Measurement of the Quantity of Ingredients and Seasonings during Home Cooking

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the variation when the same subject cooked the same dish multiple times. The ingredients and seasonings automatic measurement system consists of an electronic balance, food tables equipped with a builtin optical sensor, a sensor to measure the strength of the flame, an IH cooker, a data acquisition system, and a personal computer. Information such as food ingredients, the timing of when the ingredients are cooked, the quantities of the ingredients, and the strength of flame are recorded after cooking. Based on the information, nutritional values are calculated in real-time and saved as a comma-separated values (CSV) file. As a result of the measurement using the system, the amount of ingredients and seasonings used and the nutritional values varied in the three subjects. The necessity of measurement was shown quantitatively even if an experienced subject with long cooking experience. In particular, subjects who cooked less frequently showed larger variation when using liquid seasonings.