We began by discussing safe meat handling and marinading our chicken. We then practiced our knife skills, reviewing the pull cut and the "claw," technique, while preparing our vegetables. I then asked PJ to walk me through how we cook rice, reviewing what we had learned last week, and finally we discussed balancing flavors and cook-times with the various ingredients and seasonings.
Session Minutes
90
Minutes Student Attended
90
Lesson Comments
PJ did a great job with this meal! This was the most complicated dish we've worked on together so far and he pulled it off flawlessly. I was impressed with how much he remembered about preparing rice. He was unconfident at first, but once I reminded him of the first step he immediately took over and did a great job. He took a special interest in cooking the chicken and we had a great discussion about time, temperature, and doneness. The stir fry came out delicious and PJ enjoyed every bit, even the vegetables!
We began by marinading our chicken and setting it in a water bath to help it defrost safely and quickly. We then prepped our vegetables and aromatics while discussing how the different properties of each ingredient will result in slightly different cooking times and how best to group and cook the ingredients so everything is done at the right time. We wen't over the basics of washing and cooking rice and talked about how to increase evaporation so that the freshly cooked rice would be dry enough for fried rice. Using coconut aminos, salt, and rice vinegar we explored the balancing of sweet, savory, and acidic flavors in order to bring the most depth and flavor to our end product.
Session Minutes
90
Minutes Student Attended
90
Lesson Comments
Lucas did a great job balancing flavors and understanding the organization/workflow of the different ingredients. We discussed the many possible iterations of this dish and how he could use ingredients at home to make something similar.
Discuss safe meat handling/preparation and learn about the basic breading station. Continue our practice of layering/developing flavors through seasoning and technique. Talk about time, temperature and how to achieve a flavorful and crispy breading that properly adheres to your protein. Learn the basics of roasting vegetables and demonstrate how properly seasoning your veggies with salt and olive oil and roasting them at an appropriate temperature can create a delicious side dish with little effort.
Session Minutes
90
Minutes Student Attended
90
Lesson Comments
Lucas had a great time with this dish! He specifically requested it in the previous lesson, saying that it was one of his favorite things to order at a restaurant. He was very interested in learning about how it was made and was thrilled with the results saying that it was one of the best chicken parm's he'd ever had. We discussed what he would need to do to make it at home and how we might modify the dish if we were to make it again. Lucas had a very interesting idea, which we may end up trying, to make small breaded cubes of chicken and toss them with the pasta, almost like spaghetti and meat balls, instead of the classic preparation with a thin, breaded chicken cutlet served atop pasta.
Make egg fried rice and talk about the balancing of flavors and textures, and the effects of time and temperature on ingredients.
Session Minutes
90
Minutes Student Attended
90
Lesson Comments
I had initially planned on making chicken stir fry with PJ, but because he had just gotten his braces worked on he only wanted to eat soft foods. PJ was a little preoccupied with the discomfort of his braces but he managed to stay on task and we had a great class together. He shared with me that he really enjoys fantasy stories and told me all about a long-running book series called Wings of Fire while we cooked. PJ seems to be getting more interested in balancing flavors as he was very attentive this class tasting and adjusting the rice several times before declaring it done. He even had a couple of ideas for modifications if he decides to make this dish at home.
Discuss the core concepts of assembling a balanced meal (protein, starch/carbs, vegetables/fiber) and how we can mix and match ingredients within this framework of pasta, protein, and vegetables to create dozens of meals. Practice our knife skills by prepping the vegetables and cutting them all into similar sized pieces so that they cook evenly and blend together texturally once mixed together.
Session Minutes
90
Minutes Student Attended
90
Lesson Comments
Lucas seemed to have a lot of fun with this meal. He hadn't made anything quite like this before so it was fun to talk about the different ingredients and how we could bring them all together. He was a bit hesitant about the tomatoes, unsure if their flavor would go with everything else, but when it came time for the taste test we both agreed that the sweetness of the tomatoes really brought everything together. Lucas was excited to share the leftovers with a few teachers and brought home some for his sister as well.
Discuss the layering of flavors and how cooking ingredients changes their flavor. Use the salsa as an exploration of how flavors change when ingredients are cooked and how to balance the combination of raw and cooked ingredients. Learn about how salt and acid effect proteins in marinades and the flavor benefits of salting/flavoring ingredients hours before cooking.
Session Minutes
90
Minutes Student Attended
90
Lesson Comments
Lucas has great instincts when it comes to food. He did a great job balancing flavors and adjusting seasoning and seems to understand the core concepts of cooking and building flavors really well. He was very happy with how the tacos turned out, sharing some with teachers and brining leftovers home for his sister, and said that he wants to try making something similar by himself at home.
Practice knife skills by prepping mushrooms, onions, garlic and fresh basil. Learn about safe meat handling and cooking while working with ground beef. Discuss combining, layering, and balancing flavors while preparing ingredients and assembling sauce.
Session Minutes
90
Minutes Student Attended
90
Lesson Comments
PJ had a lot of fun with this dish. He even enjoyed the brussels sprouts despite previously telling me he dislikes all healthy food. He was attentive and engaged and by the end of the lesson said that he'd feel confident making a dish like this by himself at home. He really liked the way the meal turned out and set aside 3 portions to share with friends as well as packing up the remaining leftovers for his Dad.
We began by getting to know each other and discussing what foods Lucas did or did not enjoy and what sorts of things he likes to cook at home. We then practiced some basic knife skills by prepping our vegetables and made a basic frittata.
Session Minutes
90
Minutes Student Attended
90
Lesson Comments
Lucas seems to really enjoy food and cooking! He shared several memories of traveling and trying new foods, and even agreed to try mushrooms (one of his least favorite foods). He liked the frittata a lot and seemed proud of his work, sharing some with his basketball coach and setting the rest aside to take home. Toward the end of class we discussed several other dishes to make together in the future.
Get to know each other and discuss likes/dislikes and any food allergies. Talk about the basic principals of cooking, food safety, and safe knife technique. Practice our knife skills on some basic vegetables and use them to bake a frittata.
Session Minutes
90
Minutes Student Attended
90
Lesson Comments
PJ did a great job. He’s interested in food and seemed to get a lot out of our discussions and the hands on experience. He was interested in tasting each ingredient along the way and enjoyed noting how the taste/texture of the vegetables changed after cooking/seasoning.. The frittata came out quite good and he seemed proud of his work, excited to share a piece with his dad later on.
Get to know each-other and discuss interests in different foods/cuisines. Talk about any dietary preferences and/or allergies, work together to come up with several dishes that the student would be excited to try and create a menu/continuing lesson plan. Explore different preparations of the egg and make a basic omelet and/or veggie scramble.
