Big Ideas

Big Ideas

Service and creativity inform the culinary arts.
Cuisine design interests require the evaluation and refinement of culinary principles and practices.
Tools and technologies can be adapted for specific purposes.

Content

Learning Standards

Content

culinary best practices
for example:
  • using just-in-time cooking techniques
  • planning balanced and flavourful cuisine
  • limiting salt and sugar when building flavour
  • including fresh and seasonal produce when possible
  • providing interesting alternatives to address dietary restrictions
menu design, including recipe factoring, ratios, and costing
diverse cuisine and cooking methodologies, including ethnic, multicultural, and First Peoples
artistic elements
consider:
  • the art of preparing, cooking, and presenting meals to enhance the dining experience
  • complimentary and contrasting colours, textures, and flavours
  • use of negative space on a plate, height, forms and shapes, lines and focal points
of the culinary arts
ethics of cultural appropriation
using or sharing a cultural motif, theme, “voice,” image, knowledge, story, recipe, or practice without permission or without appropriate context or in a way that may misrepresent the real experience of the people from whose culture it is drawn
appropriate selection of primary and secondary cuts of meat and poultry
characteristics and properties
physical and chemical transformations of ingredients that occur in cooking
of culinary ingredients
methods and principles for seasoning
use of acids, herbs, spices, condiments, and salts to enhance flavours
and presentation
substitutions
consider savory substitutions that can be used for gluten-free, lactose-free, and sugar-free cooking, vegetarian cooking, low sodium diets
to facilitate dietary restrictions and food allergies
safety in the professional kitchen, including the responsibilities of food service operators
advancements in culinary tools
for example, immersion circulators, modern smokers, combination ovens, sous vide, smoking, curing, molecular gastronomy
social, economic, and environmental effects of food procurement
for example, local food choices, conventional versus organic, food security, land use
decisions
career opportunities in the culinary arts industry
social perceptions of chefs, culinary enthusiasts, and food trends

Curricular Competency

Learning Standards

Curricular Competency

Applied Design

Understanding context
  • Identify the clientele
    for example, students or adults?
    and type of service
    for example, buffet or à la carte?
    , and apply to service procedures
Defining
  • Demonstrate the tasks involved in designing and developing a well-balanced dish
  • Explore and apply artistic elements of the culinary arts
  • Prioritize the steps
    consider what has to happen first and what needs to be done before going onto the next steps in order to complete a recipe or service
    needed to complete a task
  • Sequence the steps needed to safely organize the workspace and select tools and equipment
  • Anticipate and/or address challenges
    for example, figure out meaning of new culinary terms, food and personal safety precautions, and equipment needed and how to properly operate
  • Identify and adapt to the physical capabilities and limitations
    factors such as physical space, group size, allotted time, budget, seasonal ingredients, environmental impacts
    of the teaching kitchen
Ideating
  • Examine and critically evaluate how culinary decisions impact social, ethical, and sustainability considerations
  • Analyze and screen recipes and assess comprehension level
  • Identify and apply existing, new, and emerging culinary tools, technologies
    tools that extend the chef’s capabilities
    , and systems for a given task
  • Contribute to the kitchen environment
    positive learning space, group collaboration, leadership
Prototyping
for example, creating, cooking, and improving recipes
  • Identify, critique, and use a variety of sources of inspiration
    may include personal experiences, exploration of First Peoples perspectives and knowledge, the natural environment, places, cultural influences, social media, and professionals
    and information
    may include professionals; First Nations, Métis, or Inuit community experts; secondary sources; collective pools of knowledge in communities and collaborative atmospheres
  • Select appropriate recipes, techniques, and procedures for desired outcome
  • Analyze ingredients and materials for effective use and potential for reuse, recycling, and biodegradability
  • Make changes to tools, ingredients, and procedures to create and refine a given culinary task or process
Testing
  • Identify and communicate with sources of feedback
    may include First Nations, Métis,  or Inuit community members; keepers of other traditional cultural knowledge and approaches; peers, consumers, and culinary experts
  • Use an appropriate test
    considering the conditions of the task and the number of trials
    to determine the success of the dish, technique, or skill
  • Apply testing results and critiques to make appropriate changes
Making
  • Identify and use appropriate tools, technologies, materials, processes, and time needed for production
  • Apply diverse artistic elements to culinary creations
  • Create and use a variety of garnishes
  • Demonstrate several seasoning methods
  • Use materials in ways that minimize waste
Sharing
  • Explore how and with whom to share or promote culinary dishes and creativity
  • Critically reflect on the success of their culinary task and/or process and describe how it may be improved
  • Demonstrate and assess their ability to work effectively both individually and collaboratively, including their ability to share and maintain an efficient co-operative workspace

Applied Skills

Apply best practices of culinary professionalism and safety
for example, sanitation, personal hygiene, kitchen safety, kitchen attire, FOODSAFE procedures
procedures for themselves, co-workers, and users in the teaching kitchen
Demonstrate and assess their cookery, creativity, and service skills and skill levels
Develop and enact specific plans to refine existing skills or learn new skills

Applied Technologies

Choose, adapt, and if necessary learn more about appropriate tools and technologies to use for culinary tasks
Evaluate impacts, including unintended negative consequences, of choices made about technology use
Analyze and evaluate how land, natural resources, and culture influence the development and use of culinary ingredients, tools, and technologies