Download Project Cook School Resource

GETTING KIDS COOKING
PROJECT COOK
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to Project Cook!
- It’s all about getting kids cooking About Project Cook
Project Cook is a school teaching resource designed for use within the Technology curriculum
for years 7&8. Based around five favourite recipes that teach a range of cooking skills, there is a
printed resource and a 20-minute video highlighting the basics of each recipe.
Why Project Cook?
Research carried out on behalf of Wattie’s in 2004 showed that from about nine-years of age,
children want to start cooking. This is also the age they have the ability to master basic cooking
skills. The research also showed that parents supported the idea of a school-based cooking
resource for their children – and they wanted to be involved.
Based on this desire to learn, Project Cook was developed by Wattie’s in consultation with
teachers, dietitians, food writers, parents, and children. Project Cook teaches important life-long
cooking skills. By teaching children about what’s in the food they eat, and how to prepare simple
meals, it helps them to become healthy adults, and of course have fun doing it!
Project Cook aims to get kids into cooking in an interactive way that involves both classroom and
home-based activities. The recipes use everyday ingredients and can be photocopied for children
to take home and involve their parents in making with them.
How Project Cook works
Project Cook aims to make cooking fun and enjoyable, with each recipe designed as a mission for
the students to complete. As the recipes progress, each teaches different cooking techniques and
becomes slightly more advanced.
The recipes are followed by information on ingredients, food chemistry, cooking techniques and
nutrition directly relating to each recipe. Project Cook also contains sections on:
Nutrition and healthy eating
Additional classroom activities
Supporting information
See over the page for an outline of Project Cook’s structure.
Project Cook provides you with an array of teaching possibilities where the information can be
selected and taught as appropriate for each student’s skill level and knowledge.
The accompanying video features three to four minute segments on each recipe and is designed
to be used to inspire the students to get cooking, at school and at home.
From everyone at Wattie’s – proud to be behind Project Cook, we hope you will join
with us in getting kids cooking!
PROJECT COOK OVERVIEW
RE CIPES
• Cinnamon apple muffins
• Macaroni cheese
• Ham and pineapple pizza
• Spaghetti Bolognese
• Stir-fry chicken and vegetables
U ND E RS TANDING
I N G R E DIE NTS
FOOD
C H E MI STRY
COOKI N G
T ECHN I QUES
NUT R ITION & HEALTH Y EATI N G
•
•
•
•
T h e b asic nutrie nts
W h y d o I ne e d nutrie nts?
V itamins, antioxid ants an d min erals
A d a p ing re c ip e s
A D DITION AL ACTIVI TI ES
• Design a new product
for Wattie’s
• Create a Food In A
Minute® script
• Food and culture
• What’s in a name?
• What’s in a meal?
• Reading labels
• Adapting recipes
SUPPOR T IN G IN FORM ATI ON
• Raising agents
• Food safety
• Label reading
• Names for ...
• Websites
• Kitchen basics
• Glossary
N UT RI T I ON
FACTS
RECIPE
DECONSTRUCTION
The following provides an outline of possible learning opportunities around five core recipes for
teachers to adapt or use as indicated.
Curriculum links
Understanding Food
Ingredients
Chemistry
Cooking
Techniques
Nutrition
Facts
Preparing muffin
tins
Breads and
cereals food group
Sifting dry
ingredients
Food groups
exercise
White sauce base
- Roux
- Cheese sauce
Calcium
Kneading dough
Healthy pizza
toppings
Cinnamon apple muffins
A3 Compare muffins prepared at home with those
purchased at a café/supermarket
(consider taste, cost, skills, nutritional value
and convenience).
B5 Gather & collate information on nutrition needs
& opportunities in the local community.
B6 Research likes & dislikes in varieties of muffins
in your peer group. Develop, test & adapt a
muffin recipe to appeal to your peer group.
C7 Identify the long-term benefits on the health of
society, as a result of individuals learning basic
food selection & preparation skills.
Baked foods
- Structure
- Texture
- Moisture
A4 Identify specific terms & language used to
communicate in a recipe for preparing food.
B6 Discuss the difference between pre-prepared
sauces & those made from basic ingredients.
Plan, prepare & serve a basic pasta dish using a
simple sauce.
C7 Identify & compare a range of factors &
attitudes that promote or hinder the use of
specific food products in the community.
Pasta
Browning baked
food
- Dextrinisation
- Maillard Reaction
Varying the
ingredients
Macaroni cheese
Gelatinisation
Food groups
exercise
Ham and pineapple pizza
A3 Investigate health & safety practices in the food
industry and the home environment.
B6 Survey the likes & dislikes of peers toward meal
items prepared at home.
C8 Identify the positive & negative effects of eating at
home compared with eating at a fast food outlet.
Cheese types
Yeast
Food groups
exercise
Spaghetti Bolognese
A1 Investigate and explain a variety of methods of
food processing.
B6 Research food safety for one food product,
select, plan, prepare a recipe using that
product. Provide relevant information on safe
storage of the product before, during & after
preparation.
C7 Discuss consumer attitudes & feelings toward
nutrition labelling on food.
Pasta sauce
Cooking meat
- Moist heat
- Dry heat
Browning meat
Lycopene
Cooking rice
- Boiling
- Absorption
- Microwave
Vegetable
nutrients
- Tips
Stir-fry chicken and vegetables
A3 Investigate health & safety practices in the food
industry & in the home environment.
B5 Gather & collate information on nutrition needs
& opportunities in the local community.
B6 Explain the limitations on quality control in
home-cooking compared with commercial
production.
C8 Discuss the use of pre-prepared foods & the
impact on human resources.
Rice varieties
Marinating
Food groups
exercise
RECIPES
• R e cipe s
• Cinnamon apple muffins
• Macaroni cheese
• Ham and pineapple pizza
• Spaghetti Bolognese
• Stir-fry chicken and vegetables
•
•
•
•
Unde rstandi ng I ng red i ent s
Food Che mi st ry
Cooking Te chni q ues
N utrition Fact s
RECIPE
BEFORE YOU GET COOKING…
Top tips for getting started
• Before you start cooking, always check with an adult. You may need help with the
recipe or when using the oven or cook-top.
• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before you start handling
ingredients and after touching raw meat and chicken.
• Make sure you dry your hands well, and always use a clean towel.
• Ask an adult to help if you need to use a sharp knife.
• Always pick up knives by the handle and not the blade.
• Use a chopping board when chopping, cutting or slicing and always cut with
the sharp edge of the knife downwards.
• When you use the cook-top, turn saucepan handles to the side so you don’t knock
them and never reach across a hot saucepan of food.
• Check that you have turned off the oven, electric elements or gas burners when
you have finished cooking.
• Always use oven gloves or pot mitts when touching anything hot.
• Always read your recipe right through before you start to cook.
• Check that you have all the ingredients and equipment.
• Get the ingredients and equipment out and do any preparation like
measuring or chopping or greasing pans.
• Measure ingredients carefully. Use standard metric measuring cups and spoons.
Fill them, then level them off with a knife.
• Measure butter by using the marks on the pack, weighing it on kitchen scales or
pressing it into measuring spoons and levelling it off with a knife.
• When you have finished, don’t forget to wash the dishes and tidy the kitchen.
Cooking times
• All ovens are different so cooking times suggested in recipes will always be
approximate.
• It is best to test foods before the end of the cooking time.
• When cooking baked foods you should not open the oven door until at least half
of the suggested cooking time has passed.
• It takes at least half of the cooking time for the carbon dioxide formed by the
raising agent to make the mixture rise and then to set.
• Opening the oven door too soon results in poorly risen baked foods.
• If you use a fan oven you may need to lower the temperature a little, usually by
about 200C.
Cinnamon apple muffins
RECIPE
CINNAMON APPLE MUFFINS
I N G R E D I E NT S -
Makes 12 medium-sized muffins
Muffins
Cinnamon sugar
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1
/2 cup sugar
100g butter
1 cup milk
2 eggs
400g can Wattie’s® Diced Apple
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
M ET HOD
1. Prepare the Cinnamon sugar. Mix the sugar
and cinnamon together and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 2200C. Spray or brush 12
non-stick muffin pans with butter or oil.
3. To make the muffins, sift the flour, baking
powder and cinnamon into a mixing bowl. Stir
in the sugar.
4. Melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave
(about 40 seconds on high) or in a saucepan.
5. Beat the eggs and milk together.
7. Spoon the mixture evenly into the pans. Use
two spoons, take a spoonful of mixture with
one spoon and use the second spoon to push
the mixture into the pans. Sprinkle over the
Cinnamon sugar.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 – 20 minutes
or until the muffins spring back when pressed
lightly or a cake tester pushed into the centre
of a muffin comes out clean.
