Perceptions about home cooking: an integrative review of qualitative studies

Mazzonetto, Ana Cláudia; Dean, Moira; Fiates, Giovanna Medeiros Rataichesck

doi:10.1590/1413-812320202511.01352019

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REVIEW • Ciênc. saúde coletiva 25 (11) • Nov 2020 • https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-812320202511.01352019 copy

Perceptions about home cooking: an integrative review of qualitative studies

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Abstract

This study aimed to review qualitative studies on perceptions of home cooking. A systematic search was conducted in Scopus and SciELO databases using English and Portuguese terms related to home cooking, without date or language restrictions. Twenty-six articles, published between 2004 and 2017, investigated, whether as a primary objective or as a secondary finding, the perceptions of individuals on home cooking. More than half of the studies were conducted in English-speaking countries. Study participants included women and men, adults and seniors as well as residents of urban and rural areas, Eastern and Western countries, and developing and developed nations. Thematic analysis showed that home cooking has different interpretations and meanings in diverse contexts and revealed differences in how individuals plan and cook their meals at home. Cognitive, practical, affective, and emotional factors are the major motivators to home meal preparation. Having a cooking role model in the family, cooking confidence and skills, and living alone were reported as facilitators of home cooking. A better understanding of the heterogeneity of perceptions and meanings of home cooking can contribute to the development of effective and culturally appropriate interventions for stimulating healthy cooking habits.

Key words
Meal; Qualitative research; Review; Cooking

Category	Search strategy
Home cooking	MeSH descriptors: cooking, food handling, meal
	MeSH keywords: cook* behav; cook from scratch; cook* practices; cook* habits; cook* experience; cook* skills; domestic cook; home cook; home food prep; domestic food; homemade food; food skills; homemade meal; home meal prep; home prepared meal; home prod* meal; kitchen practices; foodwork; food agency; culinary
	DeCS (Portuguese): Culinária
	DeCS keywords (Portuguese): cozinhar; refeição; comida caseira
Qualitative research	MeSH descriptors: qualitative research; focus group; health knowledge, attitudes, practice
Qualitative research	MeSH keywords: qualitative; semi-structured interview; in depth interview; narrative interview; life course perspective; life course interview; open ended interview; ethnography; focus groups; perception; meaning; belief; motivat; benefit; barrier; enjoyment; involvement; pleasure; emotion; identit

