Collective Kitchens Teach Healthy Cooking Skills

Learn How to Cook Healthy Family Meals on a Budget

Feb 28, 2009

Collective kitchens teach basic cooking skills to parents, children and seniors and promote a healthier way of life.

What Collective Kitchens Do

Collective kitchens teach members of the community how to cook, plan healthy meals and budget. Meals are made in large batches, double or triple the size for example, so participants can take some home for their families or to store in the freezer.

A cooking guide, or lay leader, organizes and runs each session and insures everyone receives enough food to take home to their families. Meals commonly prepared at collective kitchens include meat loaf, shepherd's pie, casseroles, soups and stews.

Participants Learn Cooking SkillsPrevious cooking experience is not required to participate in a collective kitchen. Participants learn together.

Sessions are open to anyone who would like to learn more about cooking with others from their community. Moms, dads, grandparents, seniors, single people, and teenagers are all welcome to join in.

Benefits of Collective Kitchens

Those who participate in collective kitchens learn valuable skills that will help them make better food choices for themselves and their families. By pooling their money and buying in bulk, participants can make a variety of healthy meals for a fraction of the cost.

Collective kitchens help families save money. According to the Dieticians of Canada, collective kitchens are a good way for those with lower incomes, or those who want to trim costs from their budget, to save money by buying food in bulk and preparing it together.

The cost to participate is usually small, only a few dollars toward the cost of ingredients.

Participants also learn other basic skills, such as budgeting and safe food handling practices through collective kitchens.

And, arguably the most important factor of all is that collective kitchens are fun. Members can improve their cooking skills while meeting new people at the same time.

Healthy Families Lead to Healthy CommunitiesA 2004 study conducted at the University of Saskatchewan, in Canada, found collective kitchens not only helped individual families, but the larger community as well. The study followed 21groups anywhere from six weeks to six months and then gathered participants' thoughts.

Low-income residents who participated in collective kitchens relied less on community food banks and other charities, and were also able to increase the amount and type of healthy food in their diets. Many of the members who participated in the 2004 study went on to volunteer with other programs and community groups.

Join a Collective Kitchen

Collective kitchens operate in locations such as schools, churches and community centres. All that is usually required is a kitchen and a stove. Collective kitchens have become a popular way to promote healthy food choices in thousands of communities throughout Canada and the United States.

For information about a collective kitchen in your area, contact a community centre or parent group. Or go online to search for cooking groups close to home.

The copyright of the article Collective Kitchens Teach Healthy Cooking Skills in Healthy Cooking is owned by Charlene Tebbutt. Permission to republish Collective Kitchens Teach Healthy Cooking Skills in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.