Meatballs and dipping sauces
Kathryn Pound
Bush Primary Schools' Technology Centre
Year 7 Technology – one-day course
Teacher: Jacquey Neilson
Kathryn, a pupil of Pahiatua School, attends a mixed ability, mixed gender Technology class at Bush Primary Schools' Technology Centre every 12 days.
The Meatballs and Dipping Sauces unit was designed so students could:
- understand that making a simple product can involve a great deal of technological thinking
- explore, through practical demonstrations, the process of denaturation and coagulation of proteins
- make links to what happened during an earlier bread-making unit
- see the need for a strong emphasis on food safety (students were given a poster sponsored by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority that reinforces the Clean, Cook, Cover and Chill message)
- be introduced to the meaning and requirements of HACCP
- prepare and cook their own meatballs from a basic recipe
- prepare, in groups, a dipping sauce
- sensory test each of the dipping sauces
- collate the information gathered from sensory testing
- prepare a flow chart for the preparation of their meatballs
Teacher comment
Kathryn worked through the brief, making some very valuable contributions to class discussions. She formulated some thought-provoking questions for her peers to clarify her own thinking. She had a very clear idea of the basics of how denaturing and coagulation works: "So it is like the protein is holding hands and the meatballs will hold together with the flour and egg to help".
Kathryn's sensory testing showed that she could use a wide range of words to describe the tastes she experienced and was then able to make an informed choice in her Key Decision and ultimately with her Conceptual Statement. Kathryn was not always eager to try new tastes but because the amounts to be tasted came in small, controlled lots, she completed the exercise and suggested further refinements.
Kathryn put thought and effort into the design process when she designed a possible container for six of her meatballs and a dipping sauce. The sketch was well labelled and met the specifications as stated.
At the conclusion of the day's work, Kathryn demonstrated a very clear understanding of the Brief. Her evaluations were sound and well justified. She had a very clear understanding of the basics of denaturing and coagulation, the design process and the steps that are needed to be taken to prepare, cook and present a reliable product. Her enjoyment of all aspects of this brief, were evident throughout.
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