Month: October 2024

In this combination of EDTC300 and Learning Project posts, I tested my Photo editing abilities using two online applications: Foodie (an app) and Photoshop (one of the most popular ways to edit images). It was a battle of prices because Foodie’s cost was free, and Photoshop would generally have a subscription, but I used a free trial to test the full abilities without wasting money.  Besides the applications, I looked up suggestions on Reddit for the best photography platforms to use on an iPhone. Also, I found an article by Allison of Some the Wiser on Food Photography: How to Edit Food Photos in Photoshop. They will support me on the Week Four quest in Kade’s Kitchen. So, let the cooking and editing begin!

The subject or food for the photos was a steak meal, and I documented my journey in the kitchen/grill visually. Usually, I do not make this type of meal as a university student, but since it was the end of reading week. I decided to cook my parents a meal they love from restaurants and show them some newfound confidence in me. I followed two video recipes by YouTube chef Nick DiGiovanni this week to learn. First was a video on how to cook the perfect steak, and it was a detailed video with various ways of discovering the art of steak. The second and last was a YouTube short, where Nick made golden garlic butter mashed potatoes. It was a quick recipe like the short and one of the best ways to make a great side dish in ample time. I also made a Caesar salad from a grocery store kit, which complemented the healthyness of the dinner.

The pictures help describe the thoughts of learning that went through my head during this grand learning event. I wanted to capture the look of stereotypical food from Instagram or even a cookbook. I believe that I succeeded, but what do you think? My first task was to season the steak, which I deviated from the video a bit by using salt and Montreal Steak Spice for a bolder taste. Then, I sent them to the grill for 7.5 minutes per side for our desired rarity of medium well. It was a different experience than frying up chicken for the Sweet & Sour recipe, and I enjoyed the various challenges/perspectives of grilling. How do you cook your steak? What is your favourite alternative product if you do not eat steak/meat?

I returned to the kitchen to put the cold, bathed Yukon gold potatoes on the stove and started to brown the butter. I removed the steaks and covered them in tin foil until the rest of the meal was finished. By this time, I was hungry and prevailed by adding the garlic butter to the mashed potatoes. I used a masher instead of a strainer because I don’t have one. Lastly, I mixed up the Caesar salad and would recommend it for simplicity, taste, and time efficiency. It was time to plate the meal and take the final product picture. 

Foodie is a good version of a photo editor for beginners like myself because it has filters specifically for food. It was simple and improved my shots, making my food more colourful/less bland. The controls and features were understandable, but sadly, it is behind a paywall for some of the filters that could have jazzed up my pictures. Using my phone instead of a chunky and confusing laptop for images was pleasant since they are more accessible to the everyday user. However, where it shined for me was combining it with the competition of Photoshop. I imported the filtered photos over to the web version of Photoshop. It is overwhelming at first, but there are plenty of videos online and websites on which to figure out how to work the application. I edited by altering the property values/numbers, going from levels to curves to colour balance to most other layers except black and white until they looked breathtaking or aesthetically pleasing. If I had more time and bought it, I would enjoy taking pictures/editing of my food/other things in my life. High Schoolers could use this in a design or photography class without hardships. Also, there is an app version for iPads and a school discount. So, regarding the previous sentences, here are the SAMR model approaches. 

Photo editing can be used in educational settings for many different reasons. It could be used from Upper Elementary (Grade 4) to the end of Secondary in Grade 12. Augmentation would be as simple an activity where students create a collage of the environment and edit the pictures on Foodie to have a filter on them, replacing a small chunk of the boring slideshow that half the students probably would not be paying attention to in the first place. This way, the change is interactive in a combined Science/Arts Ed lesson, producing a better result in the classroom for both parties involved. An example of redefinition is its use in a fully online photography/film class like Sask DLC on video communication platforms, where students learn how to use phone cameras to make experimental photos/videos to be creative in learning—varying from Photoshop to editing pictures into short-form content showcasing the semester’s development to an extensive digital independent film festival/gallery.

Overall, photo editing is an exciting and fun tool to use in my search for culinary art. It made me think about how my food looks after I make and eat it. What could I do to make it more appealing and not rush through life or this project? Instead, I should take in the sights and appreciate the good in everything that a person does/eats. I am happy with this diverse learning outside my comfort zone and can not wait for next week. I plan to make something involving a pumpkin or spooking-related because Halloween is approaching. Remember to relax since hard work pays off!

During week 3, thanks to Peter S’s supportive comment, I decided to try baking for the first time in forever. The world of baking is vast, like cooking, and my sweet tooth overpowered all my thoughts on this learning project in Kade’s Kitchen. So, with Brynn’s friendliness and suggestion, I decided to channel my inner cookie monster and make Chocolate Chip Cookies! I would recommend this website to anyone who wants a simple way to find BAKING recipes because the layout is straightforward and inspires me for my site. You know, a person can trust Sally instead of using the quick format of a Facebook short like last week. If you enjoy videos, she has a whole section of them, and they are great for all types of bakers! 

