HOME ECONOMICS

UNIT 3

practicing new skills

Reading about kitchen skills will not make you a good cook.  The only way to develop good cooking ability
is to actually prepare food.  There is no substitute for experience. Although a good cook is always
eager to learn all that she can from books, magazines, blogs, or by talking to other cooks.

Don’t worry if some of your food doesn’t turn out the first time, we have all had our flops as new cooks
in the kitchen.  When you fail, try, and try again.  Be persistent. Take note of what you did wrong, stay
positive and don’t repeat that mistake next time. Gaining knowledge in the kitchen is a skill you will
never regret learning in your lifetime.

The following is a list of things you want to complete while preparing your foods in the kitchen.

 Put ingredients away when finished with them

 Wash the dishes as you go
  Dry the dishes and put away

  Wash the countertops and any food that may have splattered on the walls, cupboard doors, or

floor
  Scrub the sink

 Wash the stove

  Put the dishcloth and dishtowel in the laundry or hang them up to dry

  Sweep the floor

The following is a checklist to do for your own personal self while cooking

 Did I wash my hands and pull my hair back before starting to cook?

 Did I follow all the directions?

 Did I keep my work area clean and neat?

 Did I practice good safety habits?

 Did I complete my project on time?

 Did I leave the kitchen clean and neat after I was finished?

breakfast
Breakfast has been called “the most important meal of the day.”  A healthy breakfast refuels your
body and helps you function at your peak. Research shows that eating a healthy breakfast improves
attention, concentration, academic achievement, and physical energy.
After a night of sleep, stomachs are empty and blood sugar is low. Start your day off right with a
healthy, nutritious breakfast for optimum mental and physical wellness. A healthy breakfast should
provide complex carbohydrates, protein and a little fat, because this combination will hold off hunger
for hours.

Breakfast is the #1 most skipped meal of the day.  There are many reasons people skip this meal. Most
are excuses.  They may sleep too late, not feel hungry in the morning, want to lose weight, or might
not like the “traditional breakfast foods.”  Those are just “excuses.” None are good reasons to skip
breakfast.

If you tend to push the snooze button too often in the morning, there are things you can do to avoid
running out of the house without breakfast.  You can eat a banana, granola bar, or some peanut butter
on toast while you are driving in the car. You can use your new skills with the blender and make a
smoothie to take and drink while on your way.  

No time to cook eggs in the morning?? Hard boil eggs. Then chop them up and set the mixture on a
piece of toast with some shredded cheese.  This is one of the easiest ways to get your protein in for
the day.

Dieters rarely lose weight by skipping out on breakfast.  By mid-morning they are usually starving, and
will tend to overeat at the next meal.  You are better off to eat a bowl of oatmeal or grab some fresh
fruit like a banana.

If you do not feel like eating because you are not accustomed to it, force yourself to start with
something.  It may be as simple as a glass of milk or a banana.  Then the next week add a muffin, bagel,
or slice of toast.  The following week try adding an egg or maybe some French toast.  You will be
surprised at how much better you feel when you do eat breakfast.

 Planning and preparing a breakfast meal

The best way to become proficient at making meals in the kitchen is by actively doing it.   This unit you
will plan and prepare a breakfast meal. Don’t worry. Serve it at dinner time so that you are not rushed
in the morning.

Things to think about:

 Try and choose a variety of colors for your meal. If all of your foods are white or tan in color, then the meal looks
blah. Choose a variety of colors to also incorporate different nutrients into your meal.
 You want to try and choose from the different food groups when thinking about your meal.  Keep it simple.
 Choose something from the bread/grain/cereal group—–oatmeal, pancakes, waffles, etc.
  Choose from your protein group—eggs, turkey bacon, turkey sausage, or peanut butter for your pancakes

 Choose some fruit —strawberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, or fresh pineapple.

If you keep with all of these “things to think about” you will mostly ensure a well balanced meal for your family.

short cuts for breakfast

   Home cooked cereals are much more economical than ready to eat boxed cereals.  They are easy to prepare and very
nutritious.
   For cooking most cereals figure approximately 3 or 4 times as much water as cereal.  Fine grains take a little more,

and flaked cereals a little less.  For longer cooking time, slightly more water is needed.
  Cooked cereal may be varied in a number of delicious ways.  Use milk for cooking instead of water.  The starch will
swell slightly more when cooked in milk.  Sweeten with brown sugar instead of white sugar, or use honey to sweeten.
Add raisins, nuts, cinnamon, or chopped apples to cooked oatmeal.
  Leftover cooked cereal should not be wasted.  It can be sliced when cold and fried in a little fat on a skillet.  Serve
with syrup.  It can also be used in recipes that call for bread crumbs like  meatloaf.
  Freeze any leftover pancakes or waffles.  They can be popped into the toaster for another morning.

