Author: Jenny Ridgwell

November 14, 2016

Gelatinisation of starch – NEA 1

Food and Nutrition GCSE has an Investigation NEA which could be

Investigate the ingredients used to thicken sauces and soups

Look at the Book NEA 1 Food Investigations

This is how I do it:
Think what ingredients are used to thicken sauces and soups and which starch is best for recipes.

White sauce, Tomato sauce or soup, Fruit sauce…

Starchy ingredients thicken sauces when they are heated in liquid.

So test some starches:
Rice starch, cornflour, plain flour, arrowroot, potato flour … you choose.

Create a FAIR TEST. Mix the same amount of starch (10g) with the same amount of water (100ml).

Heat each one in the microwave and look every 20 seconds, stir and remove when it is thick.

Taste and test each one.

Use the Star Profile on the Nutrition Program to show your results:

First list the starches, then choose Descriptors – words to describe the results – thick, creamy, clear, glossy, tasty …

Different starches and gelatinisation
Different starches and gelatinisation
This star profile from Nutrition Program shows tasting results
This star profile shows tasting results

Fill in your tasting results:-

This star from Nutrition Program shows the results
This star shows the results for the starches
This star shows the evaluations of gelatinisation
This star from the Nutrition Program shows the evaluations of gelatinisation
These are the final results of the starch test.
These are the final results of the starch test presented using The Nutrition Program.

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Star profile on YouTube for Nutrition Program

November 9, 2016

Pink pickled turnips

Pink pickled turnips are a favourite ingredient in falafel wraps and mezze in the Middle East.

Pink pickled turnips - done!!

Pink pickled turnips – done!!

The science of making them is amazing – osmosis transfer of the colour from the beetroot to the white turnips.

Ingredients

500g small white turnips

1 small red beetroot 25g

25g salt

300ml white distilled vinegar

300ml water

1 teaspoon sugar

1 red chilli

Method

  1. Peel the turnips and the beetroot to remove outside skin.
  2. Cut into 1 cm chip sized shapes. Put in a bowl and sprinkle over 1 tablespoon of salt. Leave for 15 minutes so that the turnips soften.
  3. Heat the vinegar, water and sugar in a saucepan
  4. Wash the turnip chips by placing in a sieve and running cold water through them. Dry with paper towel
  5. Place turnip chips into a glass jar and cover with the slices of beetroot.
  6. Pour over the vinegar mixture – you can add chilli for flavour.
  7. Cover and store for a week to allow the turnips have turned pink. Leave for longer and they will turn pinker. They can be stored for up to 6 weeks in the refrigerator.
  8. The pickled turnip strips can be used as dips for hummus or rolled up with falafel in pitta bread with some tahini dip. I like to remove the beetroot strips as they lose their colour in the pickling.

Pink pickled turnipspickled turnipsturnip3Pink turnips after week

Pink pickled turnips - done!!

Pink pickled turnips – done!!

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October 31, 2016

Flour in bread – investigation NEA 1

This YouTube video shows how to use the Star Profile of the Nutrition Program to Investigate flours used for bread.

Set up a Star Profile to compare the different flours used in bread. Complete the Star Profile with your results.

Compare Flours for NEA on bread
Compare Flours for NEA on bread
Different flours – thanks to Dave Smith for image

The nutrition of different flours

The amount of gluten, the protein in flour, affects how the flour can be used in cooking.

  • Flours which are high in gluten are used for breads and pastas.
  • Flours which are low in gluten are used for cakes and scones and sauces.

Compare the protein content of different flours

Use the Nutrition Program for this investigation.

  1. Click My Recipes, +New Recipe and call it Flour Investigation.
  2. Find Ingredient Type flour and a whole list is shown.
Nutrition Program list of flours

If you want to look at what flours to use for bread choose 4-5 types

For example

  • flour 00 grade;
  • flour, bread, strong white;
  • flour, plain; flour,
  • self raising, white;
  • flour, gluten free.

Choose them each in turn – the screen shows the Macronutrients for 100 g.

Nutrition Flour 00 grade

To get nutrition for the next flour, Cancel and go back to Find Ingredient.

Collect screen images and put the results of protein in 100g on a table like the one below.

