I don’t know about you, but I love quick and easy meals for a variety of reasons! With that being said, I thought that a lesson and lab on Sheet Pan Meals was a
great topic to add to a culinary class. This activity has students exploring the concept of sheet pan meals, their pros and cons, formulas for putting them together and then creating one for their group to vote on and then prepare in the lab.
Set
- Introduce the concept of Sheet Pan Meals via the Scenario Hook.
- Have students use the internet to do some sleuthing using the prompts within the scenario to guide them.
Materials
- iPads or Laptops
- Projector & Screen
- Sheet Pans (affiliate link)
Activities
- Once students have completed the prompts, take time to go over their answers before they create their own sheet pan meal to be sure they have the correct information and formula.
- This is an optional activity, but you may want to show students Frankie Celenza’s Struggle Meal episode: “Get Dinner on the Table, Fast, Thanks to Sheet-Pan Chicken Thighs” along with the video guide sheet if you want to be sure your students are paying attention.
- Now that students have a better understanding of the formula used to create sheet pan meals from their initial sleuthing, it’s time for them to create their own original sheet pan recipe. You can have students illustrate their sheet pan recipe using the sheet pan template and colored pencils writing the recipe below it. NOTE: If you have specific ingredients you want them to stick to because of your budget as well as ingredients you have on hand that you might want to use up, then you may want to give students a list of options based on the formula.
- Once students have each created their own original sheet pan recipe, have them get into their cooking groups and share their ideas. Groups should evaluate each recipe idea to make sure it follows the formula. Groups must then vote on ONE recipe, that contains all of the formula components, to actually prepare in the kitchen.
- Students prepare their recipes and if possible, sample those prepared in the other kitchens to get an idea of possibilities. If you do have students sample from each group, you could have them rank and vote on their favorite. You could also ask students if they had to prepare their recipe again, what changes would they make and why.
Attachments
- Scenario & Sheet Pan Sleuthing (PDF)
- Struggle Meal Video Worksheet (PDF)
- Sheet Pan Recipe Template (PDF)
