Category: Learning project

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!

At first, I had trouble figuring out something to learn or improve that would pique my interest. I could choose between learning a language like French, which I am doing right now in a course, getting better at different drawing styles, or trying to bake and cook recipes outside of my comfort zone. After tossing and turning the ideas around, I decided to follow the culinary arts because of shows like MasterChef, the influence of cultures on food, and the variety of recipes online.

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels

My first exposure to cooking was as a teenager when I cooked eggs, microwavable noodles (KD and Ramen), and pancakes at home. Then, I cooked in Foods class from Grade 8 to Grade 11. I learned a bit about cooking and baking tasks in a kitchen group with other students and the theories behind it all. Since then, I have only cooked prepackaged meals and want to eat homemade meals without relying as much on fast food. I am not confident in doing most dishes or recipes at the moment, but I am ready for a challenge to become better versed in them.

I plan to search for a basic recipe for a beginner on NYT Cooking: Recipes & Tips and for suggestions from classmates in the comments. After accomplishing that, I will go one step further each week by discovering new dishes on Facebook, websites, cooking shows, YouTubers like Nick DiGiovanni, and Celebrity Chefs, asking AI for recipes on platforms like Chat GPT, and comparing some to ones found in a cookbook. One of the weeks, I also want to figure out recipes that a teacher could teach in a home ec class. My ultimate goal in this plan is to see the unique ways a person could cook and bake from the information of technology in the overarching age of the internet. How does it consume these everyday tasks? Are there ways that it could make a person a better cook? Follow me on a culinary journey in Kade’s Kitchen!