Category: Culinary

Sheet Pan Meals

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.

Star Superfoods

When teaching about MyPlate and the importance of eating a variety of foods, I always included superfoods as “stand out” foods in each food group because they were extremely nutritious, offering a variety of health benefits. The Star Superfoods is a way to introduce these foods to your students and includes a variety of interactive activities that will keep your students engaged!

Mastering Food Textures: Why Some Foods Crunch, Chew, or Melt in Your Mouth

I’m excited to introduce and share this article and lesson plan collaboration by Dr. Courtney Simons and I titled, “Mastering Food Textures: Why Some Foods Crunch, Chew, or Melt in Your Mouth”. Dr Simons is a food science educator and is an Associate Professor at Wright State University-Lake Campus and the founder of Food Science Toolbox. His goal, like mine, is to help teachers feel confident and prepared by giving them resources to deliver engaging, effective lessons while saving time and reducing stress. Continue reading to learn more about this topic!

Create Your Own Aioli & Wrap

I love a good aioli sauce especially in a wrap or on a burger!  Because of this, I was inspired to do a Create Your Own Aioli & Wrap mini-lesson and lab. Before students enter the lab to create their own sauce and wrap, they must learn more about aioli. Continue reading to see how this is done!

Pop Culture Baking Mix Project

The Pop Culture Baking Mix Project was inspired by the Bridgerton Baking Mixes offered from Betty Crocker!  I thought it was such a cool idea and thought of a ton of television and movies that teens might be inspired to create baking mixes for that I created this project for use in many classes from foods to marketing. So, have a look and hope you’re inspired as well!

Exploring Salads

There’s a lot of components when teaching about salads! Use this Exploring Salads hyper-slide to help your students navigate through a variety of resources to learn more about salads and work their way into the kitchens in order to prepare all types of salads!

Cowboy Cookies

When teaching students measuring skills and then introducing them to the kitchens and labs, I often demonstrate a recipe. Demonstrations can be helpful because students see the measuring that needs to be done using the same equipment and tools that will be available to them. It also shows them the mixing procedures and what it should look like at various stages until it reaches the final product. This Cowboy Cookies recipe is one I’ve used over the years that students have enjoyed and is nut free. This recipe can easily be made by students and because I always had extra cookies, we shared them in the office for all faculty and staff to enjoy!  

Mashed Potato Bowl Challenge

A particularly famous fast food eatery offers a mashed potato bowl option on their menu. This meal in a bowl has gained popularity over the years, but why limit yourself to their version when you can make your own? In this Mashed Potato Bowl Challenge, students will create and market their own version of a mashed potato bowl to a panel of judges based on specific criteria. Let the challenge begin!

Fancy Dessert Collages

It’s been my experience that most students love desserts! Fancy Dessert Collages is a project where students can learn about many different types of fancy desserts as they create and share information around an assigned or chosen dessert! As the teacher, you can decide, whether you want to run a “Fancy Dessert Challenge” for students to try their hand at preparing different desserts or just offer up a lab or two around a select few desserts. Either way, your students will get to experience fancy desserts in a variety of ways.

Sandwiches Lesson & Lab: UPDATED

I can’t believe that thirteen years has gone by since I shared my first sandwich lesson!  I guess the saying is true that “time flies when you’re having fun”!  Well since August is National Sandwich month, I thought it was high time that this lesson got a makeover!  As you read through Sandwiches Lesson & Lab: Updated, you will see that some core information about sandwiches never changes, but how it’s presented and the activities and labs used has!