Abstract: Open-ended questions can be used in food sensory analysis. Generally, evaluators are required to describe the sensory features of a set of products in their own words, in order to understand how consumers’ perception of the main features of products. It can also be combined with preference surveys to explore the factors that drive product preferences and purchase decisions of consumers. This article introduces the definition of open-ended questions, implementation, data pre-processing, data analysis, application in food research, advantages and limitations of this method and its comparison with other rapid descriptive analysis methods, and looking ahead to the development prospect of this method with a view to providing reference for companies or scientific researchers in related fields who need product sensory analysis.