What do we mean by "classroom-friendly food labs?"
When designing labs, we go through multiple trials testing out what modifications can be made to minimize equipment while also maintaining the quality of the product. If there are multiple options or we feel like quality is a factor to consider across options, we’ll mention it in our lab preparation notes.
minimizing equipment
Creating a food-friendly classroom likely requires different and new materials and equipment- especially regarding heating. However, we strongly feel that you do NOT need to equip your classroom like a kitchen.
Many of our labs do NOT use bowls, whisks, or measuring cups. Instead, we rely on disposable equipment like bags and cups and encourage the use of a digital measuring scale for measuring. See an example in the video with our "bread in a bag" lab.
See how this bread is made in a way that is specifically adapted to the classroom.
typical classroom times
We try to make all of our labs under 60 minutes (and recognize that things tend to take longer in a classroom with students).
If anything takes over 60 minutes, we automatically break it into a multi-day lab. For example, our labs that use yeast are done over a 2-day period. We also provide suggestions for those who may not have back-to-back class days.
scaled amounts
All of our labs are also scaled recipes. Students make small portions of the food (e.g. 2 cupcake-sized versions of a brownie, rather than a 8x8 brownie pan!).
Generally our labs assume you will divide students into lab groups of ~3 students. Each lab group will make enough of the product so each student can have a small portion.
Using the Same Materials Across Lessons
We try to use the same equipment across multiple lessons and labs. For example, almost all of our baking-based recipes use a muffin pan and a toaster oven.
Amazon Shopping Lists
Our Amazon shopping lists are a helpful resource to see the materials we use in our labs. Many of our teachers have found Dollar Tree or second-hand stores to be a good resource for items like pots.
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We also try to use the same equipment across multiple lessons and labs. For example, almost all of our baking-based recipes use a muffin pan and a toaster oven.
A Must: Digital Measuring Scales
One thing you’ll notice in every single recipe is the use of a digital measuring scale. While we include imperial measurements (cups, tablespoons, etc.) on some of our labs, especially those geared toward younger ages, all our labs list ingredients by mass in grams.
We not only think it’s more precise, but it’s significantly easier to use when scaling recipes to small amounts. You can buy a digital measuring scale for $10 and it is well worth the investment.
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We should note that when doing this, students need to be careful and precise as well! This may require some practice, especially for younger students.
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The only ingredients we do not recommend using a scale for are significantly smaller amounts like salt and baking soda. For these ingredients, we recommend using a small precision scale (that is more precise) or 1/16 and â…› teaspoons (see our Amazon lists).