Nutrition strong white bread flour
FlourProtein in 100g
Flour 00 grade11g
Flour strong white bread13g
Flour, plain9.7g
Flour, self raising, white8.9g
Flour, gluten free bread flour, Doves farm4.8g

For NEA 1 research, compare the protein content – my results show that Strong, white bread flour has the most protein and so the most gluten which forms the structure of the loaf.

Use Food Science You Can Eat to help

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October 17, 2016

Costing a dish

Costing a dish – see the You Tube video

Costing a recipe on Youtube

The cost of a recipe is worked out for a portion and the whole recipe. You can work out costs by hand, on a spreadsheet or using a computer program.

Cost of ingredients depends on

  • Where you shop – supermarket, local market.
  • How you shop – special offers, buy in bulk.
  • The quality of your ingredients – organic food costs more.
  • If you buy seasonally, or grow your own.

Terms from AQA Food and Nutrition GCSE requirements

  • To calculate the cost of the dish and compare with a commercial product.
  • Differentiated worksheets and home learning resources to calculate costs of spaghetti bolognaise or chilli.
  • Costings worksheet.
  • Work out the cost of ingredients to make chosen dish and compare to ready-meal tested.
  • Consider suitable recipe ideas, sourcing of ingredients to promote environmental and ethical awareness, nutritional profiles of recipes, costs, cooking and serving times.
  • Produce a recipe card of each of the dishes made listing the ingredients, method of making, nutritional profile, allergy advice, costing and special dietary, health or environmental claims.
  • Costing analysis worksheet.
  • Costings for each dish, analysed and explained
  • NEA 2 Section E Final dishes are costed with the results of this costing analysed and explained

    OCR statement NEA 2
  • Excellent consideration and understanding of the task including sensory and nutritional choice, cost, food provenance and seasonality

See how the Nutrition Program can do it for you!

  1. The recipe Feta stuffed peppers – serves 2
  • 2 peppers, any colour, cut in half (seeds removed)
  • 20g couscous
  • 10 black olives, chopped
  • 125g feta, cubed
  • 125g cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 small red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp celery seeds
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

2. Type it in My Recipes and go to Costs:

Costing a recipe3. At the bottom of the chart it shows the recipe costs £2.82 and the portion costs £1.41.

If you think any costs are too high or low, email me.

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October 12, 2016

Food Investigation – flour for bread NEA 1

 

Look at our 2 YouTube videos to give step by step to help carry out a Food Investigation for Bread flour.

Bread flour Food Investigation

Bread flour results as evaluation

Task 1: Food investigation (30 marks) to find students’ understanding of the working characteristics, functional and chemical properties of ingredients.

Flours you can use for bread – strong white bread flour, wholemeal bread flour, Unbleached bread flour, very strong white flour, seed and grain flour..

Wheat is rich in gluten, a protein that gives dough its elasticity and strength. When yeast and flour are mixed with liquid and then kneaded or beaten,gluten forms and stretches to create a network that traps the carbon dioxide bubbles produced by the yeast. This gives the bread its texture.

Strong bread flour gives the best results in bread making as it is high in gluten.

Breads made with whole wheat grains and whole wheat flour have a rich flavor as well as a coarse texture and dark brown colour.

Wholemeal flour is made from the whole wheat grain with nothing added or taken away.  It will produce a bread which is more dense than a white loaf.

You can mix wholemeal flour with white flour to give a lighter loaf.

Flour with added grains or seeds  can add texture to the bread and will often give the bread a lovely nutty flavour.

White flour usually contains around 75% of the wheat grain. Most of the bran and wheatgerm have been removed during the milling process. produces a lighter loaf than wholemeal flour.

Wheatgerm – This can be white or brown flour with at least 10% added wheatgerm.

Stoneground  is wholemeal flour ground in a traditional way between two stones.

NEA – Compare the flours used in bread making.

What results do you want?

  • A light, spongy loaf
  • A good crust
  • Good flavour
  • Stretchy dough – high in gluten
  • Well risen dough

For the investigation I am going to use – Strong white flour, Strong wholemeal flour, white self raising flour, white plain flour.

 

This shows the star profile using the Nutrition Program 

TRY OUR FOOD QUIZ 2

Star profile gluten in bread with evaluation – you need to annotate results.

 

 

 

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NEA1 Food Investigations 10 tasks published 2018