Final Exam

What I enjoyed most about Will Gilmer's lecture was his demonstration of how voices can be heard if the correct media is used.  His example of his friend who opposed Yellow Tail Wine's donation to peta was an excellent point that opinions can be heard.

This week in culinary we are on break. This gives us time to complete our paper and enjoy time with our families.  Next week we will be participating in a black box challenge where we will receive surprise ingredients to incorporate to  a dish.  The challenge should be interesting. Other than that all is well.

As we get deeper into baking this week it becomes more apparent how important exact measurements are in baking.  Baking is more than just cooking, its a chemistry.  This means that you don't necessarily have recipes, but formulas instead.  If you deviate from the formula there is a chance you will have a completely unexpected outcome on your hands.  This makes baking much more strict and less room for error than other cooking methods, but learning such a strict method can only improve your other skills.

This week in culinary we are preparing for a dinner we will hold on Wednesday night.  We will serve salads, stuffed pork chops, vegetables, risoto, chocolate lava cake, and other items.  As we get ready for the dinner we are also learning about baking of quick breads and yeast breads.  Combing these tasks is a heavier load than normal but will be worth it in the end.

This past week my poultry processing class visitied the Tyson chicken processing plant in Carthage, MS.  The trip was quite an experience to say the least.  The plant was very large and employed 1,800 workers.  The plant had several sections and areas designated for certain tasks.  We saw every step from live birds to finished product on a large scale production rate. 

As we dig deeper into potatoes and other starches it is becoming more apparent the role these foods play in our diet.  They are filler. They help you leave every meal full and satisfied.  They can be cooked a variety of ways and can be very simple to very complex.

Potatoes, grains, and pastas are an intricate part of every meal.  They are delicious, cheap and filling.  They are several forms and ways to prepare each of these starches.  As my class studies deeper into this subject i will post more about it.  As of right now we have a midterm coming up on Wednesday that is taking priority over other matters at hand. 

Over the past week we have studied deeper into the cooking of eggs and other dairy products.  We primarily focused on the different ways of cooking eggs such as poaching, frying, boiling, and making omelets.  Eggs seem like an easy item to cook and most people are capable of performing the task.  How many people however, can fry or poach one hundred eggs of the exact same doneness and consistency?  This is where loads of practice and discipline come into play.  It is not good enough to be able to cook an edible egg, but to cook one exactly to the order while maintaining an attractive presentation. 

This week in class we studied various dishes using cheese and eggs.  We learned the different ways of incorporating ingredients into our food while maintaining the integrity of the ingredients. I made baby red potatoes stuffed with sour cream, blue cheese, and bacon then topped of with toasted pistachios.  Everyone's dishes turned out delicious and the evening was very enlightening.

Not much new this week.  I am learning about cooking various kinds of food with liquors and wines and how to decide which to use.  My poultry processing class went to the slaughter house and we learned about the first phase of processing from slaughter to chilling.  That is about it for this week.

As I get deeper into my classes this semester I am learning more on the process of food from farm to table.  In my poultry processing class i learn more about what takes place to provide meat to cook from live birds to slaughtering to processing.  My culinary classes teach me a variety of ways to prepare the food and the interactions of products with heat.  For example, this past week i learned a great deal about the chemical reaction yeast in bread dough.  As the yeast reacts it begins to rise, called proofing, which in turn gives a lighter and less dense bread.  The little things in food prep can make the biggest differences. 

What is food science really?  What is it that we are actually doing when we prepare and cook the food we eat?  As a food science major with a concentration in culinology that is exactly what i intend to find out.  The science behind cooking our food is much deeper and detailed than one can imagine.  I will share my findings here for others to learn.