9. Leave the muffins in pans for 5 minutes before
turning out onto a wire rack to cool.
6. Pour the liquid mixture with the Wattie’s®
Diced Apples and melted butter into the dry
ingredients. Gently stir with a spoon until just
combined. The mixture should look a little lumpy.
T I P - Over-mixed muffins can be tough. To avoid this stir the liquid and dry ingredients together
gently until the mixture still looks lumpy.
R EC I P E VA RI AT I ONS
1. You can use any canned fruit. Drain, discard juice and dice the fruit if necessary.
2. For savoury muffins leave out sugar and cinnamon and fruit. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 cup grated
tasty cheese and 1-2 tablespoons of chopped fresh herbs (parsley, chives) and 1 cup drained whole
kernel corn. Reduce butter to 75g.
RECIPE
UND E R STAN DIN G IN G RED I EN TS
• In baked foods such as muffins, cakes and biscuits each ingredient has a
different role to play. The proportions of each need to be measured carefully so the
final product has a good flavour and texture.
For example:
• Eggs provide structure and some moisture.
• Fat provides texture and a smooth mouth feel.
• Flour provides structure and holds the other ingredients together.
• Milk provides moisture, its protein adds to the structure and helps produce a
tender product.
• When making changes to recipes for baked foods you need to take care to replace
one ingredient with another that performs the same function.
For best results:
1. Read the recipe carefully before you begin.
2. Check that you have all the equipment and ingredients you need.
3. Use standard metric measuring cups and spoons.
4. Follow the instructions exactly.
5. Remember, adding different items such as fruits, cheeses, bacon, grated
vegetables and creamed corn will change the flavour and texture so you
need to consider what effect this will have.
For example:
Fruits and vegetables contain moisture so the amount of milk may need
to be reduced.
Bacon and cheese contain fat and salt so the amount of butter can
be reduced.
FO O D CHEMIST R Y
Browning in baked food
• The dry oven heat causes many changes in the ingredients of baked foods.
• Dextrinisation is an important change that happens to the starch in the flour.
• The dry heat breaks down the starch molecules to form a brown crust.
• More browning may occur when the sugar and protein in the recipe combine and
help to form the crust, this process is known as the Maillard Reaction.
• The colour of baking pans can also affect browning of baked goods.
• Did you know, light-coloured, shiny pans help to give cakes a golden-brown
surface while very dark dull pans can cause over browning.
Cinnamon apple muffins
C O O KING TECHN IQUES
RECIPE
Preparing tins
• Ensure muffin tins are clean and dry before you start.
• Greasing the tins lightly prevents the cooked muffins sticking.
• Either lightly spray each muffin hole with a little oil from a spray bottle or dip
a pastry brush or piece of grease-proof paper into a little melted butter and
rub over the tins.
• Allow the cooked muffins to sit for about five minutes before trying to remove
them – the steam will help loosen them in the tins.
Sifting dry ingredients
• For best results when making baked foods, the dry ingredients should be sifted.
• Not only does this add air, resulting in well-risen products, it ensures lumps
are broken down and the dry ingredients are mixed thoroughly so they will be
evenly distributed.
• To sift dry ingredients, place them in a sieve or sifter, over a bowl or a large piece
of kitchen paper.
• Shake the sieve or turn the handle on the sifter so the dry ingredients
fall through.
N UTRI TION FACTS
Muffins are part of the breads and cereals food group.
• Muffins are a baked food and because the main ingredient is flour, one standard
sized muffin counts as a serving of breads and cereals.
• Adding fruits or vegetables to muffins makes them a healthier choice than some
other flavours (for example chocolate chip).
• Muffins contain some fat so it’s best to eat them without any additional butter
or spread.
Can you think of a muffin variety that could give you two or more different types of
fruits or vegetables in one muffin?
Cinnamon apple
apple muffins
muffins
Cinnamon
RECIPE
MACARONI CHEESE
I N G R E D I E NT S -
Serves 4 people
2 litres water
2 teaspoons salt
11/2 cups macaroni pasta
3 tablespoons butter (50g)
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1 cup Wattie’s® frozen whole kernel corn
1 cup grated tasty cheese
salt and pepper to season
2 fresh tomatoes, sliced
3 – 4 tablespoons grated tasty cheese, extra
M ET HOD
1. Bring the water to the boil in a large
saucepan. Add the salt and macaroni pasta.
Stir well. Boil for 12-15 minutes or until the
pasta is al dente (firm to the bite). Drain well.
5. Remove from heat. Stir in the grated cheese.
Season with a little salt and pepper.
2. Turn the oven on to 1900C to preheat.
6. Stir the cooked macaroni into cheese
sauce. Pour into a greased, medium-sized
ovenproof dish.
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the flour
and cook, stirring, until bubbles appear on
the surface and it looks ‘frothy’.
7. Put the tomato slices on top of the macaroni
mixture and sprinkle over the extra
grated cheese.
4. Remove the pan from the heat. Gradually add
the milk, stirring constantly. Return to the
heat and cook, stirring, until the sauce comes
to the boil and thickens. Stir in the frozen
corn. Lower the heat and continue cooking
and stirring for another 2 minutes.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes
until the macaroni cheese is heated through
and the top is golden.
T I P - Keep stirring the white sauce to make sure it doesn’t go lumpy.
If you need to leave a white sauce mixture to stand for a few minutes or longer, press plastic food
wrap right down onto the surface of the sauce. This will stop it forming a thick skin as it cools.
R EC I P E VA RI AT I ONS
1. Cook 1 small finely diced onion in the butter over a low heat before adding the flour.
2. Add 1/4 – 1/2 cup diced ham or cooked diced bacon to the cheese sauce before stirring in the macaroni.
3. Replace 1/4 cup of the grated tasty cheddar cheese with crumbled blue cheese.
RECIPE
UND E R STAN DIN G IN G RED I EN TS
Pasta
• Pasta is the Italian name for dough and comes either fresh or dried.
• The finest pasta is made from strong hard wheat flour known as durum.
• This coarse-textured flour gives pasta its ability to hold its shape and texture
during cooking.
• Dried pasta is made from durum wheat flour mixed to a paste with water.
• The dough is forced through specially shaped holes to form the
shape required.
• The most common kinds of dried pasta are spaghetti, long ribbon shaped
lengths of fettuccine and smaller shapes such as tubes of penne and frilly
edged lasagne.
• Dried pasta is cooked in a large quantity of boiling salted water (at a rolling
boil) for between 5 and 15 minutes, depending on its shape. See the Project
Cook video for an example of a rolling boil.
• Fresh pasta is usually made with durum wheat flour, eggs and water.
• There is generally a smaller range available, the most common are spaghetti,
fettuccine and lasagne sheets.
• Fresh pasta cooks in 3 – 4 minutes in boiling salted water.
• It is possible to make fresh pasta at home. Durum wheat or strong wheat
flour is kneaded with eggs and sometimes a little oil to make a smooth,
pliable dough that is then rolled thin and cut into shapes.
• Pasta machines speed up the rolling out and shaping process.
• Homemade pasta cooks quickly, most shapes take only 2 – 3 minutes.
FO O D CHEMIST R Y
• White sauce becomes thick when it is cooked because of a process known as
gelatinisation.
• When the flour and milk are combined and heated, the starch granules swell
up and make the mixture thick.
Macaroni cheese
C O O KING TECHN IQUES
RECIPE
White sauce
• White sauce is so widely used in cooking it is really useful to know how to make it.
There are three main ingredients:
1. Fat for flavour (butter or margarine).
2. Starch for thickening (flour).
3. Liquid (milk).
• White sauce can be used as a base for soups, in lasagne and in pasta sauces.
• By adding cheese to white sauce it becomes a cheese sauce.
To make White sauce:
1. Melt the butter or margarine, stir in the flour and mix them together thoroughly.
• This is called a roux. It separates the starch granules in the flour and helps
stop lumps forming.
• It is important to cook the flour at this stage to improve the final flavour of
the sauce.
2. When the butter and flour are ‘frothy’ add the milk and blend it thoroughly, then
heat the mixture until it comes to the boil. Stir constantly.
3. Always simmer the sauce over a low heat for a few minutes after it has boiled so
the flour loses its raw taste and the sauce thickens properly.
N UTRI TION FACTS
Calcium
• The calcium in Macaroni cheese is high because the recipe uses milk and cheese.
• Calcium is an essential nutrient that forms part of our bones and teeth and is
essential in helping our body to function properly.
• Our nerves and muscles also need calcium to do their work.
• Calcium is particularly important during the years our bodies are growing.
