Do you love to cook? Do you know what's happening when you cook? My students are learning the science behind cooking and practicing cooking as well. All we have are 2 toaster ovens, a microwave, blenders, a food processor, and some donated utensils. Help us create a kitchen in a science lab!
My students have rich Dominican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Jamaican, African, Polish, Ecuadoran, Chinese, and southern American food traditions.
Many are at risk and struggle with science. They come from all all the NYC boroughs, including Harlem, Queens, and the Bronx. We are a Title 1 school, which means most of our students are below the poverty level. As with all NYC schools, budget cuts have left us with little resources for a class that has a lot of consumables and uses new equipment. But this new class has caught the interest of students who normally do not succeed in science because they can bring in their proud ethnic traditions. These students often struggle with the more abstract sciences and this class offers a more concrete, applicable science.
My Project
My students need portable cook tops to learn to cook various simple dishes and experiment with new foods and flavors. My students need to be able to cook. We are currently able to bake simple tarts and make pastry using a food processor, cook soups using a microwave and blender, and saute small amounts using our laboratory hotplate. We've done pretty well with the donated equipment. But we need to be able to cook on a stove-top to move forward.
Seasonal cooking is a big part of this class. Adding a cook top to our equipment would make it possible to be more varied in our cooking, as the number of foods available decreases. We are also learning about chemistry during cooking, and many of the interesting reactions happen during browning. Being able to compare foods in real time would really wake up the science. Students would like to be able to demonstrate techniques and ethnic foods. That would add another dimension to the class.
Much talk has been made about teaching our children to cook for themselves and help them to eat better and wiser.
This class does that. It also teaches them some science and about the food politics in their lives.
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