Section II - Preparing Processes

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SECTION II
PREPARING PROCESSES

The following four stages in the preparation for cooking of vegetables were investigated wherever they applied:-

(1) What is done to the skins of carrots and potatoes.
(2) Use made of the outer leaves of cauliflower and cabbage.
(3) The size into which the vegetables are cut up.
(4) How long the vegetables are steeped in water.

SCRAPING, PEELING, COOKING IN SKIN

The question asked was: “Do you peel, scrape or cook in skin?

This question was only asked for carrots and potatoes, Potatoes were divided into three kinds - large, small and new potatoes. The great majority of housewives peel old potatoes and scrape new ones. Very few scrape old potatoes. Comparatively few cook potatoes in their skins. 40% of the housewives peel their carrots.

Table 4

Do you peel, scrape or cook in skin?

		POTATOES
	CARROTS	Large	Small	New
	%	%	%	%
Peel	40	84	77	3
Scrape	57	4	13	89
Cook in skin	2	19	13	8
Don’t know or no answer	1	3	4	4
TOTAL USERS *	2,060	2,576	2,576	2,576
% of sample who seldom or never use.	20	-	-	-

GROUP DIFFERENCES

Regional . In the South more housewives scrape carrots and small potatoes, instead of peeling them. (Tables 32 & 33 Page 18).

Income Group . More housewives in the upper income group cook potatoes in their skins and scrape carrots. (Tables 30 & 31 Page 18).

THE USE OF OUTER LEAVES OF CABBAGE AND CAULIFLOWER

The question asked was: “What do you do with the outer leaves of cabbages and cauliflowers?”

The majority of housewives throw them away or put them in the pig bin. 83% do so with the outer cabbage leaves, and 68% with the outer cauliflower leaves. Another 10% either cook some of the outer leaves regularly or sometimes cook the outer leaves.

Table 5

What do you do with the outer leaves ?

	Cabbages	Cauliflower
	%	%
Cook all outer leaves.	10	19
Cook some outer leaves.	6	8
Salvage or give to animals	35	29
Throw away or burn.	48	39
Sometimes cook outer leaves	3	2
No answer	1	8
TOTAL USERS	2,485	2,249
% of sample who seldom or never use.	4	13

GROUP DIFFERENCES

Rural, urban; working and non-working . There is a smaller number of rural than of urban housewives who use the outer leaves of cabbages and cauliflowers. (Tables 34 and 35, Page 19).

Regional . Housewives in the North make more use of the outer leaves of cabbage and cauliflower than do housewives in the two other regions. (Tables 36 and 37, Page 19).

[1] The Percentages given in this and the following table refer to the number of housewives who cook the particular vegetable regularly, and not to the total number in the sample. Each of these tables gives in the last line the number of housewives who do not use the particular vegetable.

If the percentages in a table total more than 100, it indicates that the informant gave more than one answer to the question.

SIZE INTO WHICH VEGETABLES ARE CUT UP

The question asked was: “Into what size pieces do you cut the vegetables?”.

A small percentage of housewives (between 4% and 9%) leave cabbages, beans, swedes, turnips and large potatoes whole. The majority cut them in quarters, or less, with the exception of large potatoes, which 49% cut in half. Nearly half break up cauliflower in quarters or smaller pieces.

More than 90% slice their beans. (In this question, runner and French beans were dealt with as one).

Nearly half of the housewives cut the stalks of their sprouts in half or quarter, though very seldom are sprouts completely cut through.

Slightly over half slice leeks; the other half cook them whole.

Nearly 90% cook new potatoes whole, and two-thirds do so with small old potatoes.

Table 6

Size of pieces cut?

		Beans						Potatoes
	Cabbages	Runner	French	Cauliflower	Sprouts	Leeks	Swedes, Turnips	Large	Small	New
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Do not cut	4	3	4	45	62	47	5	9	76	89
Cut in half	5	-	-	8	12	-	5	49	17	3
Cut in quarters	32	-	-	26	25	-	37	37	1	-
Cut in small pieces	42	-	-	21	-	-	-	-	-	-
Shred	16	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Slice	-	94	91	-	-	52	-	-	-	-
Dice	-	-	-	-	-	-	51	-	-	-
Top and tail	-	3	3	-	-	-		-	-	-
Don’t know or No answer	1	-	2	-	1	4	5	5	1	7
TOTAL USERS	2,485	1,814	1,559	2,249	2,416	1,201	1,847	2,576	2,576	2,576
% of sample who never or seldom use	4	30	39	13	6	53	28	-	-	-

GROUP DIFFERENCES

Income Group . Housewives in the lower income group cut their vegetables in smaller pieces than those in the upper income group, (Table 40 page 21).

Urban, rural; working and non-working . A greater number of rural housewives leave their cabbage, sprouts and leeks whole than do urban women. For the other vegetables there is no significant difference. (Table 38, page 20).

Region . A smaller number of the housewives in the Midlands cut their vegetables in small pieces than do the housewives in other regions, with the exception of sprouts, which are least cut in the North. (Table 39 page 20).

STEEPING IN WATER

The question asked was: “For how long do you steep the individual vegetables in water?”

From the point of view of the destruction of vitamins and minerals, only steeping longer than two hours is of any significance, while steeping for longer than 6 hours may have serious effects. The hours of steeping were therefore grouped into three intervals - Up to 2 hours, 2-6 hours, and more than 6 hours.

A small number of housewives steep more than two hours. For no vegetable is this percentage higher than 6%. A very high percentage does net steep at all. It is mainly the leafy vegetables which are steeped up to two hours.

Table 7

For how long do you steep vegetables in water ?

		Beans					Potatoes
	Cabbages	Runner	French	Cauliflower	Sprouts	Leeks	Large	Small	New
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Up to 2 hours	56	21	17	58	53	34	21	11	20
2 - 6 hours	3	2	2	2	3	3	2	2	1
More than 6 hours	3	4	4	3	2	2	2	2	1
Not answered	1	1	1	1	2	1	1	1	1
Do not steep	37	72	76	36	40	60	74	74	77
TOTAL USERS	2,485	1,814	1,559	2,249	2,416	1,201	2,576	2,576	2,576
% of sample who seldom or never use.	4	30	39	13	6	53	-	-	-

(Carrots were left out, as steeping would have no effect on their nutrients)

GROUP DIFFERENCES

No group differences were found.

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