The recipe is on Sally’s Baking Recipies, and here is the recipe on my blog without having to look online for it:

• 2 and 1/4 cups (280g) all-purpose flour (Spooned and Leveled)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch*
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (170g / 12 Tbsp) unsalted butter, melted & cooled 5 minutes*
• 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/4 cups (225g) semi-sweet chocolate chips or chocolate chunks 

This is my step-by-step reaction to this recipe and everything I did for it. I started by mixing all of the dry ingredients into a bowl. Due to all the components, I thought I was in a lab experimenting, like in a chemistry class. Then, combining the wet ingredients with the dry ones confirmed to me that baking is scientific. I used a stand mixture for the previous instructions, which is a valuable form of kitchen technology. Next, I had to wait for the cookie dough to chill and firm up overnight because patience is key to learning the culinary world.

It was Monday night, and I took them out of my refrigerator for 10 minutes (to bring them to room temperature). So, I got the cookie sheets and a scooper to scoop the dough out of the bowl. Operation Cookie was underway, and I shaped them to be small because a flat is unsuitable for a cookie. While doing that, I warmed my oven to  325°F (163°C)! I cooked each batch for 12-14 minutes, with time to cool on the baking sheet and a wire rack. I have cookies for my busy week and will make them again because they are so yummy! I think you should try this recipe, especially if you are having a bad day since it will cheer you up and put a warm smile on your face!

Before I say my plan for next week, I will tell my audience the history of the Chocolate Chip Cookie. It was created in 1938 by Toll House restaurant owner/baker Ruth Wakefield in Whitman, Massachusetts, United States of America. Legend says it was made by testing recipes and adding small chunks of chocolate to the cookie dough mixture. In all, it combines a 7th-century dessert with the introduction of sugar in Persia (the cookie), the production of chocolate bars in the 18th-century United Kingdom, and the previously mentioned American creation during the 19th century. I hope you found these facts interesting and that I did not bore you to death with this little section in my blog!

This recipe was perfect for the second week and showcased a different attitude toward baking compared to cooking. These thoughts can be summed up with this quote: “As the saying goes, cooking is an art, baking is a science”—John Thomas. I enjoyed the moulding of the raw cookie; it was almost relaxing with the chilled sensation of a Play-Doh mixture. Also, watching the reaction in the oven to where they became soft and chewy was interesting! I want a new cooking recipe with something different and a more intricate variety. I like the challenge this project has done for me and the growth mindset I have developed in my kitchen. If the recipe tastes excellent, it will succeed in my book! I can’t wait for my next time baking! My next adventure will be using YouTube because I already watch it daily, and the site has a multitude of knowledge of it. I will still gladly take suggestions from commenters/the audience for recipes or platforms to use! Thanks again to Peter S and Brynn! Have a terrific week, and remember always to be yourself!

Hello everyone, and welcome back to my journey in the Kitchen!

*Disclaimer* I did not follow through on the NYT Cooking app this week because it is a little bit more advanced for my current comfort level, and there is a paywall behind the app. So, it can wait for a few weeks! So, I narrowed it down to a noodle stirfry or a take-out favourite of something covered in Sweet and Sour sauce. I chose the latter because of the ingredients and because I would love to learn how to cook Asian food.  I also made white rice and boiled buttered cabbage with my S&S Chicken to complete the meal!

Picture of Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe

The video recipe is here, and I found it on Facebook. I decided to give that social media platform a starting edge in my learning project because they constantly pop up on my feed. I chose a relatively safe recipe without exciting ingredients to make the result edible! In that regard, I succeeded in a yummy meal!

The cultural history of Sweet and Sour sauce: it was created in China during or before the 1800s. On the surface level, it combines a sweet sauce and a sour meat taste that is prevalent in other Asian regions/countries like South Korea. Mine and the American versions have evolved to become the deep-fried Cantonese-originated scrumptious sauce of our dreams from Chinese take-out restaurants.

The dredge for the chicken used flour and eggs (which was quite fun, coating it with vigorous tossing movements in Ziploc bags). I don’t think it was an orange chicken like the home-cook content creator’s kids called it because the recipe did not have fruits or other traditional items. The sour category had vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic (salt). It uses ketchup, apple cider vinegar, and sugar as sweets. This means I cooked a semi-traditional Sweet & Sour Chicken; if you want a more historical recipe, the S&S Chicken is not for you.

Reflections and Overall Thoughts: 

1. I thought it was a healthier meal that only took an hour, and the recipe had some ingredients out of my comfort zone. Being confident is a new kind of calm in the culinary arts for me!
2. I also acquired new skills, such as chopping chicken, dredging, frying it in a pan, and cooking it in the oven with a sauce.
3. I am learning a task like cooking because of the transferable skills this can have for the classroom and life. As such, I notice how students feel about consuming content in different processes or even assignments.
4. To survive, a person needs to know it is a part of life, and doing it for university brings some fun to education. Seeing a different side to myself with technology is efficient and not draining!
5. This video’s technological use was significant due to its quickness and the ease of cooking the meal. Videos are the bread and butter of Facebook recipes since the commentary adds to my self-awareness when preparing and cooking the food on the screen. It is not one of the AI or fake pictures that do not follow through with the authentic recipe. I would use it again and could even compare it to the fake pictured ones for a learning objective during a week.
6. A part of me feels I should be doing two recipes a week: the first is a cooked meal, and the second is a baked dessert. I also want to start being prepared for this and have Sunday as my Learning Project day! What do my fellow learners/commenters think about this?

In week 3, I will explore another cultural dish through online recipe forums, try to improve my cooking, and be excited to learn more about the mysteries of the kitchen. Until then, have a fantastic week, and strive for curiosity!