PalateDevelopment
Description
Studentswill learn to identify thesixflavour profiles thatmakeupthepalateandtheirbasiccombinations. After tastingeachoftheflavours,studentswillcombinetwo or moreflavours onpopcorn tocreatecombinationsandtotastethebalanceoftheflavours.
LessonObjectives
Studentswill:
•understandthe importance ofhowflavoursreact on one’spalateinordertocreate aspecific taste
•learn howflavoursandseasoningscombineandcreatememorable dishes—either bad orgood—byusingthetastebuds
•identify common combinationsofflavoursfoundintheeverydayfoodthattheyeat(e.g.,coffeewithsugar,sweetandsoursauce,ketchup,saltandvinegarpotatochips,saltedcaramel)
•experimentwiththetasteof a varietyofingredientsusedtobuildtheirownflavourprofiles,and
•critiqueandevaluatetheflavoursandflavourcombinationsthatarecreated.
Assumptions
•Theteacherwill be familiarwithflavourprofilesandthe correct palate-relatedingredients,andwilluseappropriateresources.
•Theteacherwillprepare a numberofingredientsandcreatesixtastingstationsbased onflavour profile classifications.
•Theteacherwillprepareenough popcorn fortheentireclass.
•Students havereceivedorientationon thesubject of kitchenand foodsafety.
•WorkstationSet-upandKnifeSkills Activity Planshavebeensuccessfullypreviouslycompleted.
SafetyConsiderations
•Studentswillpractiseproperuseofpersonalprotectiveequipment(PPE)atalltimes.
•Students willhavereceived orientationonthesubjectof kitchenandfood safety.
•Studentsshouldhave some awarenessofthequantitiesofingredientssuchassalt,sour,andhot/spicythatmaycause discomfort inthepalate.
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Terminology
categoriesoftaste:Therearesixbasictasteprofilesorcategories:acidic,salty, sweet, bitter,umami(savoury)and hot/spicy.
miseen place: Miseenplace(Fr.)referstoallofthepreparationneededtocooka dish.
palate:Palate referstoa person’s perceptionorappreciationofflavours.
texture:Thetextureofafoodisthe waythatfoodfeelsinthemouth.
umami:UmamiisaJapanesetermdenotingacategoryoftasteinfoodreferringtoearthyormeaty flavours.
EstimatedTime
170-minute class
RecommendedNumberofStudents
Upto24
Facilities
Home Economics teachinglaband/orCulinaryArtsteachingkitchen
Tools
•mise en place bowlsforeachstationto hold flavouringredients
•labels for ingredients ateachtastingstation
•tastingspoons or toothpicks
•bowlsformixing popcorn
•potformaking popcorn or air-popper
•individualbagsforstudent popcorn
Materials
Choosetwoorthreeingredientsforeachofthefollowingtastingstations:
Salt
•tablesalt
•other saltsuch as sea salt orkoshersalt
•soya sauce
Sour
•lemon juice—fresh, not bottled
•lime juice—fresh, not bottled
•2 types ofvinegars
•powderedacidsuchastartaric(creamoftartar), citric, ascorbic (vitaminC)
Sweet
•granulated sugar
•honey
•syrup—maple,corn, pancake
•molasses
Bitter
•radicchio or other chicory/endive
•strongcoffee
•rawvegetable suchas artichokeor bitter melon
•onionskin broth—boil onionskinsuntil dark liketea.Verybitter.
Umami(Savoury)
•mushroom broth—simmer drymushroomssuchasshiitake or Chinesemushrooms
•brewersyeast,engevitayeast, or nutritionalyeast
•parmesancheese
•marmite or vegemite
•miso
•seaweed
Hot/Spicy
•blackpepper—frontofthemouth
•whitepepper,wasabi, horseradish—middle ofthemouth
•redpepper—cayenne,chiliflakes,hotsauce
PopcornseedsforpoppingOil
Butter
Resources
Draz, John,and ChristopherKoetke.The Culinary Professional. 3rded. Goodheart-Willcox,2017.Pages 837–845.
Gisslen,Wayne.ProfessionalCooking for Canadian Chefs. 8th ed. John Wiley Sons,Inc.,2014.Hoboken,NewJersey.
Labensky, Sarah, Alan Hause,andPriscilla Martel. On Cooking.7thCanadianed.PearsonCanada, 2017
DemonstratingSkillsAndKnowledge
Procedure
1.Prior toclass,theinstructorwillarrangeandlabelflavouringredientsinsixstationsaroundthe room by types offlavours(6).
2.Prior toclass,theinstructorwillprepareindividualbagsof popcorn foreachstudent.
3.Theteacher maywant tostarttheclass off witha quick discussionaboutthedifferencebetweeneatingandtasting.Eatingissimplytheactofingestingfoodsandtakesnothought or creativity.Tasting,however,requiresconcentration,visualization,creativity,and
experience.Likepainters who developtheirsightandmusicians who developtheirhearing,chefsmustdeveloptheirsenseoftasteandsmelltocreateflavoursthatarepleasingto
thepalate.Flavoursmust be addeddeliberatelytoachievethedesiredtasteandtexture.Flavours can be similar or contrasting.
4.Teachersmayalso choose tosharethephysiologyoftastingaswell.Thesayingthatweeatwithoureyesfirstis a very realstatementthat pre-loads thebraintoeitherenjoy orreject what isabout to beconsumed.
5.Studentswillrotatethroughthesixkitchendisplaysand look atand/ortastealloftheingredients.
6.Afterwards, studentswill be providedwith a bag or containereachcontaining 250 mL ofpopped popcorn.
7.Studentswill be expectedtocreateandnametheirownflavoured popcorn. Eachstudentmust useat leasttwoingredients.
8.Studentswillpresenttheir popcorn nameandcreationtothe class andsharesamples ifdesired.
9.Whilesharingthe popcorn, encouragethe class tohave a discussionaboutthevarietyofflavourcombinationsthathavebeencreatedand differences inpersonaltastepreferences.
EvaluationGuidelines
Students willreceivea formative evaluation basedon:
•positiveandactive participation
•completionofthe activity
•eachcriteriaofthepalate activity ismet
•student’sutilizationofcreativitywhencreatingtheirownflavourprofile,and
•whether correct foodsafety practices havebeenfollowed.
ExtensionActivities
1.Theimportanceofthepalate: Palate production will be an ongoing objective inallcookinglabs.
A class discussionaroundhowotherinfluences can make a greatchef or not(e.g.,smokingandchewinggumwilldetract from theingredientflavour).
2.Career exploration: Chefs, cooks, wine tasters, brewmasters, spiritmakers, fooddesigners,food critics, andwritersareallprofessionals who usetheirsenseoftasteasanintegralpartoftheirjob.
3.Healthandnutrition: Provide a basic understanding of how these flavourscan assist inreplacingsaltwhenseasoning, if lookingforanalternativetosodium