• We need to make sure we have enough calcium each day so our bones have the
calcium they need to reach maximum strength.
Macaroni cheese provides a serving each of the dairy and cereals groups. What
other ingredients would help contribute to the other two food groups?
What could you serve Macaroni cheese with to boost the vegetable intake of
your meal?
Macaroni cheese
RECIPE
HAM AND PINEAPPLE PIZZA
I N GR E D I E NT S -
Serves 4-6 people
Bread Dough
Topping
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon Surebake yeast
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon oil
11/2 cups flour
1
/4 -1/2 cup Wattie’s® Seasoned Tomato Purée
1-11/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1 cup pineapple pieces or crushed pineapple,
well drained
1 cup chopped ham
M E T HO D
1. Put 1 cup of flour and the salt, sugar and yeast
into a mixing bowl and stir together. Make a
well (this is a small dent) in the centre. Pour
in the warm water and oil. Mix well, and add
the rest of the flour (11/2 cups) and mix.
2. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface
and knead until smooth. It maybe necessary to
add extra flour if the dough is too sticky.
3. Wash and dry the mixing bowl. Grease it
lightly. Put the dough into the bowl. Cover
with plastic food wrap and leave to rise in a
warm place for 15 minutes.
6. Roll out carefully to the thickness required.
For a thin-based pizza, roll the dough out to
make a circle about 30cm across.
7. Place on a lightly greased baking tray or
special pizza tray.
8. Spread with the Wattie’s® Seasoned Tomato
Purée. Top with the grated mozzarella cheese,
ham and pineapple.
9. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 – 20
minutes until the cheese is melted and the
underside of the base is golden brown. Stand
for 5 minutes before cutting.
4. Turn the oven on to 2200C to preheat.
5. Punch down the dough by pushing your fist
gently to the bottom of the bowl. Turn out the
dough onto a lightly floured board.
T I P - To activate yeast the water has to be warm – check the correct temperature on your wrist.
Too hot and it will kill the yeast, too cold and the yeast won’t activate quickly.
R EC I P E VA RI AT I ONS
1. Make 4 or 6 mini pizzas instead of one large one.
2. Other toppings
- Salami
- Baked beans, pineapple and cheese
- Bacon and tomato
- Sliced fresh capsicum or roasted capsicum
- Smoked chicken and brie cheese
- Instead of the seasoned purée use Wattie’s®
Chilli Beans – top with feta cheese and red onion
RECIPE
UND E R STAN DIN G IN G RED I EN TS
• Mozzarella cheese is used on traditional Italian pizzas and is well-suited
because:
• The milder taste goes well with other toppings.
• It is one of the lower fat cheeses.
• It has a unique stringy texture ideal for hot pizza.
• Mozzarella comes originally from Italy.
• It is a white cheese which goes stringy when heated.
• It is made by being dipped in hot whey (a watery substance) then kneaded,
creating a smooth firm texture.
Cheese
Type
Cheddar
Total
%
Energy
Fat
(per 100g)
Mild and tasty. Keeps its shape in cold dishes and 1794kJ
36
flavour improves with cooking.
Description of Cheese
Colby
Softer, milder version of Cheddar with a slightly
sweet taste.
1680kJ
34
Edam
Semi-soft cheese with a buttery nutty taste.
Lower fat alternative to Cheddar with a milder
flavour.
1425kJ
26
Mozzarella Lower fat, stringy when hot, combines well with
other flavours.
1247kJ
19
Plain Feta
1050kJ
20
Crumbly Greek-style cheese that is preserved in
brine, a salty solution.
FO O D CHEMIST R Y
• Yeast is important in dough-making.
• Yeast feeds on sugars to produce carbon dioxide gas, alcohol and water in a
process known as fermentation.
• Fermentation is used in bread making as a raising agent.
• The alcohol and water evaporate during baking.
• Yeast comes as a fresh compressed block or dried granules.
• Both types of yeast are placed into warm water with a little sugar and left in
a warm place until bubbles form.
• Yeast is killed if the temperature of the water is too hot so always check the
liquid is around the same as your body temperature (a few drops on your
wrist should feel neither hot nor cold).
• There is also a third type of yeast called Surebake that is dried yeast mixed with
other ingredients.
• This yeast can be added directly to flour and does not need to be mixed with
warm water.
Ham and pineapple pizza
• Once the yeast is combined with the other ingredients the mixture is covered
and left to rise.
• Yeast mixtures rise quite quickly at warm temperatures and slowly in
cooler temperatures.
RECIPE
• When yeast mixtures are baked there is a rapid rise in the volume during the first
10 – 15 minutes.
• When the temperature of the mixture reaches about 600C the yeast cells are
killed and the rising stops.
C O O KING TECHN IQUES
Kneading dough
• Kneading the dough gets rid of any lumps and makes it smooth. It also helps the
dough to rise when it is cooked as the kneading stretches the gluten in the dough.
• Kneading is simple, dust your hands well with flour to stop the dough sticking to
your fingers.
The key steps are:
1. press
2. push
3. fold
4. turn
• Press the dough down with the palm of your hand and push it away from your body,
fold the dough in half and then turn it around and with the other hand start the
process again. See the Project Cook video for a great kneading demonstration.
N UTRI TION FACTS
• Pizzas can include ingredients from the four main food groups. Choose ingredients
that make your pizza a healthy fast food, for example:
• Add lots of vegetables.
• Use low fat cheese such as mozzarella.
• Choose lean meats such as chicken, tuna or ham.
List the four main food groups and name one ingredient in the Project Cook pizza
from that group:
1.
2.
3.
4. _____________________________________________________________
Ham and pineapple pizza
RECIPE
SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE
I N G R E D I E NT S -
Serves 4 people
1 medium onion
200g mushrooms
2 tablespoons oil
300g lean minced beef
2 teaspoons minced garlic
420g can Wattie’s® Traditional Pasta Sauce
1
/2 cup water or beef stock
grated Parmesan cheese
chopped parsley
Spaghetti (dry)
M E T HOD
1. Peel and chop the onion finely. Wipe the
mushrooms gently with a damp paper towel or
clean cloth, then slice them.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the mince and
onions and cook over a high heat, stirring the
mince well to break up any lumps as it browns.
3. Add the garlic and mushrooms. Continue
cooking for a further 1 minute.
4. Pour over the Wattie’s® Traditional Pasta
Sauce and water. Stir well. Bring to the
boil. Lower the heat and simmer the sauce
uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until beef is
cooked. Stir occasionally.
5. Serve the sauce over cooked spaghetti or
other pasta. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan
cheese and chopped parsley before serving.
To cook spaghetti
1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a rolling boil. Carefully add spaghetti to the water, gradually
allowing it to slide into the pan to avoid breaking the pasta.
2. Stir spaghetti with a large fork to keep the pasta separate.
3. Continue cooking at a rapid boil for 12-15 minutes until the pasta is al dente (firm to the bite).
4. Remove from the heat. Drain thoroughly. Return to the saucepan and toss a little olive oil through the
pasta – this will avoid the pasta sticking together.
T I P - Allow 100-125g uncooked pasta per person.
R EC I P E VA RI AT I ONS
1. You could use smaller shaped pasta and toss through the meat sauce when cooked.
2. Add 400g of frozen mixed vegetables five minutes before the end of cooking.
3. Replace the beef mince with chicken, pork or lamb mince.
RECIPE
UND E R STAN DIN G IN G RED I EN TS
Pasta sauce
• Pasta sauce can be used as a quick and easy base for many pasta dishes.
• Tomato-based pasta sauce is really just a very concentrated tomato mixture, and
often has other ingredients added such as onion, garlic or herbs.
• It is a great source of lycopene and has lots of vitamins and minerals as well. For
more information about lycopene see ‘Nutrition facts’ over the page.
FO O D CHEMIST R Y
Cooking and browning meat
• Cooking meat makes it easier to chew and digest.
• It also makes it safe to eat by destroying micro-organisms that may be harmful.
There are two main methods – either moist or dry heat.
• Moist heat is used for cuts of meat that do not have enough water present in their
tissues to soften the tough fibres. Long slow cooking in liquid is used to make the
meat tender.
Examples of moist heat cooking are:
• stewing
• braising
• casseroling
• boiling
• Dry heat can be used for tender meat cuts as they have enough water present in
their tissues to tenderise them while cooking.
Examples of dry heat cooking are:
• grilling
• pan frying
• roasting
• barbecuing
Spaghetti Bolognese
C O O KING TECHN IQUES
RECIPE
How to brown meat
1. Heat a heavy-based frying pan over a moderate heat.
2. Add a little oil if the pan does not have a non-stick surface.
3. Add the meat and cook over a medium heat until the under-side is golden brown.
4. Turn and continue cooking the meat until the other side is golden brown too.
Tips
• Don’t put too much meat in the pan at once, it lowers the temperature and stops
the meat browning properly.
