Skill 1: General Practical Skills (AQA GCSE Food Preparation & Nutrition)

Skill 1: General practical skills

Weigh and measure

• Most recipes will require some ingredients to be accurately measured and weighed

• This needs specialist equipment which may differ depending on the ingredient being used and the quantities required, for example:

  • weighing scales may be used to measure out solid ingredients, e.g.

    • flour

    • sugar

  • measuring jugs can be used to measure a volume of liquid, e.g.

    • oil

    • water

  • measuring spoons (teaspoons, tablespoons etc) can be used to measure small quantities of either solids or liquids

    • 1 teaspoon is 5 ml

    • 1 tablespoon is 15 ml

  • measuring cups can also be used to measure some ingredients by volume

• It is important to measure out ingredients accurately; the outcome of many recipes will depend on this

  • Note that in some recipes deviating from the stated quantities will not affect the results as much, such as adding 150 g instead of 200 g of onions to a vegetable soup

Conversion tables

• Different recipes may use different measurement units, e.g.

  • grams or ounces for solids

  • millimetres or fluid ounces for liquids

• It may be necessary to use a conversion table to convert between different units, for example:

Prepare ingredients and equipment

• Before cooking or baking commences it is important to prepare your workspace and organise any equipment and ingredients you may need

• Specific recipes will require equipment to be prepared in particular ways, e.g. when baking it is important to grease/oil the baking tin, line it with non-stick baking paper, or dust it with flour

  • Grease and baking paper can help prevent baked goods from sticking to the tin

  • Flour can help prevent the bottom of a cake become soggy or too greasy

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Select and adjust cooking times

• A recipe will provide cooking times which will be determined by the type and amount of food being cooked

  • Some ingredients will cook more quickly, e.g. fish cooks faster than meat

  • Small portions will cook more quickly than large portions

• A cooking time that is provided by a recipe may need to be adjusted to ensure proper cooking

  • This is achieved by observation and measurement, e.g. observing the colour of a cake or the texture of a piece of pasta, or measuring meat with a temperature probe

• Many ingredients need to be cooked properly to avoid contamination of pathogens leading to food poisoning

Meat

• Larger cuts of meat need long, slow cooking times and are suited to roasting in ovens

• Smaller cuts of meat need shorter, more precise cooking times as they can overcook quickly; these are suited to grilling, broiling or frying

Fish

• Fish tends to look translucent when raw and opaque when cooked so this can be used as an indication of cooking progress

• The thickness of a piece of fish will affect cooking times

  • Thinner fillets of fish, such as plaice or sole, cook quickly and can be grilled

  • Thicker fillets of fish, such as salmon and cod, will take longer to cook and can be stewed or fried

  • Shellfish cooks quickly so needs careful monitoring during boiling or grilling

Alternatives

• Many meat and fish alternatives exist, such as:

  • mycoprotein products, e.g. Quorn ^TM

  • pea protein, e.g. Beyond Meat ^TM

  • soy protein, e.g. Impossible Foods ^TM

• Alternatives can be grilled, fried or oven-baked depending on the product

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Test for readiness

• It is important to test food to check it is thoroughly cooked and ready to eat, e.g. using a:

  • temperature probe

    • This is an electronic device that can give a temperature reading for the centre of a piece of food without cutting it open

  • knife or skewer

    • These can be inserted into the thickest part of the food to test texture and check for liquids

  • clean finger

    • A finger can be used to gently assess firmness

    • Care should be taken here with hot foods

  • taste test

    • Eating a small sample can allow texture to be assessed

  • colour and/or sound check

    • This is particularly helpful for baked goods, such as cakes which turn brown and make a sizzling/crackling sound when cooked

Judge and modify sensory properties

• Eating is a sensory experience so food has to look, smell and taste appetising

• During the cooking process it is important to taste food and to adjust flavours accordingly

  • A clean spoon must be used to hygienically taste food

• The taste and aroma of a food can be altered by:

  • infusing a liquid with herbs or spices

  • seasoning with salt and/or pepper

  • adding a paste, e.g. garlic or tomato, to sauce or gravy

  • making a jus reduction by concentrating liquid,

    • This is achieved by rapidly boiling a flavoured liquid and allowing the water to evaporate

• Texture and flavour can be changed using methods such as:

  • browning

    • This can be achieved by dextrinisation or caramelisation

  • glazing

    • E.g. an egg wash on pastry can be used to add colour and shine

  • adding a crust, crisp or crumb

    • E.g. the addition of bread crumbs can change the texture of a food

• The presentation of food is important to make it visually appealing to the consumer

  • Garnishes and decorative techniques can be used to improve aesthetic qualities

  • Food styling can be used to attract consumers

  • Portioning is also an important aspect of food presentation to ensure that a plate does not contain too much or too little food

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