A Questionnaire Survey on Cooking Methods of Baby Food: Cooking Method of Rice Porridge, which was Diluted to 10 Times with Water, 20 Years Ago and Now

Abstract

Using a questionnaire, we conducted a survey to collect data on the methods used for cooking rice porridge, which is usually the first solid food given to infants in Japan. The subjects belonged to two main groups: the parents of children born between March and May 2018, and the parents of university students aged 19.7±1.1 years. The results of the survey showed that at present rice porridge is mainly being cooked using a microwave oven, rice cooker, or hand blender, instead of using a traditional pot. However, 18.9% of present-day parents checked "preparing the rice porridge in a pot using cooked rice" as the primary method used by them, suggesting that the traditional method is still in use. Freezing for storage has become more common and the corresponding storage period has become longer compared to 20 years ago. These findings could be attributed to the rise of freezing at home. This also suggests a need for dissemination of information on appropriate home freezing methods. Furthermore, in terms of storage containers, the proportion of parents who use dedicated containers for storing baby food increased compared to 20 years ago.