Research shows that people who prepare and cook meals at home are more likely to eat the recommended fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains needed in a balanced diet. Building cooking skills and knowledge increases the likelihood that people choose to prepare homecooked meals. To encourage more home-prepared meals, the Carroll County Extension Office presented the Savor the Flavor Cooking with Oils and Vinegars class to 15 people. The Savor the Flavor program focused on various flavoring techniques. Extension developed this program as a way to teach people how to make home-prepared meals that are flavorful and exciting. These methods are basic and easy to incorporate into home cooking. Yet people commonly say they are unsure or intimidated by cooking and don’t always know how to expand their skills in the kitchen to create flavorful meals. The goal of this program is to increase knowledge about cooking methods and ways to add flavor to food. 

An evaluation was conducted immediately after the program. The evaluation was designed to measure knowledge as a result of the program. Of those surveyed, 100% indicated they had a good or excellent understanding of different types of cooking oils. Eighty-six percent had a better understanding of ways to incorporate cooking oils and/or vinegars into food preparation and cooking. And lastly, ninety-three percent stated they would incorporate more cooking oils and/or flavored vinegars into cooking to increase home-prepared meals.

Two months after the program one participant stated he strictly uses olive oil for cooking now. Every morning he fixes eggs with olive oil, whereas before he used vegetable oil. Another participant stated they are paying more attention to the olive oil labels on the bottles. Cooking oils and flavored vinegars are great for adding flavor to dishes. You may have several different types of oils and vinegars in your cupboard, but you may not be sure how or when to use them. The information provided during the class provided information on different types of each, how to use them, and explained the benefits as well.