A new study by Tufts University researchers found that 50% of full-service restaurant meals and 70% of fast-food meals consumed in the Unites States were found to be of poor nutritional quality. The authors of this study recommended eating at home more often as one of their suggestions for healthier meal options.

With these statistics in mind (from this and many other studies), the Kenton County Family and Consumer Sciences Agent developed and implemented a 6-part “One Pan Meals” series. The classes were taught monthly, with three sessions in the fall of 2020, and three in the spring of 2021.
 Program goals included:
           Increased meal preparation at home
           Preparation of healthier home meals
           Increased, correct usage of home equipment that is often underused.
 The target audience was adult men and women-especially those spearheading family meals. 173 unique adults attended at least one of the sessions. The sessions were taught in person and virtually, as permitted due to COVID restrictions. Class format included information on food preparation and recipe demonstrations with cooking tips. Fact sheets for each session were written by the FCS agent.

Mail out evaluations sent 2 months after the final class yielded the following from attendees:

72% improved knowledge on food handling and preparation
 69% had more confidence in preparing one pan meals
 62% reported preparing more meals at home
 60% said they had increased their consumption of vegetables
 55% adapted or changed techniques when caring for or using kitchen equipment or appliances. This included correct care of pans, more confidence in using equipment, and new or increased use of equipment already owned by participants.
 42% reported now eating 4-6 servings of fruits and vegetables daily

Final comments included the following: “I use more variety of foods when preparing One Pan Meals”, and “This program helped me find ways to make health meals in batches, making cooking more efficient, less time consuming, and I eat more home cooked meals each week because they are now convenient. I’m not cooking every day.”

As a result of the One Pan Meal series, a new series has been developed for the fall of 2021 featuring content on the three most often requested kitchen appliances from returned evaluations