• If the heat is too high the meat will become dry and develop a burnt flavour.
• Very high temperatures break down the fat to a smoke-like substance called
acrolein that has a nasty flavour and makes your eyes sore.
• When cooking mince-meat break it up with a fork as it is cooking.
N UTRI TION FACTS
What is Lycopene?
• It is the pigment that makes certain fruit and vegetables red.
• All tomato-based products contain lycopene.
• Heated tomatoes such as fresh-cooked, canned and sauces are highest in
lycopene because heating makes the lycopene more available to the body.
• Research has shown lycopene is important for good health and may help prevent
a number of diseases.
Spaghetti Bolognese
RECIPE
STIR-FRY CHICKEN & VEGETABLES
I N G R E D I E NT S -
Serves 4 people
400g stir-fry chicken (or boneless chicken thigh
or breast fillets sliced thinly)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1
/4 cup Wattie’s® Asian Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon Wattie’s® Asian Oyster Sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 – 2 teaspoons oil
1 teaspoon cornflour
1
/4 cup water
3 cups prepared fresh or frozen vegetables
M ET HOD
1. Place the stir-fry chicken in a bowl. Add
the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, oyster sauce
and honey. Toss to coat the chicken with the
mixture. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate the chicken mixture for
15 minutes.
2. Drain the chicken, reserving the marinade. Add
the cornflour and water to the marinade and
set aside.
4. Heat a little extra oil in the pan. Add the fresh
or frozen vegetables. Stir and toss over a high
heat for 2 – 3 minutes.
5. Return the chicken to the pan. Add the
marinade mixture. Stir and toss until
the vegetables are tender and sauce has
thickened. If you want to, add a little more
water to make more sauce.
6. Serve over cooked rice or noodles.
3. Heat a wok or frying pan with oil until hot.
Add the chicken to the pan and stir-fry for
2 – 3 minutes or until just cooked. Remove
the chicken and set aside.
T I P - When preparing ingredients for stir-frying it is important that they are sliced into thin, evensized pieces. That way they cook quickly and everything will be cooked at the same time.
R EC I P E VA RI AT I ONS
1. Use sliced beef, pork or chicken for this dish.
2. For a special treat, sprinkle a few cashew nuts over the stir-fry before serving.
3. Experiment with a wide range of your favourite fresh and frozen vegetables and aim to include lots
of different colours.
RECIPE
UND E R STAN DIN G IN G RED I EN TS
Rice varieties
• For Project Cook’s Stir-fry chicken and vegetables you should use long
grain rice, but there are many different types of rice and some dishes require a
specific variety.
• Risotto needs Aborio Rice – the starchy outer of the grain melts away to
thicken the risotto.
• Basmati
• Sushi
Rice is a fragrant variety used for Indian dishes.
Rice is a sticky starchy short grain variety.
• Jasmine
Rice is used for Asian meals.
• Wild
Rice isn’t really rice at all, but the dark seed from a special grass. It
requires long cooking and is generally served mixed with white rice.
FO O D CHEMIST R Y
Marinating
• Marinating is used to provide flavour.
• It involves leaving meat or fish in a combination of liquid ingredients and
other flavours like herbs and spices.
• Poultry and fish don’t have to be marinated for as long as other meats.
• A good tip is to put all the ingredients in a snap-lock bag – this makes it easier to
coat the meat.
• Meat marinated with sugars or honey must be cooked at a lower temperature
otherwise the sugar will burn before the meat is cooked.
Stir-fry chicken and vegetables
RECIPE
C O O KING TECHN IQUES
Cooking rice
• For 4 servings you need to cook one cup of raw rice, this will produce 3 – 4 cups of
cooked rice.
• Boiling water method:
1. Add the rice evenly to 2 – 3 litres of boiling water in a large saucepan.
2. Add 2 – 3 teaspoons of salt if you wish. Stir well.
3. Boil uncovered for 12 – 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
4. Drain into a colander or sieve, rinse with hot water and drain thoroughly.
• Absorption method:
1. Place the rice in a heavy-based saucepan, add 2 cups of boiling water for
each cup of rice.
2. Add 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of salt if you wish.
3. Bring the mixture to boiling point, cover the pan and cook over a very low
heat for 15 – 20 minutes.
• Microwave:
1. Place the rice in a large microwave-safe jug.
2. Add 2 cups of boiling water for each cup of rice.
3. Add 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of salt if you wish.
4. Cook the rice, uncovered, on high (100%) power for approximately
10 minutes.
• To tell if rice is cooked, carefully remove a few grains of rice and press with
your fingers.
• They are cooked when they are tender and squash easily.
N UTRI TION FACTS
• Vegetables contain lots of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants – all of which are
important for good health.
• There are some really easy things you can do to make sure your vegetables have
as many nutrients as possible when you use them in cooking.
• Storage of fruit and vegetables is important. Make sure that cans are kept in
a cool dry place and that fresh produce is either kept in the refrigerator or at
room temperature, not in direct sunlight.
•
Keep bags of vegetables in the freezer – they are quick and easy to add to
stir-fries and casseroles and add variety and colour to meals.
What food groups does a typical stir-fry meal provide?
1.
3.
Stir-fry chicken and vegetables
2.
NUTRITION &
HEALTHY EATING
• The basic nu t ri ent s
• Fo o d g ro up s an d gu idelin es
• Why do I ne ed nut ri ent s?
• Pro te in
• Carb o hyd rate
• Fats
• Vitamins, an t i oxi d ant s and m i nerals
• Adaping re c i p es
NUTRITION & HEALTHY EATING
THE BASIC NUTRIENTS
• The foods and meals we eat are made up of a variety of essential nutrients.
• These nutrients each have unique and essential roles to play in our body, such as
providing energy, growth, skin repair and brain function.
Protein
The body builder and repairer
Fat
Carbohydrate
The insulator and
a concentrated
energy source
The energizer
Vitamins and minerals
Water
The activators
The hydrator
NUTRITION & HEALTHY EATING
Food groups and guidelines
• Healthy eating is based around food and nutrition guidelines which are produced by our
Ministry of Health specific to different age groups.
• The guidelines say how much we should eat from each of the main food groups. This may
be different for adults, infants and children.
OILS, BUTTER,
LOLLIES, SWEETENED
DRINKS, POTATO
CHIPS, BISCUITS, HOT
CHIPS, ETC
Fats, sweets and treats
At least
2-3
serves
MILK,
YOGHURT,
SOY MILK,
CHEESE,
ICE CREAM
Dairy Products & Alternatives
At least
1
serve
MEAT,
CHICKEN,
FISH, EGGS,
NUTS, TOFU,
BEANS
Meats & Alternatives
At least
At least
6
5
serves
CEREALS, RICE, PASTA, BREAD,
POTATOES, CRUMPETS, PITA
BREAD, COUS COUS
Breads & Cereals
serves
FRESH, CANNED,
FROZEN, JUICED (1 SERVE/DAY)
AND DRIED
Fruits & Vegetables
NUTRITION & HEALTHY EATING
The main food groups
Serving sizes
Fruits and Vegetables
• This includes fresh, frozen, canned, juiced
and dried.
• Juiced and dried should be limited to no
more than one serve per day as they are
more concentrated in sugar.
• Choose at least three servings of vegetables and
two servings of fruit every day, and have more if
you can.
• It is also good to aim to have a variety of
different colours.
1 apple, pear, banana or orange
1 medium potato
1
/2 cup of frozen vegetables
1
/2 cup of canned fruit
1 cup of fruit juice (250 ml)
Use your hand as a guide for
serving size
• Fruit and vegetables provide carbohydrates, fibre,
vitamins and minerals.
Breads and Cereals
• Such as rice, pasta, breads and breakfast cereals.
1 medium slice of bread
/2 of cup muesli
1 wheat biscuit
1 cup of cooked pasta or rice
1 muffin
1
• Choose at least six servings a day, including
wholegrains.
• Highly active people may need more than this.
• Breads and cereal foods provide carbohydrates,
fibre and other nutrients.
Dairy Products and Alternatives
• Such as cheese, yoghurt and milks.
• Choose two to three servings each day, preferably
low fat varieties.
• Soy products can be used in place of dairy
but choose those high in calcium.
• Milk products are very important sources of
calcium and protein.
1 glass of milk (250 ml)
2 slices of cheese
1 pot of yoghurt
2 scoops of ice cream
NUTRITION & HEALTHY EATING
Lean Meats and Alternatives
• This group includes beef, lamb, chicken, pork,
seafood, eggs, dried beans, peas and lentils.
