A Survey of the Type and Maintenance Culture of Cooking Pot Among Imo-State Dwellers in Nigeria

Onyeka, E. U.^* & Ibeawuchi, O. O.

Department of Food Science and Technology, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria

Onyeka, E. U., Department of Food Science and Technology, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria.

Keywords: Cooking Pots; Survey; Food; Metals; Leaching; Cooking

Abstract

A survey was used to gather information about the choice of cooking pot, and methods of cooking pot maintenance among Imo State dwellers in Nigeria. The first part of the survey bothered on the personal statistics of the respondents while the second part involved the use of a 4-point Likert scale to determine the reasons for choice of cooking pot of respondents and cooking pot maintenance culture among respondents. The survey revealed that 60% of Imo State dwellers use aluminum cooking pot to cook their food. Twenty and twelve percent of the respondents use cooking pot made of stainless and enamel ware respectively. Glass and titanium cooking pots were uncommon. The choice of cooking pot depended on popularity, economy, durability of the ware and fate. We included the term “fate” because over 90% of those who use aluminum pot to cook use it on the grounds that they inherited or received it as token and not necessarily by original choice of theirs. Unfortunately, the extent to which the choice of cooking pot by respondents is influenced by health factors is 1.98, which is below the expected average value of 2.50 on a 4-point Likert scale. This shows that among the respondents, the number and proportion of those that have their reason for choice of cooking pot based on healthy considerations is below average. And this further shows that under normal circumstances people do not consider health factors when purchasing cooking pots, the educational level of the respondents notwithstanding. The major maintenance culture is that of abrasive washing. Since Imo dwellers are not essentially Imo indigenes, it is plausible to extrapolate that the use of aluminum cooking pot is common among Nigerians, using dwellers in Imo state as a case study.

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