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 Powell County Extension Office presented the Savor the Flavor series to the local community. The Savor the Flavor program focuses on various cooking methods and 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. 

The Family and Consumer Sciences Agent facilitated three of the Savor the Flavor workshops over the course of six months. These included spices, herbs, and oils/vinegars. Twenty-six people participated in the three workshops. During each workshop, participants learned about different types of herbs/spices/oils/vinegars and how to incorporate them into meals, common flavor pairings, and alternative cooking methods. The participants also had the opportunity to prepare and sample recipes using a variety of herbs/spices/oils/vinegars during each session. 

Participants expressed that the Savor the Flavor program series was informative and practical. Based on the post-evaluations, 100% of participants reported that they intended to incorporate more herbs in home-prepared meals. 100% reported they planned to try a new spice or seasoning mixture. 100% stated they planned to increase use of oils and flavored vinegars at home. 

The most significant things participants learned from the program that they planned to apply to their own lives were:

"using less salt and more spices/herbs for flavor"

"more adventurous recipes"

"learning different cooking methods"

"growing my own herbs to use in cooking"

"drying and storing herbs"