• Choose 1- 2 servings per day.
• These are valuable sources of protein and iron
plus other nutrients.
2 medium slices of lean meat
1 steak
2 drumsticks or 1 chicken leg
3
/4 cup of dried lentils
3
/4 cup of baked beans
1 medium fish fillet
1 egg
WHY DO I NEED NUTRIENTS?
• Food is the body’s fuel. Along with oxygen, water and sunlight, it supplies everything the
body needs to keep growing and functioning normally.
• Food supplies energy, water and other nutrients.
• We get energy in three different forms, called macronutrients.
• These are protein, carbohydrate and fat.
• The concentration of energy in these three is different.
For example:
Fat will provide more than twice as much energy as the same amount of protein and
carbohydrate provides.
1g Protein
1g Carbohydrate
1g Fat
= 17 kJ energy
= 17 kJ energy
= 37 kJ energy
• All the other nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and antioxidants are called
micronutrients. While these don’t supply energy, each has other very important roles in
the body.
Protein
• Protein is essential for growth and repair of body tissues.
• The word protein means ‘of first importance’.
• Every cell in the body is partly composed of protein and around 17% of an adult’s
total body weight is made up of protein (mainly found in the muscles).
NUTRITION & HEALTHY EATING
• While protein is essential, most New Zealanders eat more than enough.
• Your protein needs are easily met if you follow the food and nutrition guidelines.
One to two servings of meat, fish, poultry, eggs and two to three servings of milk
and milk products are plenty each day.
Amino Acids
• Protein is made up of long chains of amino acids.
• Amino acids are the building blocks of all our tissues and are essential to make
hormones and enzymes for the body to function normally.
• There are lots of different amino acids and these vary in different foods.
• If you eat a wide variety of protein foods such as meats, dairy products, legumes, beans
and seeds you will get all the necessary amino acids your body needs.
Carbohydrate
• Carbohydrates are in many foods but most of them in our diet come from plant foods.
• These include grains, cereals, breads, pasta, rice, fruits and vegetables.
• Carbohydrate can be broken into three different categories.
• Most carbohydrate foods are made up of a mixture of these three types but often in very
different proportions.
• Those three groups are:
1. Complex carbohydrates are also known as starches or polysaccharides (meaning many
sugars) and are made up of chains of lots of sugars.
2. Simple sugars are single or double sugars known as monosaccharides (one sugar) or
disaccharides (two sugars). They are faster to break down and provide energy more
quickly.
Monosaccharides include:
- known as dextrose or grape sugar.
• Fructose – fruit sugar.
• Galactose – formed during the digestion of milk sugar.
• Glucose
Disaccharides include:
• Sucrose – ordinary table sugar made up of one molecule of glucose and one
of fructose.
• Lactose – milk sugar made up of one molecule of glucose and one of galactose.
• Maltose – malt sugar made up of two molecules of glucose.
NUTRITION & HEALTHY EATING
3. Dietary Fibre
• Fibre is what gives plants their structure.
•
When you purée a fruit or vegetable and water seems to seep out of the purée,
that is because the fibrous cell walls have been broken down and the water has
been released.
• Dietary
fibre is the part of plant foods that is not digested in our stomach or
small intestine.
• Fibre
has lots of benefits, including keeping our intestines healthy and bowel
motions regular.
• Fibre
acts like a sponge and soaks up water, making bowel motions soft. For this
reason, a good intake of water is also important to allow fibre to act in this way.
• We
get all the fibre we need by eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables
each day and a wide range of breads and cereals including some wholemeal and
wholegrain varieties.
• Good
sources of fibre include wholegrains, corn, oats, nuts and seeds.
Fats
• Fats (also known as lipids) have several major roles in the body:
• An important energy store.
• Part of the structure of cell membranes.
• For many hormones.
• To insulate and protect the body and our organs from harm.
• Provide fat soluble vitamins.
How much fat is enough?
• Fat is the most concentrated source of energy so guidelines recommend around one
third of total energy intake should come from fat.
• Fat can be hidden in the foods we eat, so it can be easy to eat more than we need.
• This can result in us having more energy than our body needs – which then gets stored
as body fat.
We can keep our fat intake lower by:
• Using lean meats and trimming all visible fat from meats.
• Choosing lower-fat milk and milk products.
• Limiting our intake of high-fat foods such as fries, chips, biscuits, pastries, sausage rolls
and cakes.
NUTRITION & HEALTHY EATING
• Cooking in ways that need very little fat, such as oven baking, grilling, steaming or
micro-waving.
• Using small amounts of fat and trying to use mono or polyunstaturated fats which are
considered ‘good’ fats.
• These include canola, peanut and olive oils.
Not all fats are the same
• Fat is found in both animal and vegetable foods and there are three main types
depending on their structure:
1. Saturated fats
Commonly found in the fat in meats such as beef, lamb, bacon, pork, chicken and animal
products, like egg yolks and dairy products (cheese, butter and whole milk). It is also in
coconut milk.
2. Polyunsaturated fats
Found in plant oils such as peanut, soybean, cotton seed, corn, safflower and those used
in margarines.
3. Monounsaturated fats
Found in olives, olive oil, canola oil, almonds, pecan nuts and avocados.
When trying to find out the fat content of different foods, think about two types:
1. Visible fat – butter, margarine, lard, vegetable oils and visible fat on meat.
• This fat is easy to see.
2. Invisible fat – the fat that is within foods such as in meats and dairy products but also in
pastries, snacks and some sauces or dressings.
• Because you can’t see it, it can be difficult to know how much you are eating.
• Checking food labels is a good way to make sure you know how much total fat is in food
that you buy packaged.
Vitamin and minerals – the activators
• There are many essential vitamins and minerals.
• Everything that takes place in our body requires lots of different chemical
reactions to take place and vitamins and minerals are needed for a lot of these to
happen properly.
• When a particular vitamin or mineral is lacking in the diet over a long period of time what
is known as a ‘deficiency’ may develop.
• For example, if you have too little iron in your diet you may feel tired often as iron is
needed for healthy red blood cells that carry oxygen around the body.
• Vitamin C is very important in immune reactions and helping to repair skin.
A deficiency of vitamin C can result in wounds being very slow to heal, or cracks
developing at the corner of the mouth.
NUTRITION & HEALTHY EATING
• Foods tend to be made up of a variety of vitamins and minerals and no single food or
drink provides all the vitamins and minerals we need - yet another reason why it is
important to eat a variety of foods.
VITAMINS, ANTIOXIDANTS AND MINERALS
• The vitamins A ,D, E, K, C and the B group of vitamins all help to regulate body functions
and keep us healthy.
Vitamin C
• Vitamin C is one of the most well-known vitamins and plays many important roles.
• Our best sources of vitamin C are fruits and vegetables, with citrus fruits being a
particularly good source, as well as kiwifruit, tomatoes and broccoli.
Antioxidants
• Antioxidants play an important role in the body.
• They latch onto substances known as free radicals and destroy them.
• Free radicals are substances that can potentially harm healthy cells.
• Antioxidants therefore reduce our level of free radicals.
Vitamin C
• As well as being a vitamin, vitamin C is an antioxidant.
• It is also known as ascorbic acid and may be added to foods as a preservative because its
antioxidant (meaning ‘against oxygen’) effect prevents foods from going brown.
• A good example of this is when a slice of apple or banana goes brown but when we
squeeze lemon juice over the cut fruit it does not go brown.
• The vitamin C in the juice stops the oxygen causing browning.
Lycopene
• Try and have some lycopene each day – the Project Cook Spaghetti Bolognese recipe is a
good source of lycopene.
• Lycopene is the pigment that gives tomatoes their red colour.
•It is also in pink grapefruit, guava and watermelon.
• Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant, which means it helps protect the body against
some diseases.
• Did you know that the lycopene in processed tomatoes is more available to the body
because of the heat treatment process?
• Canned tomatoes, tomato paste, juice, sauces and soup are good sources of lycopene.
NUTRITION & HEALTHY EATING
Minerals
• The term minerals is widely used to cover lots of nutrients including:
• minerals (calcium, magnesium and phosphorus).
• trace elements (iron, copper, zinc, iodine, fluoride and manganese).
• electrolytes (sodium and potassium).
Iron
• Iron is essential for good health.
• It is a component of our two blood proteins:
1. Haemoglobin which carries oxygen in our blood.
2. Myoglobin which holds oxygen in our muscle cells.
• Iron:
Helps carry oxygen in the blood stream and muscles, and remove the carbon
dioxide back to the lungs.
