Find a wealth of information and resources to assist food preparation education efforts, including recipes for ethnic/cultural groups, cooking methods and advice, food safety, heart healthy cooking, online tools and more...
Food Preparation
Food Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
USDA. NAL. Food and Nutrition Information Center.
Provides access to a range of food glossaries, encyclopedias and dictionaries including those related to food ingredients, food processing, cooking and baking.
Cooking Safely in the Microwave Oven
DHHS. Food and Drug Administration.
Information on safely cooking, reheating and thawing in the microwave.
Cook It Quick!
University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension.
Find tips on mix and match meals, making a casserole from what's on hand, creative use of leftovers, and more.
Basics at a Glance! (PDF | 122 KB)
National Food Service Management Institute.
Gives a list of recipe abbreviations and easy-to-follow guide to weights and measurements.
Master Mix: Pancakes, Biscuits, Muffins (PDF | 25 KB)
Washington State University Cooperative Extension.
Recipes for Basic Master Mix, low-fat Master Mix and Master Mix with oil (instead of shortening). Includes baking tips and recipes for biscuits, pancakes, pizza, brownies and snackin' cake.
Microwave Cooking (PDF | 198 KB)
University of Hawai'i at Manoa Cooperative Extension.
Primer on microwave cooking includes tips on cooking vegetables, choosing appropriate containers, arranging food, steaming, reheating, defrosting and safety information. May be used as a handout.
Proper Thermometer Placement
USDA. Food Safety and Inspection Service.
As part of the Thermy campaign, this Web page provides both drawings and text to explain how to use a food themometer correctly.
Recipe Checklist: A Tool to Aid Development of Recipes for Audiences with Limited Resources
Journal of Extension, Vol. 40 Number 6.
Article provides guidelines and a checklist to use when developing recipes for low income audiences. Literature analysis also included. December 2002
Recipe Guidelines
Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service.
Provides a checklist to follow when developing or using recipes with low-income audiences.
Use a Food Thermometer
USDA. Food Safety and Inspection Service.
Brochure from the Thermy™ national consumer education campaign discusses why to use a thermometer and provides a table of safe internal temperatures for cooked food. Also available in Spanish (PDF 591KB).
Substitutions and Equivalents in Food Ingredients (PDF | 99 KB)
Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service.
Detailed list of food substitutions.
Winning Ways in the Kitchen (PDF | 556 KB)
University of Hawaii at Manoa Cooperative Extension.
Information on cooking terms and measures, how to measure ingredients, basic kitchen tools, and cooking times and temperatures. May be used as a handout.
Who Has Time To Cook? How Family Resources Influence Food Preparation
USDA. Economic Research Service.
This study finds that household time resources significantly affect how much time is allocated to preparing food. The results are relevant for the design of food assistance programs as well as for improving our understanding of how different family time resources affect consumption behavior. May 2007
