What's Cooking?

Delicious dumplings, exotic eclairs

It has been another busy few weeks in Food Technologies, with students continuing to develop their practical cookery skills while exploring a range of cuisines and culinary techniques.

Our Year 10 Food Technologies students recently took on the challenge of making their own Pork Potstickers from scratch. Students learned the art of filling, folding, and pleating dumplings, a skill that requires patience, precision, and attention to detail. After preparing the pork filling, students carefully practised traditional pleating techniques before pan-frying and steaming their dumplings to create the signature crispy base and tender wrapper. The results were impressive, with many students producing restaurant-quality potstickers while gaining an appreciation for the craftsmanship involved in traditional Asian cuisine.

Year 10 students also demonstrated their growing confidence in the kitchen by creating Chocolate Éclairs from scratch. This complex practical required students to prepare three key components independently. Students first produced a smooth and silky crème pâtissière, before mastering the science behind choux pastry. Once baked, students assembled their éclairs by piping in the filling and finishing them with a rich chocolate glaze. The practical challenged students to apply a range of technical skills while developing a deeper understanding of the processes involved in pastry production.

Meanwhile, our Year 9 Food Technologies students have been hard at work completing their last major practical assessment task, "All Wrapped Up." Students were challenged to design and create an original dish based around the concept of wrapping food. The possibilities were endless, with students incorporating ingredients into wraps, lettuce cups, pancakes, crepes, rice paper rolls, pastry parcels, and many other creative formats. Throughout the assessment, students have demonstrated excellent creativity, problem-solving skills, and an ability to apply the food preparation techniques they have learned throughout the semester. It has been fantastic to see the diverse range of dishes produced and the unique interpretations of the assessment theme.

The Food Technologies kitchen continues to be a hub of creativity, collaboration, and hands-on learning, and we look forward to seeing what our students create next semester.

Miss Olivia Andrew

Coordinator of Food Technologies and Humanities Teacher