• Helps create energy from the food we eat and contributes to a healthy
immune system.
• Is important for learning and development.
•
• There are two types of iron - haem iron in animal foods and non-haem iron in plant foods.
1. Haem iron is easily absorbed by our body and is found in meat.
The redder the meat the more iron it contains.
For example, red meats such as lamb, mutton and beef are the best sources of
haem iron. Chicken, pork and seafood also contain haem iron.
2. Non-haem iron is found in plant foods and is less well-absorbed.
Eating non-haem iron with haem iron or vitamin C rich foods increases iron absorption.
• Iron tip: To help make sure you get lots of iron from your meals it is a good idea to
include tomatoes, broccoli, capsicum or a glass of orange juice as part of the meal – the
vitamin C will help boost iron absorption.
• Avoid drinking tea with meals as the tannins present in tea will make it harder to
absorb the iron!
Calcium
• Calcium is an essential mineral that builds strong bones and teeth and is also involved in
the processes required for normal nerve and muscle function.
• While our body is growing, calcium is particularly important.
• We need to ensure we consume enough calcium on a daily basis so our bones reach
maximum strength.
• Inadequate intakes of calcium may mean our skeleton is weak and when we are
older it may be more susceptible to injuries.
• It may also increase the risk of developing osteoporosis.
• Calcium tip: Get your day off to a healthy strong start with a glass of trim milk or a
yoghurt and fruit smoothie.
NUTRITION & HEALTHY EATING
Fluids
• After oxygen, water is the next most important substance for human life.
• A person can only survive for five to six days without water.
• Water is also a source of minerals.
• We obtain the water we need to meet our body’s needs from two sources:
1. The fluids we drink.
2. The foods we eat.
• Fluids such as milk and juice are mostly made of water while the water content of foods
will depend on the food type.
• For example, an apple is 85% water and bread is 39% water.
• It is important to remember that many fluids (particularly those high in sugar) will add to
our daily energy intake.
• Drinks that contain high levels of energy but little or no other nutrients (such as
sweetened soft drinks or fruit cordials) are not good everyday choices and should be
enjoyed occasionally as treats.
ADAPTING RECIPES
• When thinking about healthy eating and maintaining good health, it can be a good idea to
look at ways recipes can be altered to provide further nutritional benefits.
Increasing dietary fibre
• There are some simple ways to increase intake of dietary fibre.
• Dietary fibre comes from plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, breads and
cereals and within these foods there are some that are higher in fibre than others.
• For example, wholemeal breads contain more fibre than white breads.
• The following are ways to increase the dietary fibre of Project Cook recipes:
Cinnamon apple muffins
Use wholemeal flour.
• Add extra fruit or grated vegetables to the mixture.
• Use nuts or seeds as a topping.
•
Macaroni cheese
•
•
Use wholemeal flour to make the sauce – this also gives a slightly different flavour.
Add some frozen peas and corn to the cheese sauce and heat through.
Ham and pineapple pizza
•
•
Use lots of vegetable toppings.
Use some wholemeal flour in the base.
NUTRITION & HEALTHY EATING
Spaghetti Bolognese
Add grated carrot, frozen corn or chopped capsicum or tomato to the meat sauce.
• Use wholemeal spaghetti.
•
Stir-fry chicken and vegetables
Serve with brown rice or wholemeal noodles.
• Add nuts to the top when serving.
•
Reducing fat content
• The following are ways to reduce the fat content of the Project Cook recipes:
Cinnamon apple muffins
Use low fat milk or yoghurt in the muffins.
• Because muffins need some fat in the mixture to keep them tender and moist it is
not ideal to reduce the fat too much.
• Replace half the fat with yoghurt in an equal quantity.
•
Macaroni cheese
Use low fat milk.
• Use low fat cheese in the cheese sauce.
• Replace the butter with another type of fat (this won’t reduce the total fat
content but will replace the saturated fat content in the form of a poly or
monounsaturated fat).
•
Ham and pineapple pizza
•
Use reduced fat cheese.
Spaghetti Bolognese
Use lean mince.
• Cook the mince and then drain off any fat that comes out of it.
• Use a low fat cheese as a topping.
•
Stir-fry chicken and vegetables
Use only a very small amount of oil to fry the chicken and then add some water to
steam cook the vegetables.
• Trim any visible fat off the chicken so it is as lean as possible.
• Remove the skin from chicken.
• Always serve meals with plenty of vegetables or salad.
• This helps to add bulk to the meals without adding too much energy from fat.
•
NUTRITION & HEALTHY EATING
Variations to a White Sauce
Vary the fat used
• Traditionally, the fat used in a white sauce is butter but you can use a monounsaturated
fat such as olive oil.
• This will reduce the saturated fat content.
• It is not a good idea to reduce the amount of fat or oil used as this is what coats the
flour granules and stops them forming lumps when the liquid is added.
Vary the liquid used
• Homogenised milk is traditionally used to make a white sauce but you can also use lower
fat milk or even other liquids, such as chicken or vegetable stock.
• The milk used for the white sauce can alter the fat and calcium content.
• Look at the energy, fat and calcium content of the following milks:
Total Fat
(per 250ml)
Total
Calcium
(per 250ml)
Homogenised A pasteurised and homogenised milk 666 kJ
with some of the cream removed.
8.8g
299mg
Lite
Half the fat of homogenised.
634kJ
3.9g
590mg
Trim
Very low in fat and energy, but with
added calcium.
450kJ
1.1g
377mg
Calcium-rich
A low fat alternative with extra
calcium.
583kJ
0.1g
516mg
Type of Milk
Description
Total Energy
(per 250ml)
ADDITIONAL
ACTIVITIES
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
De sign a new p rod uct for Wat t i e’s
Cre ate a Food I n A M i nut e ® scri p t
Food and cult ure
What’s in a nam e?
What’s in a m eal?
R e ading l abels
Adapting reci p es
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES
HOW TO USE THIS SECTION
• These activities can be used at the teacher’s discretion to support the curriculum links.
• For many activities you will find more information in the supporting material section.
DESIGN A NEW PRODUCT FOR WATTIE’S
Product development
• New products are being developed all the time. Food companies often do research to
tell them what people want, and where there are gaps in the market for a new product
or a variation of an existing product.
Activity
• Try adding to the Wattie’s range of sauces by completing this activity:
• A brief from the marketing department says they want new products in the sauce
range that will excite and inspire people. Your mission is to develop a range of
sauces to add to the existing range.
Things to consider:
- Who will buy them?
- How are they different from what’s available now?
- What will they taste like and what will they be used for?
- What will they be called?
- How will you promote them?
- What will they cost and where will they be available?
CREATE A FOOD IN A MINUTE® SCRIPT
• Food In A Minute® is a programmette and aims to help people plan what they might
make for dinner that night.
• Food In A Minute® is on television every night at 5.59pm, just before the 6 O’clock News
on TV One.
Activity
• Your mission is to develop a Food In A Minute® script for one of the recipes in
Project Cook.
• Create your own script and filming plan, matching the words to the images you
plan to film.
• If you have the facilities, you could even film it and show it to your class and family.
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES
FOOD AND CULTURE
Cultural differences in ingredients
• The basic food ingredients used in meals differ from country to country.
For example:
• Italy is well-known for pasta
• Malaysia for noodles
• Japan for rice
Activity
• Research the different food practices, traditions and ingredients in a country of
your choice.
• Try and look at a country that uses noodles, rice or spaghetti as a food staple.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
• There are lots of different words for foods.
Activity
• Try listing as many as you can, for fibre, salt, fat and sugar (see Supporting Information
for help).
• To do this, it’s good to bring in a few packets or cans of food from home to
compare and analyse in class.
WHAT’S IN A MEAL?
• We don’t usually just eat individual foods – people tend to eat a meal or dish made up of
different foods or a manufactured food that is made up of many different ingredients.
• Understanding a little more about what’s in those meals makes it easier for us to have
a balanced diet.
Activity
• List the food groups contained in the five Project Cook meals:
• Cinnamon apple muffins
• Macaroni cheese
• Ham and pineapple pizza
• Spaghetti Bolognese
• Stir-fry chicken and vegetables
410g
NET
SERVING
SUGGESTION
PACKED BY
HEINZ WATTIE’S LIMITED,
513 KING ST NORTH, HASTINGS, NEW ZEALAND
www.watties.co.nz
MADE IN NEW ZEALAND FROM LOCAL & IMPORTED INGREDIENTS
® REGISTERED TRADEMARK
™ TRADEMARK
© COPYRIGHT HEINZ WATTIE'S LTD.
