Cooking @ NIE

Our tutor, Ms Chin, kindly invited the PGDE students to join in the cooking class to allow us to have more chances to practice our cooking skills (PGDE students can't cook very well =p). The menu for this session consists of - broccoli cheese soup, lasagna and chocolate lava cake.

Lasagna

Broccoli cheese soup

Chocolate lava cake fresh from the oven!

Chocolate lava cake with ice cream...yummss

Cooking is fun!! =) thank you Ms Chin for inviting us!!

Coursework B Practical - Sensory Evaluation

In order for us (the future home econs teachers) to be able to faciliate Coursework B well, it is necessary that we experience the process of doing coursework so that we can understand the requirements of Coursework B better.

During the Coursework B practical, my group was assigned to conduct the triangle test to determine whether the students could differentiate between 10% and 11% sugar solutions, and also 10% and 13% sugar solutions.

My group mate preparing the samples for the triangle test

Station masters for the day!

Our experimental set-up

My group sampled the solutions we've prepared before allowing the rest of the class do the triangle test. The strange thing was that, my group had no problems differentiating the sugar solutions of different concentrations. However, the class did not manage to choose the correct odd sample.

Why is this so??? I've suggested some explanations for the experimental data in my Coursework B report =)

Top 10 Worst Foods

Number 1: Soft drinks

Source: theoriginof.com

Soft drinks are actually 'liquid candy'. Consuming soft drinks contributes to empty calories as these drinks do not contain any nutrients that are good for our body. They contain high fructose corn syrup as such, over-indulgence in soft drinks has the potential to promote obesity which in turn increases the risks of other chronic diseases.

Number 2: Donuts

Source: honestinfomercialreviews.com

Donuts are high in fats and calories (300 kcal and 19g fats per donut). Admit it, it's hard to stop at a donut =p Hence, people tend to consume more than 1 donut at a time. After which, one might experience a 'sugar high', but the effects will wear off quickly, causing lethargy.

Number 3: French fries

Source: veganyumyum.com

French fries contain acrylamide, which is a known carcinogen. In a test conducted by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) in the USA, the amount of acrylamide found in a large order of fast food fries was at least 300 times the legal amount allowed by the Environmental Protection Agency in a glass of water! Moreover, french fries also contain trans fat, which is a kind of fat that is linked to increased levels of LDL (a type of bad choloesterol).


The bottomline is:

Be mindful when consuming these foods. Indulging in them once in a while is alright; consuming any of these foods three times a week is not acceptable (if you care about your health). For fast-food lovers, when you order a meal consisting of a burger, fries and coke, you have taken 3 of the top 10 worst foods to take (Burger is number 7 on the list).

My apple crumble vs. THE apple crumble

The apple crumble that I made! doesn't look too appealing (compared to the one below), but trust me, it tastes great! simply heavenly with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. My bro loves this and will always have seconds =) Here is the recipe:

Apple Crumble

Makes 4-6 servings

For the apple filling:
5 cups of apples (peeled, cored and diced)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon

For the crumble topping:
2/3 cup flour
2/3 cup cereal (not the breakfast kind of cereal, I used Nestle brand)
2/3 brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup melted butter

Method:
- Toss the apples with sugar, flour and cinnamon.
- In a separate bowl, prepare crumble topping by mixing flour, cereal, sugar, cinnamon and butter.
- Place apples in a 8 x 8 inch baking dish and pour crumble topping on top.
- Bake in preheated oven (180 deg C) until apple filling is bubbling and the top is golden brown in colour, approximately 35-45 min.

Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Ok i did mention that my apple crumble is yummy, but this is THE ONE. It is simply out of the world! I always order this dessert when I go to that particular place (if anyone is interested to know the place, you can ask me.haha)

Apple crumble is my all-time fav dessert. (p.s. we can have more than 1 fav dessert rite? =p)

It would be interesting to find out the dessert that people like most, so join the poll my friends!

Is honey better than sugar?

Source: The Straits Times

From the statement made by the dietitian above, consumers ought to beware - do not rush to buy that bottle of honey that costs 50 bucks! Look out for raw honey on the label as these honey are not heat-treated, hence their healing properties are retained.

Be mindful of the amount of honey intake. Over-indulgence in honey will only cause your waistline to expand!

Web Reviews

1) Science of Cooking

http://www.scienceofcooking.com/


Pros: The website provides clear and detailed explanation (with pictures) of some food science concepts, e.g. browning reaction in food. Suitable for upper sec students. The website also contains lots of pictures and provides recipes for a range of dishes.

Cons: Might not be suitable for lower sec students as they might find the concepts a bit hard to understand.



2) Food Science - On networks

www.onnetworks.com/videos/food-science

Pros: The website has videos to demonstrate food science concepts like the leavening process and the Maillard reaction. There are also interesting videos such as how to make ice cream using liquid nitrogen. This website is suitable for all secondary school students as the videos might arouse the students' interest in food and nutrition. Moreover, the videos are a great tool to help students understand concepts that are difficult to understand.

Cons: Only 15 videos are available for viewing.

3) Eat Right - American Dietetic Association

http://www.eatright.org/

Pros: The website contains a wide range of topics - nutrition requirements, disease management and prevention, food safety, savvy food shoppping, etc. Information provided is quite detailed and the website is easy to navigate.

Cons: There are not a lot of information on food science topics. There are also little graphics/media, the website contains mainly words.

4) Food and Nutrition Information Center - USDA

fnic.nal.usda.gov

Pros: The website allows students to look up information on calories/nutrients in food. It is easy to navigate and relevant information could be found easily. There are also detailed write-ups on food composition, nutrition, diet and disease, food safety and food labelling.

Cons: The content might be a bit difficult for lower sec students to understand as most of the information are given in a detailed manner.

5) Iowa State University - University Extension

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/

Pros: The website contains plenty of articles on food and nutrition, it also has articles on clothing and textiles.

Cons: The design and layout of the website is not very attractive and there are few pictures.

My very first post =)

Dear readers,

This is my first blog ever in my life. (please do not laugh at me. yes, i've not created a blog before.haha) Initially, when i knew that I need to create a blog to document my learning journey and to 'pen' down my reflections as a home ec teacher, I was a bit apprehensive as I am not exactly an IT-savvy person. Nevertheless, after some exploration, I've managed to create my own blog - it is not that difficult after all! Now I'm learning about the joys of blogging..I'm liking it =)

I'm a graduate with a degree in Food Science and Technology, and so many of you may wonder why I became a home ec teacher. The reason is very simple, what I wish for in life is to enjoy what I do, and of course, I enjoy teaching a lot! Interacting with kids is amazing (in my opinion) and it is an exciting and challenging job - it is never boring. Teachers have a great job!! =)

This blog is borned so that you can follow my learning journey and discoveries as a home ec teacher (trainee teacher for now, till May 2011). Enjoy reading!