Authors (year), Country	Sample	Objectives
Studies aimed at investigating participant's perceptions of cooking (n = 14)
Halkier (2009)¹⁸18 Halkier B. Suitable cooking?: Performances and positionings in cooking practices among danish women. Food Cult Soc 2009; 12(3):357-377., Denmark	Six women aged 25-50 years from diverse sociodemographic backgrounds	Discuss how women position themselves in relation to homemade meals
Engler-Stringer (2010)³¹31 Engler-Stringer R. The domestic foodscapes of young low-income women in montreal: Cooking practices in the context of an increasingly processed food supply. Health Educ Behav 2010; 37(2):211-226., Canada	22 low-income women aged 18-35 years	Elucidate social practices related to food preparation among women living in Montreal through analysis of their domestic foodscape
Meah and Watson (2011)¹⁷17 Meah A, Watson M. Saints and slackers: Challenging discourses about the decline of domestic cooking. Sociol Res Online 2011; 16(2):108-120., United Kingdom	Two generations of two families	Make visible memories of cooking and the meanings behind individual's practices as they interact with foods and objects
Simmons and Chapman (2012)²⁹29 Simmons D, Chapman GE. The significance of home cooking within families. Br Food J 2012; 114(8):1184-1195., Canada	22 socioeconomically diverse families	Explore parents' and teens' perspectives on the importance of being able to cook
Sharif et al. (2014)⁴⁴44 Sharif MSM, Zahari MSM, Nor NM, Muhammad R. How could the transfer of food knowledge be passed down? Procedia Soc Behav Sci 2013; 105:429-437., Malaysia	Individuals participating in meal preparation during festive celebrations	Identify and recognize the means of cooking knowledge transfer to younger generations in Malaysia
Gatley et al. (2014)³⁵35 Gatley A, Caraher M, Lang T. A qualitative, cross cultural examination of attitudes and behaviour in relation to cooking habits in france and britain. Appetite 2014; 75:71-81., France and United Kingdom	27 individuals aged 23-73 years	Explore cooking attitudes and behaviors in France and Great Britain
Jones et al. (2014)²⁶26 Jones SA, Walter J, Soliah L, Phifer JT. Perceived motivators to home food preparation: Focus group findings. J Acad Nutri Diet 2014; 114(10):1552-1556., United States	239 students from two universities, mostly women	Identify motivators and barriers to home meal preparation versus purchase of pre-prepared foods and eating out
Gram et al. (2015)⁴³43 Gram M, Hogg M, Blichfeldt BS, MacLaran P. Intergenerational relationships and food consumption: The stories of young adults leaving home. Young Consum 2015; 16(1):71-84., Denmark	75 students aged 18-25 years, mostly women	Examine how relational family identity is experienced by young university students in a period of transition from the family home
Neuman et al. (2015)³⁸38 Neuman N, Gottzén L, Fjellström C. Narratives of progress: Cooking and gender equality among swedish men. J Gender Stud 2015; 26(2):1-13., Sweden	31 Swedish men aged 22-88 years	Explore stories of Swedish men about cooking and foodwork as part of their everyday lives and how these relate to broader notions of food and gender equality
Gatley (2016)²²22 Gatley A. The significance of culinary cultures to diet. Br Food J 2016; 118(1):40-59., France and United Kingdom	13 French and 14 British individuals	Explore the routine, daily experiences, and attitudes of people toward cooking and eating and compare the significance of culinary cultures in France and Great Britain
Lavelle et al. (2016)²³23 Lavelle F, McGowan L, Spence M, Caraher M, Raats MM, Hollywood L, McDowell D, McCloat A, Mooney E, Dean M. Barriers and facilitators to cooking from 'scratch' using basic or raw ingredients: A qualitative interview study. Appetite 2016; 107:383-391., Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland	27 participants aged 18-58 years	Qualitatively investigate how individuals define "cooking from scratch" and the barriers and facilitators to cooking with basic ingredients
Wolfson et al. (2016)²⁴24 Wolfson JA, Bleich SN, Smith KC, Frattaroli S. What does cooking mean to you?: Perceptions of cooking and factors related to cooking behavior. Appetite 2016; 97:146-154., United States	53 participants (mostly women) from medium/high- and low-income communities	Examine adults' perceptions of cooking
Bostic and McClain (2017)²⁷27 Bostic SM, McClain AC. Older adults' cooking trajectories: Shifting skills and strategies. Br Food J 2017; 119(5):1102-1115., United States	17 adults aged 60 and older	Explore the cooking experiences of older adults living in the USA
Mills et al. (2017)²⁸28 Mills S, White M, Wrieden W, Brown H, Stead M, Adams J. Home food preparation practices, experiences and perceptions: A qualitative interview study with photo-elicitation. PLoS One 2017; 12(8):e0182842., United Kingdom	18 adults, mostly women	Study home cooking perceptions, experiences, and practices among adults in England