WATTIE'S® welcomes your feedback
on our products. For questions or
comments contact our Consumer
Support Team Toll Free on 0800 653 050
Thank you for choosing WATTIE'S® we have been proudly providing
the finest quality fruit and vegetables
for over 60 years. Your support helps
us to continue this tradition.
POTASSIUM
ENERGY
PROTEIN
FAT, TOTAL
- SATURATED
CARBOHYDRATE
- SUGARS
DIETARY FIBRE
SODIUM
AVG. QUANTITY AVG. QUANTITY
PER 100g
PER SERVING
SERVINGS PER PACKAGE: 2
SERVING SIZE: 205g
NUTRITION INFORMATION
INGREDIENTS:
THIS IS NOT A TRUE REPRESENTATION
™
†
RE
YCLAB
L
ST
E EL
C
• Fill in the label here with the sorts of things you’d expect to see on a food label, you can choose what the product is
– hint: it has to come in a can.
• Visit www.foodstandards.govt.nz to research food labelling.
Activity
• Packaged products include a list of ingredients.
• This will list the ingredient that is present in the greatest amount first, down to the ingredient that is present in
the smallest amount.
• Being able to read nutrition information labels helps us understand what’s in the food we eat.
READING LABELS
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES
E
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES
ADAPTING RECIPES
• Knowing what’s in the food you’re eating is really important for good health.
• Once you’ve had some cooking practice, it’s good to adapt recipes to make them
healthier or just yummier!
• Some people also adapt recipes because they are vegetarians or vegans, do a lot of
sport, have a health condition or are trying to lose or gain weight.
• By now you should have made the Project Cook Macaroni cheese recipe. This can be
adapted in a lot of ways.
For example:
• You can make it lower fat
• Add more vegetables
• Include a serving of meat
• You can change the nutrient content of recipes by changing some of the ingredients.
You might:
• Reduce the energy content by using lower fat ingredients.
• Add fibre by increasing the amount of wholegrains, fruit or vegetables.
Activity
• Adapting the recipes in Project Cook is easy!
Think about how to reduce the fat content of:
• Cinnamon
apple muffins
• Macaroni cheese
• Ham and pineapple pizza
• Spaghetti Bolognese
• Stir-fry chicken and vegetables
How would you add more dietary fibre to:
Cinnamon apple muffins
Macaroni cheese
• Ham and pineapple pizza
• Spaghetti Bolognese
• Stir-fry chicken and vegetables
•
•
• As well as making changes to the nutrient content, you can use these recipes as bases
for other meals. For example, you can make lasagne or cannelloni with the Spaghetti
Bolognese mixture.
• Think about how this can be done with each new recipe you try.
SUPPORTING
INFORMATION
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
R aising agent s
Food safe ty
Labe l re ading
N ame s for ...
We bsite s
Kitche n bas i cs
Glossary
SUPPORTING INFORMATION
HOW TO USE THIS SECTION
• The supporting information in these pages can help with recipe teaching, activities or
supplement students’ learning.
RAISING AGENTS
• Most batters and dough change in volume during baking.
• This is largely due to the use of raising agents in the mixtures. Air, steam, and
gas (carbon dioxide) are produced by yeast or the chemical reaction from baking
powder or baking soda.
How do these work?
Air
• During the preparation of ingredients for baked foods, air is incorporated or trapped and
as the air expands during cooking it acts as a raising agent.
Examples are:
1. Sifting dry ingredients.
2. Creaming butter and sugar together to trap air bubbles in the mixture.
3. Whisking eggs or egg whites to a foam traps tiny bubbles of air.
Steam
• Steam, like air, almost always acts as a raising agent.
• Just a small amount of water in a mixture will expand when it is changed to steam during
baking in the oven.
Baking Powder
• Baking powder is made from a combination of an alkaline (baking soda) and an
acid (either tartaric acid or cream of tartar) with starch to act as a filler.
• When mixed with the liquid ingredients in a recipe, baking powder reacts and produces
carbon dioxide.
• The carbon dioxide expands as the mixture is heated and increases the volume of
the baked goods before the mixture becomes firm.
• The most common form of baking powder is the double acting variety, which produces
gas when mixed and again at high temperatures.
Baking Soda
• Baking soda has no raising properties contained in it but can be used as a raising agent
when combined with an acid such as sour cream.
SUPPORTING INFORMATION
• Because baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate, becomes fizzy when it is mixed
with liquids, it acts as a raising agent.
• It is quite bitter, so it is often used with golden syrup or brown sugar to help disguise its
flavour, for example in hokey-pokey or gingerbread.
KEEPING SAFE WHEN COOKING - FOOD SAFETY
The 4 c’s of Food Safety
• Keeping food safe to eat is important – so you don’t get sick.
• Food-borne illness is caused by bacteria called campylobacter and salmonella.
• The bacteria multiply quickly in warm, moist conditions.
• Luckily these illnesses are avoidable, by following some simple food handling tips
as follows.
Clean
• Clean hands before handling food.
• Clean hands are hands that are washed with soap and dried with a clean towel. It’s
important to always wash your hands before handling food, but just as important to wash
them after you do other things like:
• handling raw meat, fish and poultry
• going to the toilet
• handling your pets
• Clean utensils and scrub chopping boards between preparing raw and cooked food.
Cook
• Cook minced meat and sausages thoroughly (meat should not be pink) and cook poultry
(usually chicken) until juices run clear.
• Re-heat leftovers until they are very hot and don’t reheat them more than once.
• Never leave hot food to cool for more than two hours before putting it in the fridge.
• Pre-cook minced meat, sausages and poultry before barbecuing.
• Do not put cooked meat back on the same plate that held raw meat.
Cover
• The only time food should be uncovered is when you’re eating it.
• Cover all foods before storing.
• Keep raw meat and poultry covered and away from ready-to-eat food, fruit and vegetables.
SUPPORTING INFORMATION
• Cover food outside to stop insects and bugs getting into it.
• Keep raw meat and poultry in the bottom of the fridge so their juices don’t drip onto
other foods.
Chill
• Keep raw and cooked food separate in the fridge.
• Use a chilly bin and frozen pad outside to keep food cool. This is good when
travelling.
• Bacteria that cause food-borne illness love room temperature - keep food very cold or
very hot.
• Defrost frozen foods in the fridge, not on the bench.
• Leave marinating food in the fridge, not on the bench.
LABEL READING
• Food labels contain a lot of information about what is in that food item.
• Nutrition information panels (NIP) are the most detailed and tell you about the kilojoules
in the food (energy), and the protein, total fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugars and
sodium (salt) levels. Some labels may also list other nutrients such as fibre.
• The NIP contains the quantity of nutrients per 100g and per serve.
• For example, a 500g can of tomato soup may serve two people so the NIP includes
per serve information (250g) and the standard per 100g information.
INGREDIENTS: PEACHES (66%),
FRUIT JUICE (APPLE OR GRAPE JUICE).
NUTRITION INFORMATION
SERVINGS PER PACKAGE: 2
SERVING SIZE: 205g
CERT TM USED UNDER LICENCE
NET
410g
Peach Slices
AVG. QUANTITY AVG. QUANTITY
PER 100g
PER SERVING
ENERGY
PROTEIN
FAT, TOTAL
- SATURATED
CARBOHYDRATE
- SUGARS
DIETARY FIBRE
SODIUM
POTASSIUM
2
515kJ
1.0g
0.2g
0g
27.7g
21.5g
2.1g
5mg
310mg
250kJ
0.5g
0.1g
0g
13.5g
10.5g
1.0g
5mg
150mg
™
As part of a healthy diet, dietitians
†
recommend eating at least five servings
of a variety of fruit and veg each day.
This product is equivalent to 2 of
your recommended daily servings.
e
ru it Ju ic
In Clear F
2
PACKED BY
HEINZ WATTIE’S LIMITED,
513 KING ST NORTH, HASTINGS, NEW ZEALAND
www.watties.co.nz
MADE IN NEW ZEALAND FROM LOCAL & IMPORTED INGREDIENTS
® REGISTERED TRADEMARK
™ TRADEMARK
© COPYRIGHT HEINZ WATTIE'S LTD.
FRUIT
& VEG
Peach Slices in Clear Fruit Juice
Juic
WATTIE'S® Golden Queen Peaches are well known in New Zealand for
their delicious, juicy taste. The can’s airtight seal means that the
peaches are preserved naturally, without the need for any artificial
preservatives. These peaches come in a tasty and refreshing fruit
juice, ideal as a healthy breakfast accompaniment
Thank you for choosing WATTIE'S® - we have been proudly
providing the finest quality fruit and vegetables for over 60
years. Your support helps us to continue this tradition.
WATTIE'S® welcomes your feedback on our products.
