Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Fruit

Fruit

Fruit is classified in three main categories: simple fruits, multiple fruit and aggregate fruit. Simple fruits are fruits from from a single ovary. Multiple fruit is from from several flowers and united together as a bunch, examples include strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. Aggregate fruit is from numerous ovaries of a single flower that unite later to form a fruit like a pineapple.

Simple fruits are split into three more categories: pericarp fleshy, pericarp indehiscent (does not split open when ripe) and pericarp dehiscent (splits open when ripe).

Nutrients in fruit and health benefits include...
- People who eat more fruits have a reduced risk of some chronic diseases
- Most fruits are naturally low in fat, sodium and calories
- No fruits have cholesterol
- Fruits are sources of many essential nutrients like potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin C and folate
- Potassium can help maintain healthy blood pressure, sources include bananas, prunes, dried peaches, dried apricots, cantaloupe, honeydew melon and orange juice
- Dietary fiber can help reduce blood cholesterol and may lower risk of heart disease. Fiber is also important for digestion, sources include whole or cut-up fruits
- Vitamin C is important for growth and repair of body tissues, help heal cuts and wounds and keeps teeth and gums healthy
- Folate helps the body form red blood cells and is important for pregnant woman


On the eatwell plate fruit is one of the biggest portions along with vegetables. You have to eat at least five portions every day. Fresh, frozen, tinned, dried and juiced fruits all count so try to include fruit and vegetables in every meal. A portion of fruit is...
- 1 apple or orange or pear or banana or similar sized fruit
- 2 plums or kiwi fruits or satsumas or mandarins or similar sized fruit
- 1/2 grapefruit or avocado
- 1 large slice of pineapple or melon
- 1 cupful of grapes or berries
- 1 heaped tablespoon of dried fruit
- 1 small glass of fruit juice

Planning

Next week, we will be making a fruit crumble and therefore, this week we have to plan our ingredients and our recipe. To make our crumble, we have to use hard fruits. Hard fruits include apples, apricots, bananas, grapes, oranges, plums, rhubarbs etc. However, we can also use some soft fruits like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries etc.

For my recipe, I would like to add:
- Strawberries
- Bananas
which has to weight 200-250 grams altogether.

My crumble recipe is going to include:
- 100g of flour
- 50g of butter
- 50g of oats
- 2-3 teaspoons of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of brown sugar on top
- Cream after it is done

When making my crumble I have to include skills like crumbling with my hands and not mashing it together so that it will resemble breadcrumbs. I also have to use my knife skills to cut my fruit and my 'checking if it's done' skills to check if my crumble is done or not.

I plan to steam my fruits in a saucepan before putting them in the ovenproof dish to bake. I will do this by putting in all my fruits into a saucepan, adding around 100ml of water and a pinch of cinnamon for around 5 minutes.

We learnt how to check the done-ness of our crumble today. If we see that the edges are slightly brown but not too brown, this shows that it's done. The top of the crumble should also be golden brown. Another method that I think would work is to stick a knife into the crumble on the sides and if it is still hard on the inside then it is probably not done.

Nicely presented strawberry and banana crumble found on the internet

Reflection

Today in Food Technology, I made a fruit crumble with strawberries and banana as my topping. For my actual crumble, I added flour, butter, sugar, cinnamon and brown sugar.

This involved using knife skills like the bridge hold and the claw grip, crumbling skills and my 'checking if it's done' skills.

I think that I worked in a safe and hygienic manner because I washed my hands before making my crumble and sometimes while I was making my food because my hands were dirty with other food. I wore an apron, tied up my hair, removed all my jewellery to prevent dirt and germs getting into my food. In addition, I used the correct chopping board and placed a wet tea towel underneath to prevent it from slipping.

I was organized today too because I worked in order of the recipe. Firstly, I cut my fruit up into tiny pieces then placed them into a saucepan to steam for a while. This is to soften the fruit but I only steamed my strawberries since the banana was soft enough. After that, I drained out the juice the strawberries produced and placed my fruit into my ovenproof dish. Secondly, I weighed out my crumble ingredients then crumbled it to resemble breadcrumbs. Finally, I poured my breadcrumbs into my dish and then added some brown sugar and cinnamon on top. I put my dish into the oven to bake at 205 C for 30 minutes. While the crumble was baking, I washed up and cleaned my work space.

