How do you feel about making at home recipes? While some people find it challenging and difficult, others find it relaxing and soothing. Specifically, baking and cooking reduces stress and anxiety while also improving your mood and relieving tension. At Edison Intermediate School (EIS) there are many different opinions on baking and cooking.
Some students find joy in baking at home because it can bring them back to their childhood. According to research, cookies are actually the most baked goods after meals and nearly 93% of all American households eat them after meals. More than half of those cookies are homemade. Eighth grade student Nicole DiMattina has a passion for baking cookies:“I love to bake cookies. It’s very relaxing; all my distractions go away, and I only focus on what I’m making. The smell is cozy and comforting, and it brings me back to my memories with my dad when I was younger.”
Additionally, baking and cooking at home brings families closer together. Many families enjoy baking together and it is an activity many young people look forward to. About 34% of families like to include their younger family members in cooking and baking. Eighth grader Lila Aronowitz shared, “My favorite thing to bake is challah (a jewish bread). It allows me to embrace my religion and make challah with my grandma for the Jewish New Year because it’s our yearly tradition.”
Cooking is also enjoyable for some people including Vocal Music teacher at Edison Intermediate School, Mrs. Maureen Francis expressed,“My favorite thing to cook is definitely spaghetti and meatballs. Cooking therapeutic, creative, artistic, and relaxing. You can add ingredients or take them away to make your dish specific to you. You can try things and experiment all you want. I love eating my food after it’s all cooked. It makes me feel very accomplished.”
Furthermore, at home recipes allow people to expand their imaginations. When recipes are time consuming, they can allow people’s imaginations to wander. Sixth grader at EIS Aneilya Forbes explained, “Cooking is relaxing because it’s like making a potion, and I feel like a witch. You have to mix all of the ingredients and stir them together like witches do in movies. You can be whatever your imagination makes you when concocting food.”
On the other hand, some people have a hatred for baking. Eighth grader Drew Walsh commented,“I think baking is boring and time consuming, also the directions are confusing. There are just too many ingredients and specific parts to it. If you mess up you’re done, and it will not come out right.”
As seen in the chart, most of the students at EIS enjoy baking and cooking. Another learner who doesn’t like baking is eighth-grade student, Grace Brodo. Grace vocalized her opinion on baking: “I don’t like baking because it stresses me out; following every single direction is hard. I just want to eat what I make but it never turns out how I hoped.”
In short, there are numerous viewpoints on at home recipes throughout EIS. Some learners enjoy cooking and baking because it is relaxing, expands imagination, brings them closer to their families, and allows them to revisit their childhood. Other learners believe it is too hard and confusing for them to enjoy baking and cooking at home.