For questions or comments contact our Consumer
Support Team Toll Free on 0800 653 050
NO ADDED SUGAR
EACH DAY
PRESERVATIVE FREE
RE
DIETARY FIBRE
SERVING
SUGGESTION
Nutrition information panel
C
YC
ST
E
SUPPORTING INFORMATION
What else is on a food label?
• Food labels will show information about any other nutrient where there is a claim made
on the label – such as ‘a good source of calcium’ or ‘rich in lycopene’.
• Food labels also contain other useful information such as cooking instructions, website
addresses, consumer information numbers, and benefits such as no added colours or
preservatives.
• There may be logos included on labels like the National Heart Foundation’s Pick the Tick
symbol, the Wattie’s Fruit & Veg Each Day count device or the Coeliac Society’s gluten
free logo.
• The ingredient list shows percentages of the main ingredients.
• Some labels have allergen warnings. These are in case people are allergic to certain
ingredients, such as peanut or egg.
Some foods don’t need nutrition information.
These are:
• Unpackaged foods such as fresh meat, fruit, vegetables and nuts or food sold in
a restaurant.
• Food made and packaged on the premises from where it is sold, for example at a bakery.
• Food packaged in the presence of the customer, for example at a delicatessen or a
take-away food shop.
• Packaged whole or cut fresh fruit and vegetables (but not bean sprouts) where you can
see the fruit or vegetables through the package.
• Food delivered packaged at the customer’s request, for example home-delivered pizza.
• Food sold at a fund-raising event like a school fair.
• Individual-serve packages that are sold in a large package, although the information has
to be on the outer package.
• Nutrition information panels do not have to be on packages that are smaller than
100 sq cm (about the size of a chewing gum package) or on foods with minimal nutrition
like herbs, spices, tea or coffee.
SUPPORTING INFORMATION
NAMES FOR….
You’ll see lots of these words on food labels. Look at their many sources:
Source
Fibre
Salt
Fat
Sugars
Wholegrain
Wholemeal
Bran
Any words containing sodium
Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
Meat extracts or yeast extracts
Stock powders
Baking powder
Baking soda
Polyunsaturated
Monounsaturated
Saturated
Cream
Oil (e.g. corn, peanut, vegetable, soya bean, olive)
Butter
Margarine
Fatty Acids
Any words ending in ‘ose’ e.g. sucrose, fructose, maltose,
lactose, dextrose
Mannitol, Sorbitol, Xylitol
Corn syrup
Golden syrup
Molasses
Malt
Honey
Brown sugar
White sugar
Treacle
USEFUL WEBSITES
• For recipes and tips visit Food in a Minute at www.foodinaminute.co.nz
• Nutrition recommendations and statistics visit Ministry of Health at www.moh.govt.nz
• Food pyramid visit National Heart Foundation at www.nhf.org.nz
• Canning, preserving and recycling at www.cannedfood.org
• Lycopene – the red in tomatoes www.lycopene.org
• Food Standards – laws and labelling information at www.foodstandards.govt.nz
• Food safety information is at www.foodsafe.org.nz
SUPPORTING INFORMATION
KITCHEN BASICS
Oven temperature guide
Celsius
Fahrenheit
Gas
120
250
1
/2
150
300
2
160
325
3
180
350
4
190
375
5
200
400
6
220
425
7
Measures
1 c = cup = 250 millilitres
1 T = tablespoon = 15 millilitres
1 t = teaspoon = 5 millilitres
Everyday equivalents
Butter and Sugar
Flour
1 t = 5g
1 T = 15g
1 c = 250g
2 t = 5g
2 T = 15g
1 c (sifted) = 125g
GLOSSARY
Al dente
• Food that is cooked until it is ‘firm to the bite’. This is most commonly used to describe
the way pasta should be when it is cooked.
Baste
• To spoon juices over food that is being roasted or baked to prevent it from drying out and
to glaze the surface – commonly meat, or baked fruit.
Bind
• To add eggs, cream or liquid to a recipe to make the other ingredients hold together.
Blanch
• To plunge food (usually vegetables) into boiling water briefly. This is often to help loosen
their skins or to par-cook prior to freezing or using in recipes.
Cream
• To beat softened butter and sugar, either by hand, using a wooden spoon or a cake mixer
until they become soft and creamy and lighter in colour.
SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Fold (to)
• A gentle hand mixing method used to combine a lighter, airy mixture (eg: beaten eggs)
with a heavier mixture.
• Use a metal spoon or spatula to cut through the mixture, gently lifting the bottom
mixture to the top and turning the spoon over to ‘fold’ it into the mixture again.
• The motion is top to bottom rather than round and round.
Freezing
• Make sure that anything you put into the freezer is tightly sealed in moisture-proof and
vapour-proof packaging so that air does not get in and cause freezer burn on your food.
Glaze
• To coat foods, particularly meat or cakes, with sugar syrup, jam, egg, milk or meat juice
to give it a shiny surface when cooked.
Lukewarm
• A temperature that feels neither hot nor cold when tested on the inside wrist –
around 35OC.
Pan-fry
• To cook quickly in heated frying pan using a small amount of oil or butter.
Parboil
• To partly cook in boiling water. In the case of vegetables, they should still be very firm,
but not crunchy.
Poach
• To cook foods very gently in simmering water or other liquid eg: wine.
Purée
• To mash, sieve or blend well-cooked vegetables or fruit to create a thick smooth ‘mush’.
Refresh
• To plunge cooked vegetables into cold, or iced water to stop the cooking process after
they are removed from boiling water.
Roux (White Sauce)
• A method of thickening a sauce by cooking flour and butter together, then gradually
stirring in the liquid ingredients.
Rub into
• A method of combining flour and butter, by rubbing or pressing the butter into the flour
using a pastry blender, two knives used like scissors or finger tips.
• The butter is ‘rubbed in’ when the mixture reaches the consistency of coarse
breadcrumbs.
Sauté
• To fry food quickly in a hot pan, stirring or shaking the pan.
SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Scald
• To heat liquids, (usually milk) until small bubbles appear around the edge of the pan.
Score
• To cut the surface of meat, pastry, or fruit with a sharp knife, without cutting right
through it.
Sear
• To cook (usually meat) in a hot pan or on a grill to brown the surface.
Simmer
• To cook in liquid that is heated to the point where little bubbles rise to the surface.
Skim
• To remove fat or scum from the surface of a boiling or simmering liquid.
Steam
• To cook in the steam created by boiling water – usually in a lidded container that allows
the steam in through vents in the base.
• Also refers to method of cooking puddings (especially Christmas puddings) where
the pudding is cooked in a sealed container and is immersed in boiling water.
Stir-fry
• Method of cooking – traditionally in a wok, but also in a pan, where small pieces of food
are cooked at a high temperature while turning and tossing constantly until just cooked.
Stock
• A well-flavoured liquid, used as the base of soups, stews and in risottos – can be home
made or packaged.
Sweat
• To cook vegetables, particularly onion, until the juices just run and the vegetable softens
without colouring.
Whip
• To beat with an egg-beater or electric beater until thick and frothy.
Whisk
• To beat with a whisk until thick or frothy.
Zest
• The outer rind of citrus fruit containing essential oils.
•Must be removed with care – to avoid removing the white pith with the zest.
date
PROJECT
PROJE
CT
PROJECT
PROJE
CT
signed
for
for
signed
COOK
COOK
date
CONGRATULATIONS
Awarded to
CONGRATULATIONS
Awarded to
Project Cook sources
Cancer Society of New Zealand, Fit Food Selection Guide, 1994
J Yee, Discovering Asian Ingredients, For New Zealand Cooks, 2001
Ministry of Health, Food & Nutrition Guidelines for Healthy Children aged 2-12 years, 1997
Ministry of Health, Food & Nutrition Guidelines for Healthy Adolescents, 1998
Ministry of Health, Food & Nutrition Guidelines for Healthy Adults, 2003
M Browne, H Leach & N Tichborne, The New Zealand Bread Book, 1981
New Zealand Guild of Food Writers Handbook, 1999
New Zealand Institute for Crop & Food Research, The Concise New Zealand Food
Composition Tables, 6th Ed, 2003
NZ Food Safety Partnership, at www.foodsafe.org.nz
R Stanton, Complete Book of Food and Nutrition, 1989
Thank you to the Home Economics and Technology Teachers’ Association of New Zealand,
the New Zealand Dietetic Association, the New Zealand Guild of Food Writers and the
New Zealand Nutrition Foundation for their valuable input and advice on the creation of
Project Cook.
Phone: 0800 653 050
www.watties.co.nz
© Heinz Wattie’s Limited
December 2004