Measuring how people cook: A critical review of the MECS cooking diaries methodology

This paper critically reflects on the development and application of the Cooking Diaries Methodology (CDiM), developed within the Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) programme, as a mixed-methods approach for generating meal-resolved evidence on cooking energy use. It responds to a persistent methodological gap in cooking-energy research: laboratory stove tests generate precise technical metrics but reveal little about how cooking is organised in everyday life, while surveys and qualitative studies provide social and behavioural insight without linking these systematically to measured energy demand. CDiM was developed to bridge this divide by combining structured diary-based accounts of what people cook, how and when they cook, and which appliances and fuels they use, together with direct measurements of fuel and electricity consumption. The paper draws on a structured scoping review and document analysis of CDiM-related protocols, guidance notes, project reports and academic publications, complemented by semi-structured interviews with key informants involved in the design, implementation and adaptation of the methodology. It traces CDiM's evolution from early pilots through to wider multi-country applications across African and Asian contexts. The analysis shows that CDiM generated a distinctive socio-technical evidence base by linking dish-level cooking practices with metered electricity data, thereby producing realistic cooking load profiles, appliance- and fuel-specific energy and cost comparisons, and grounded evidence on stacking and transition dynamics under real-world conditions. At the same time, the review identifies key methodological challenges, particularly around participant burden, data collection intensity, measurement reliability and data management. The paper concludes that CDiM's value lies in making visible the links between everyday cooking practices and energy systems, while also arguing that its future development will depend on stronger integration of qualitative analysis, greater investment in digital data systems, and continued adaptation to new contexts, including institutional and commercial cooking.