Chapter 4 Reflection: Stages and Terms in Home Economics
This is a chart of stages and terms that I have made up that are used in Home Economics. Unlike in Scientific Inquiry, not all stages are present in every situation. Some stages can be skipped, such as when making a no-bake dessert, there may not be anything under the pre-preparation stage or the cooking stage. Stages can also go back and forth. For example, when using fresh herbs, one may have to cut, then measure, then mix. A more detailed chart can be made for baking and cooking. A stage such as cutting may apply more to cooking than to baking (although sometimes there is cutting involved in baking as well, such as when making apple pie for example). Another stage such as Shaping would have also been added to a more detailed baking chart as well. This chart may be very general, but I think categorizing these terms may be helpful when teaching them to our students instead of presenting them in random order on a worksheet. Terms will show up in a similar order when going through a recipe, and as students become more familiar with where they can typically expect to see these terms on a recipe, it will also help them in spotting information that may not be clearly written out in the directions section. For example, not all baking recipes clearly spell out “Preheat oven to 350F” in the first step. I have come across recipes where this information is written at the very end of the recipe as “Bake in a 350F oven”. Having an idea of the different stages will also be very helpful when cooking without a recipe or when creating one’s very own.
STAGE | TERM |
Pre-preparation | Preheat oven to…
Celsius Fahrenheit Gas Mark Cool, moderate, hot oven etc. Rinse Wash Turn Stove to… Grease Clean Line Mise en place |
Measure | Heaping
Pack down Lightly pack down Scant Level off Sifted Dash Pinch Few grains of |
Mixing | Fold
Whisk Stir Cut-in Cream Beat Blend Combine Knead Toss Whip |
Cutting | Julianne
Slice Chop Dice Score Grate Mince |
Cooking | Bake
Sear Saute Boil Simmer Deep-fry Pan-fry Broil Blanch Roast Steam Poach Grill Stew Caramelize Braise |
Testing | Al dente
Toothpick comes out clean Pulls away from sides Juices run clear Elastic Springs back Firm Colour |
Serving/finishing | Garnish
A la mode A la king Sprinkle Glaze |