Studies reporting findings on cooking perception (n = 12)
Moisio et al. (2004)³²32 Moisio R, Arnould EJ, Price LL. Between mothers and markets: Constructing family identity through homemade food. J Consum Cult 2004; 4(3):361-384., United States	65 individuals aged 36-60 years	Examine the role of homemade food in the construction of family identity
Johnson et al. (2010)³⁹39 Johnson CM, Sharkey JR, McIntosh AW, Dean WR. "I'm the momma": Using photo-elicitation to understand matrilineal influence on family food choice. BMC Womens Health 2010; 10:21., United States	Seven women (26-42 years of age) with at least one child under the age of 18 living in the same household	Understand the matrilineal influence on family food choices
Diez-Garcia and Castro (2011)³⁰30 Diez-Garcia RW, Castro IRR. A culinária como objeto de estudo e de intervenção no campo da alimentação e nutrição. Cien Saúde Colet 2011; 16(1):91-98., Brazil	30 medium- and low-income families with at least one case of hypertension	Understand the impacts of dietary restriction on family food habits and self-care
Meah and Jackson (2013)⁴⁰40 Meah A, Jackson P. Crowded kitchens: The 'democratisation' of domesticity? Gender Place Cult 2013; 20(5):578-596., United Kingdom	Eight families (men and women, 17-92 years of age)	Explore the extent to which changes in cooking practices have led to a democratization of domesticity and signal greater gender equality
Szabo (2014)³⁴34 Szabo M. Men nurturing through food: Challenging gender dichotomies around domestic cooking. J Gender Stud 2014; 23(1):18-31., Canada	30 men (26-58 years of age) who do about half or more of the cooking in the household	Investigate gender dichotomies through the experiences of men with cooking responsibilities
Szabo (2014)³⁶36 Szabo M. "I'm a real catch": The blurring of alternative and hegemonic masculinities in men's talk about home cooking. Women's Stud Int Forum 2014; 44(1):228-235., Canada		Understand through qualitative investigations with men who have significant household cooking responsibilities how masculinities might be affected by changing gender roles around food
Liu (2016)³⁷37 Liu C. Food practices, gendered intimacy and family life in contemporary guangzhou. Gender Place Cult 2017; 24(1):97-107., China	Three couples	Examine spousal relationships through the analysis of daily foodwork
Machin et al. (2017)⁴⁵45 Machin L, Aschemann-Witzel J, Patino A, Moratorio X, Bandeira E, Curutchet MR, Martínez J, Bove I, Molina V, Giménez A, Ares G. Barriers and facilitators to implementing the uruguayan dietary guidelines in everyday life: A citizen perspective. Health Educ Behav 2018: 45(5):511-523., Uruguay	91 participants, mostly women	Identify barriers and facilitators to implementing the Uruguayan dietary guidelines
Lane et al. (2014)⁴⁷47 Lane K, Poland F, Fleming S, Lambert N, MacDonald H, Potter J, Raats M, Skidmore P, Vince C, Wellings A, Hooper L. Older women's reduced contact with food in the changes around food experience (cafe) study: Choices, adaptations and dynamism. Ageing Soc 2014; 34(4):645-669., United Kingdom	40 women aged 65 years and older who reduced their contact with food-related tasks in later life	Understand the impact of reduced contact with foodwork on the meanings of food, social engagement, and well-being among older women
Parsons (2016)³³33 Parsons JM. When convenience is inconvenient: 'Healthy' family foodways and the persistent intersectionalities of gender and class. J Gender Stud 2016; 25(4):382-397., United Kingdom	75 respondents (27-85 years of age), mostly middle-income women	Demonstrate how everyday foodways are still influenced by the intersectionalities of gender and class
Bailey (2017)⁴²42 Bailey A. The migrant suitcase: Food, belonging and commensality among indian migrants in the netherlands. Appetite 2017; 110:51-60., Holland	30 Indian immigrants living in Holland (25-50 years), mostly men	Examine eating practices and the relationships between food, belonging, commensality, and care
Hertz and Halkier (2017)⁴⁶46 Hertz FD, Halkier B. Meal box schemes a convenient way to avoid convenience food? Uses and understandings of meal box schemes among danish consumers. Appetite 2017; 114:232-239., Denmark	13 families with at least one child, most respondents were female	Understand how Danish families use meal box schemes in their everyday lives

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[1] Collaborations

AC Mazzonetto contributed to the conception and design of the study, collected and analyzed the data, and wrote the manuscript. M Dean contributed to the study conception and design. GMR Fiates contributed to the study design, selection of articles, data collection and analysis, and critical review of the manuscript.