THE LENGTH OF FOOD FACTS RECIPES

Housewives were shown a fruit cake recipe presented in 3 different forms and asked, if they were making a plain fruit cake, which of the 3 forms of the following recipes they would prefer.

The results of this experiment are presented in the next table. It will be seen that the short recipe is the least popular. More housewives prefer the medium to the long one and though the difference is not very great, every further analysis shows the sometimes slight and sometimes larger preference of the medium to the long recipe. (Table 27a-30)

In order to avoid bias, caused by the position of the 3 forms on the sheet, the positions were arranged in six variations (the sample was divided into sixths, and each sixth shown a different layout.)

The frequency with which each form of the recipe was chose related to the position it had on the sheet is shown on the next table. The fist position increased the popularity for each form of receipe, but in all three positions the medium recipe is most often chosen.

A group analysis by the five classification show that with increasing income, education and age the popularity of the medium recipe as compared with the long one increase.

In evaluating these results it must be kept in mind that written recipes as given in cookery books are usually of medium length, or long. It is sociological fact that people have a tendency to like and to choose what they are used too. In spite of this that 23% of the housewives choose the short form is rather interesting.

RECIPES FOLLOWED EXACTLY

Housewives were asked if they followed a recipe exactly, even to the quantities, flavouring and seasoning. It was thought that the results from this question would be another indication of how Food Facts recipes should be presented.

More than a quarter of the housewives follow a recipe exactly.

POSSESSION OF STOVE OR KITCHEN UTENSILS

Knowledge of the type of stove housewives use and the kitchen utensils they possess has great bearing on what kind of recipes are most useful to them. Information on these two points was of general interest to the Ministry of Food.

Table 32, gives the frequency with which different types of stoves were used in summer and winter. Table 33 shows the result analysed by Economic group.

The proportion of housewives who cook on an coal stove is of considerable size, particularly in the low income groups. In the same group proportion who use an electric stove is smaller, smaller still than the proportion who used open fires.

The next table give a summary and economic analysis of the kitchen utensil housewives possessed and makeshifts they used.

It is advisable that these results be used only provisionally. The question was asked in the form of a long prompt list at the end of an interview and it is quite possible that more housewives than actually owned utensils, answered yes to the questions. Since there was no opportunity for the interviewer to check this information we suggest that the question be repeated in another survey before final conclusion are drawn.