Whats Your Cooking Personality?

I write about how different cooking personalities can influence the entire family’s eating habits. Cornell University researchers studied nearly 800 family cooks and determined five distinct types. So what’s your cooking personality? Take the Well quiz to find out.

1) When I prepare a meal, I typically:

a) Rely on classic dishes my family has always enjoyed.

b) Follow a recipe step-by-step.

c) Substitute more healthful ingredients.

d) Go all out and try to impress my guests.

e) Rarely use recipes and like to experiment.

2) Some of my favorite ingredients are:

a) Lots of bread, starches and red meat.

b) Beef and chicken.

c) Fish and vegetables.

d) A trendy ingredient I saw on the Food Network.

e) Vegetables, spices and unusual ingredients.

3) In my free time I like to:

a) Visit with friends and family.

b) Organize the house.

c) Exercise or take a fitness class.

d) Be spontaneous and seek adventure.

e) Take part in creative or artistic pursuits.

4) My favorite things to cook are:

a) Home-baked goodies.

b) Casseroles.

c) Foods with fresh ingredients and herbs.

d) Anything that lets me fire up the grill.

e) Ethnic foods and wok dishes.

5) Other people describe me as:

a) Really friendly.

b) Diligent and methodical.

c) Health conscious.

d) Intense.

e) Curious.

There may be overlap in the answers you give, but is there one letter that you picked most often? Here’s what your answers say about your cooking style:

a) Giving: Friendly, well-liked and enthusiastic, giving cooks seldom experiment, love baking and like to serve tried-and-true family favorites, although that sometimes means serving less healthful foods.



b) Methodical: Talented cooks who rely heavily on recipes. The methodical cook has refined tastes and manners. Their creations always look exactly like the picture in the cookbook.

c) Healthy: Optimistic, book-loving, nature enthusiasts, healthy cooks experiment with fish, fresh produce and herbs. Health comes first, even if it means sometimes sacrificing taste.

d) Competitive: The Iron Chef of the neighborhood, competitive cooks have dominant personalities and are intense perfectionists who love to impress their guests.

e) Innovative: Creative and trend-setting, innovative cooks seldom use recipes and like to experiment with ingredients, cuisine styles and cooking methods.

For more information on nutritional gatekeepers, healthy eating and the different types of cooking personalities.

Quiz source: “Mindless Eating” by Brian Wansink (Bantam Books)