Category: Food Science

Marshmallows: Mini-Lesson & Lab

I don’t know if this happens to you, but it happens to me quite frequently. Let me explain…I can go for a long time never seeing anything about a specific topic and then all of a sudden it’s everywhere!  This happened with homemade marshmallows. All of a sudden, I’m seeing videos, blog posts, social media feeds, etc. about homemade marshmallows everywhere. Maybe it was my sign to create this Marshmallows: Mini-Lesson & Lab for you to use with your students!

Food Safety & Sanitation

After talking with Angela Koster-Sorenson about her interactive food safety activities at a recent conference in Minnesota, I was excited to feature her! In this Food Safety & Sanitation unit, students learn the need for proper safety and sanitation practices in food preparation, food service and food storage to prevent food contamination, bacterial growth and illness in a variety of ways. Read on to learn more.

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!

Bacon Lesson & Labs

My students would always tell me that bacon makes everything better and I agree!  There’s just something about bacon that amps up the flavor of
whatever it is paired with! I created this Bacon Lesson & Labs to help students learn more about bacon; where it comes from, cooking techniques, seasonings and even some fun, tasty labs!

Air Fryer & Pressure Cooker Lesson Plan

Hailing from Ohio, Becky Bucher not only wrote and received a grant making it possible for her to get combination air fryers and pressure cookers for her class, but
she also created and shared this awesome lesson around them!  The Air Fryer & Pressure Cooker Lesson Plan is full of activities that will help her students get acquainted with it in her new Foods classes in the upcoming school year. So, if you have this small appliance or plan to get one, continue reading to see what she’s doing.

From Tower to Table: What’s GROWING ON in FCS?

Farm-to-table is a phrase that is often discussed in the Family and Consumer Sciences classroom especially in Foods & Nutrition or culinary coursework. The termcan mean different things but at its core, farm-to-table means that the food prepared and served was sourced directly from a specific farm, without going through a store, market, or distributor along the way. In an effort to provide students in her Foods & Nutrition classes with real-world, hands-on experiences while learning about and developing healthy eating habits, Sasha Roble from Pennsylvania introduced aeroponics into her curriculum with countertop gardens and a Tower Garden System. Continue reading From Tower to Table: What’s GROWING ON in FCS? to learn more!

Ice Cream: STEAM Activities

Looking for something unique to do with your students as the school year winds down…or anytime, for that matter?  Ice Cream is a fun topic that most students
enjoy, especially on a hot day!   Ice Cream: STEAM Activities gives you a variety of options to explore with your students that will keep them engaged and enjoying a sweet treat!

The History & Science of Cream Puffs

I love teaching students how to make desserts that look elegant, but sound difficult! After learning about The History & Science of Cream Puffs, they are always surprised to learn how simple they are to actually make. Read on to learn how to incorporate this into your pastry or dessert unit.

Cooking with Grains

If you teach a culinary foods class, you no doubt include a unit on grains. While there are a lot of options for working with grains, the material can be a bit dry to teach. Thanks to Nebraska FACS teacher, Sarah Smith, this doesn’t need to be the case. Her “Cooking with Grains” is an interactive lesson you will want to try with your students!

Food Preservation Unit

When you think of food preservation, you might automatically think about canning. However, there is so much more to it, and thanks to Anna Hall of Ohio for sharing her Food Preservation Unit, you can find out! This engaging food preservation unit covers five days and explores various methods such as frozen, dried and canned foods as well as the changes throughout history. The unit culminates with students actually canning pickles.