The appearance of my dish wasn't particular colourful or appealing but it is pretty delicious. It was a golden brown colour at the top and the bottom was a dark red colour because of the strawberries. I liked the taste of my dish because it was sweet but not too sweet. The combination of strawberry and banana came out well and it tasted flavourful. The crumble's texture was crumbly hence the name.When it came out of the oven, it smelled like freshly baked goods which made me really hungry. When I was eating it, it smelled mainly of melted strawberries which made my mouth water.

Next time, I could improve by using different, harder to use and creative ingredients like pineapple, kiwis, oranges etc. This time I went with a simple pair of ingredients which is known to taste good together- strawberry and banana. 


I presented my dish at home very simply, only using a spoon, fork, a dishcloth and a plate lining the tinfoil container but I think the pictures turned out pretty well :)










Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Eggs

Eggs

Eggs are a great fast food and are full of goodness. 

The nutrient group eggs belongs to is protein. Eggs are an excellent source of protein. Protein is essential for building and repairing muscles, organs, skin, hair etc. It is needed to produce hormones, enzymes and antibodies. The reasons why we eat eggs for protein is because the protein in eggs is easily absorbed by the body. 

Other than protein, eggs also have various vitamins and minerals:
- Vitamin A: Helps maintain healthy skin and eye tissues, helps with seeing at night
- Vitamin D: Strengthens bones, teeth and can help protect against certain cancers
- Iron: Carries oxygen to the cells
- Vitamin E: An antioxidant that helps maintain good health and preventing disease
- Folate: Helps produce and maintain new cells and protect against serious birth defects
- Choline: Plays a strong role in brain function and development


Eggs are in the eatwell plate and are in the "meat, fish, eggs and beans" section and this is because they are non-dairy sources of protein. Eating 2-3 portions of foods from this section each day will provide us enough protein we need for a day.

Eggs should be stored in three ways:
1. Keep them in their cartons because the carton protects the egg and prevents them from absorbing odours and flavours of other foods in your fridge.

2. Keep them in the fridge- not on the fridge door but in the main body to ensure they are at a consistent and cool temperature

3. They should be placed with the large end up so that the yolk remains centered.

Eggs are farmed in the following three ways:
1. Barn egg production- this is where the hens are able to move freely around the house. Each area has to have usable floor space, perches and litter. Outside, there has to be plenty of drinking space and water and feeding troughs

2. Battery cage- Small wire cages where most "battery" hens are unable to behave naturally. The cages are usually less than the size of a piece of A4 paper and are so small that hens are unable to stretch, flap their wings or exercise properly. There is no "personal space" or a nesting area either.

3. Organic and Free Range Egg Production- Free range means that hens must have continous daytime access to runs around places with vegetation. Their living areas are similar to ones of a barn. Organic egg production is always free range but they have to be fed an organically produced diet and raised on organic land


Why do you think eggs laid by battery hens are cheaper than free range?
This is because battery hens don't take much money and time to take care of. They just have to be stuffed in a cage and a few workers will do the daily actions of providing water and food. They won't have to clean their living areas that often or change the dust in the dusting area like what would probably happen in a free range farm. Even though the egg industry says that there are high laying rates in battery cages and the hens are healthy and productive but the welfare of hens is not given much attention at all.

Link to Omelette Recipe


Reflection on Today's Omelet Making

Today we made an omelet at school using the recipe from Jamie Oliver with some modifications to fit what we like. I used three eggs, corn, mushrooms and a bit of cheese to top it off. This involved skills like cracking an egg, using a pan and opening tinned cans.

I think that I worked in a safe and hygienic manner because I washed my hands before making my food, wore an apron, tied up my hair and used the correct colour chopping board as well as putting a wet towel underneath the board. I was organized too because I collected all my equipment first and worked in order of the recipe. The whole process went smoothly.

The appearance of my omelet was appealing and it made me feel hungry. The texture of my omelet was a bit hard in some parts but overall, I would say it is pretty soft. I found my dish tasty because I liked the ingredients I put in, making the omelet delicious. Moreover, I was happy that my egg wasn't undercooked or overcooked and there weren't disgusting watery bits.

I can improve next time by turning the temperature of my fire down a bit so that some parts won't turn brown and the texture will be a bit softer. I can also crack my eggs better because on my third egg, I got a tiny bit of shell dropped into the mixture. Most importantly, I really need to practice flipping an egg because this part was the hardest and it did not look neat at all.

This was what my omelet looked like:


Overall, I am pleased with my work today because it tasted yummy and I have definitely learnt something new today!