   Heat a waffle iron  before pouring in batter to prevent sticking.  A small amount of fat or spray may be needed to

coat before putting on batch.  Do not scrub iron with soap or abrasives.  Use a damp cloth to clean it.
 Running late? Don’t buy a pack of donuts, keep self prepackaged homemade granola bags handy.  You can also make
some whole grain muffins and freeze them for those mornings you are running late.  Remember the smoothie packs
from unit 1?  Put some of them together for running late mornings.
 Oatmeal is good for you. It’s rich in fiber, omega 3 fatty acids, folate and potassium — and that’s
before you add any fruit or flavorings.  It can also help lower your cholesterol levels and reduce
your risk of heart disease. But when you’re standing in the cereal aisle, it quickly becomes clear
that not all oatmeal is created equal.  Here are the four oatmeal options:

Steel-cut oatmeal is the least processed of the bunch. A bowl of steel-cut oatmeal contains the most
amount of fiber per serving, about 4g. It takes longer to cook than other types of oatmeal and the
finished product is chewier than the oatmeal you may be most familiar with, which is made of rolled
oats.

Old-fashioned oatmeal, or rolled oats, is often used in granola, muesli and oatmeal cookies. The oat
flakes are thinner than steel-cut oats, which means they take less time to cook, but you sacrifice fiber
for less prep time.

Quick-cooking oatmeal eliminates more prep time and the final bowl of oatmeal is smoother than steel-
cut or old-fashioned — and again, each time you lose minutes off preparation, you lose fiber.

Instant oatmeal is convenient. It comes in pre-portioned packets, a variety of flavors, and you can
make it with hot water from a kettle or in the microwave. If you prefer instant oatmeal, beware of the
tradeoff, though — convenience equals added sodium and sugar.

Let’s do some hands on lessons

hands on skill breakfast

You are going to be making a complete breakfast for this unit.  If it scares you to think that you have to have all this done
for breakfast, make it for dinner instead.  We do many “breakfast for dinners” in our home.

Choose one recipe from the following for your grains:

oatmeal

whole wheat pancakes

oven pancakes

waffles

crepes

baked oatmeal or you can try pumpkin baked oatmeal

whole grain toast with real butter

homemade granola

homemade grape nuts cereal

Then choose a side meat or Eggs for your meal:

Make some turkey bacon,sausage, or canadian bacon.  You can cook this on a griddle, carefully laying out the strips side
by side and flipping when crisp.  Or for an easy no mess way—-line a baking sheet with foil and place your meat on top
of it.  Bake at 350 if you have more time or 400 if you are pressed for time.  Cook until crisp.  After discovering this
way, I will no longer ever cook bacon in a pan to splatter everywhere!!!

scrambled eggs

poached eggs

egg and bacon cups

Lastly, choose from this group:

Fresh, frozen, or canned fruit.

Depending upon where you live, check out the resources for local fresh fruits.  You can serve slices of oranges, a bowl of
berries, or a fresh fruit salad.  If you are not able to buy fresh fruit, go for frozen unsweetened next.  You can sweeten it a
bit with honey if needed.  As a last option, buy unsweetened canned fruit.

Remember all of your food safety rules for cooking in the kitchen. Refer to unit 1 for reminding.

Remember your personal tips as well.

Did I wash my hands and pull back my hair before starting to cook?

Put on an apron to avoid getting your clothing dirty while cooking?  I didn’t discover this until years after I started
cooking and I always had these tiny grease spots on my shirt after splattering them with food.

Gather up all your ingredients beforehand to ensure the proper materials.

Keep your work area clean and neat.  Remember to clean as you go.  If you mix up a big batch of pancakes, while it is
cooking, wash out the bowl.  This will help in not having dish overload when you are finished.

Put away any leftovers promptly and leave the kitchen as clean as before you started.

Now let’s take a quiz to see how well you remember.