Tag: Culinary

A Taste of Herbs & Spices

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There are so many herbs and spices out there that it’s hard to know where to start! In the past, I’ve had my students pick an herb or spice to research and present to the rest of the class. While that was okay, I wanted something a little more “spicy” (pardon my pun) and interactive. After wracking my brain for how I was going to do this, I put it aside for a while. Finally, after months of mulling this over in my head, the following activities and labs came to fruition and were worth the wait! I hope your students like it as much as mine did!

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Meat Unit: Resources & Labs

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Thinking about teaching a unit on meat such as beef, pork or lamb and need ideas? Look no further! Below are resources that may be helpful to you in the planning of lessons. If you have additional ideas or resources, please share in the comment section below.

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Reclaiming the Kitchen with Casseroles

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When I ask my students what they or their parents typically make for supper, I get a lot of similar responses. Most tell me they make and or eat whatever is easy, comes out of a box, comes out of the freezer, can be made in the microwave or picked up from a fast food restaurant on the way home. It’s so sad that convenience foods are so heavily relied on instead of preparing foods from scratch. This is one of the reasons I like teaching about casseroles! Not only are they easy to make, include a variety of foods and nutrients, but they can be made in advance, put in the freezer for future meals and convenience and because they get us in the kitchen cooking and using a lot of staple ingredients from the pantry. Way to go casseroles!

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Fish Unit

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Doing a unit on fish and seafood can be expensive so most programs leave it out. I had the privileged of working at a high school with a fish market adjacent to the school. We took a walking field trip to the fish market for a demonstration of how to select and cook fish. This was an awesome opportunity for students and helped mitigate the costs to the culinary department. With a little creative thinking, you maybe able to incorporate a seafood unit into your culinary program.

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Thanksgiving Lessons, Worksheets, PowerPoints

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Here are a few holiday ideas to either help your department raise money, fit in some extra holiday excitement, or comply with a half day schedule. Happy Thanksgiving!

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Spaghetti Squash: Best Kept Secret

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Looking for a guilt free, low calorie, alternative to pasta that will surprise your taste-buds?  Look no more!  Spaghetti squash is one of those best kept secrets that needs to be shared!  Not only is it easy to prepare, but versatile too.  So what are you waiting for?  Swap out that pasta for spaghetti squash and encourage your students and their families to try experiment and try something NEW.

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Crazy for Crepes

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Thinking about some new ideas for middle school labs got me to thinking about a lab I did early in my teaching career when I taught a foreign foods cooking class.   At the time we were studying French cuisine and the lab was making homemade CREPES.   Initially I was intimidated by crepes because they looked too difficult and fancy, but after working through some demonstrations with my students I found they really were a lot easier to prepare than they looked!  Crepes are basically really thin, delicate pancakes filled with a sweet or savory filling.  Since I know teenagers love desserts and chocolate is a favorite filling, I thought I would explore a recipe that would combine the two popular ingredients  along with fruit and work a creative crepe lab back into the curriculum.

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Fruit Lab

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One of my favorite things to do with students are taste tests. They absolutely love it if they are brave enough to give it a try. So many students never get the chance to try different fruits unless their parents expose them to them. Bring on this lesson that will be sure to be some students’ favorite.

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Blue Chips Appetizer Recipe

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Just in time for the Superbowl, this super easy appetizer is not only delicious, but a crowd pleaser too! The idea came from a local restaurant that serves something similar as an appetizer, however they make their own potato chips instead of using waffle fries. That’s definitely an option for the ambitious cook who wants to mess with a deep fryer on Superbowl Sunday.

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