Recently, I read an article about making grilled cheese sandwiches using a variety of different fats. In the article, the experiment was conducted to see which fat made the best grilled cheese sandwich, overall. I thought it would be a great experiment to adapt to a foods lab so I created the FATS & The Grilled Cheese Experiment to see if students had similar results!

Set

• Ask students to do a brain dump listing all of the cooking fats they can think of in the 30 second time period. Have them share and create a master list on the board.
• To learn more about the fats we’ll be working with in an experiment, have students participate in a breakout movement activity titled, Fat Clues Breakout: What Fat Am I?  In this self-correcting activity, teachers cut apart the clue descriptions and place them randomly around the room. Students are given the answer sheet portion and as they circulate the room reading the clues, they then write down their answers. Once they have all of the answers, they go to the google form to enter their responses. If they are correct, they will breakout and see the congratulations image. If they are incorrect, they must try again and revisit the clues again if necessary. As always, if you need the breakout code key, email me at kim@familyconsumersciences.com and I’ll be happy to provide it to you.
• Once all students have broken out, and are familiar with the various fats, share that they are going to experiment with how each of the fats cook in a grilled cheese lab. In this experiment, you will test how different fats affect grilled cheese sandwiches explaining that fat plays a major role in browning, crispiness, flavor, and overall texture in cooking.

Materials

• iPads or Laptops
• Lab Supplies
• Electric Griddles or Electric Skillets (affiliate links)
• Ceramic Frying Pans (affiliate link)
• Paper Plates
• Inspiration Article

Directions

• Before the lab, give each student an index card or post-it-note and ask them to predict…
  • Which fat will be the most golden brown?
  • Which fat will make the crispiest sandwich?
  • Which fat will make the most flavorful sandwich?
  • Which fat will make the MOST appealing grilled cheese sandwich?
  • Which fat will make the LEAST appealing grilled cheese sandwich?
• Make sure students put their names on their predictions and collect for later use.
• Each group will receive 6 slices of bread, 6 slices of cheese and 6 different fats.
• Step #1: Lay 3 slices of bread out, top each slice with 2 pieces of cheese and then top with the remaining slices of bread. Cut each sandwich in half so you have 6 half sandwiches. Spread each half sandwich (outside bread slices) with one of the fats and lay them on a labeled paper plate so you know which fat is which
• Step #2: Cook/Grill your sandwich on a griddle, in an electric skillet or on the stove in a frying pan.
• Heat the pan over medium-low heat. Cook sandwiches slowly until golden brown. Flip carefully and cook the other side. As you cook/grill each sandwich, make notes on the observation form about what you see during/after cooking/grilling.
• Step #3: Before tasting each sandwich, cut it into even pieces that correspond with the number of people in your lab group. As you sample each sandwich with specific fat, complete the chart with your observations.
• Based on your results, rank your personal preferences from MOST appealing sandwich to LEAST appealing sandwich.
• Step #4: Reflection Prompts
• What did you learn about how fats affect browning?
• What did you learn about how fats affect texture and flavor?
• If you were making grilled cheese at home, which fat would you choose and why?
• After the lab, take a class poll as to which grilled cheese was the Most Appealing and why. Have students go back to the initial predictions and see how they did. You may also wish to see how class results compared the the inspiration article results as well.

Attachments

• Fat Clues Breakout: What Fat Am I? (PDF)
• Breakout Google Form
• Grilled Cheese Experiment Directions (PDF)
• Fat & The Grilled Cheese Experiment Observations (PDF)