

Urban, rural: working and non-working . The smallest number using soda is among rural housewives, and the greatest among working housewives. (Table 60, page 29).

Regional . The greatest proportion using soda and bicarbonate is in the South. (Table 61, page 29).

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